Calvin O'Neal

Calvin O'Neal (born October 6, 1954) is a former professional American football linebacker who played for the Baltimore Colts in 1978 and was an All-American and team co-captain for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1976.

Calvin O'Neal
No. 51
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1954-10-06) October 6, 1954
Osceola, Arkansas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Saginaw (MI)
College:Michigan
NFL draft:1977 / Round: 6 / Pick: 163
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Player stats at PFR

Amateur career

O'Neal is a 1972 graduate of Saginaw High School,[1] where he won All-State and All-Saginaw Valley honors in football and was named Most Valuable Player of the Saginaw Valley Conference, after averaging 14 tackles per game.[2] He was also a standout in basketball and track and field at Saginaw High from 1969-71.[2] O'Neal was teammates with quarterback Tom Slade both at Saginaw High School and at the University of Michigan.[3]

He attended the University of Michigan on a football scholarship. He served as co-captain along with Rob Lytle and Kirk Lewis.[4] The 1976 team was ranked #1 for eight weeks, but lost two of its last four games including a Rose Bowl loss to the USC Trojans. However, the team had four All-Americans (O'Neal, Lytle, Jim Smith, and Mark Donahue) as well as nine All Big Ten Conference players.[4] O'Neal made ten tackles in his first game for the Wolverines,[2] was twice named an All-Big Ten linebacker and was a Consensus All-American and team co-captain in 1976.[5] He was a team leader on defense, setting a season record with 151 tackles in 1975, and had a record 378 tackles for his career.[5] O'Neal combined strength and speed from his inside linebacking spot, and had three interceptions in 1976 for 60 return yards and a touchdown.[5]

Professional career

O'Neal was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the sixth round (163rd pick) of the 1977 NFL Draft.[6] He played in 15 games for the Colts in 1978.[1]

O'Neal lives in Shreveport, Louisiana.[7] He is the founder of Lifestyle Business Affairs, an enrichment program for high school and collegiate student-athletes.[8] O'Neal was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[2]

Notes
  1. "Calvin O'neal". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  2. "Calvin O'Neal". saginawcountysports.org. Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  3. Camp, Terry (June 8, 2006). "Mid-Michigan football legend needs help". ABC Inc., WJRT-TV/DT Flint, MI. Archived from the original on August 31, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  4. "1976 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. March 31, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  5. "University of Michigan Football All-American, 1976, Team Co-Captain, 1976: Calvin O'Neal". The Regents of the University of Michigan. February 10, 2007.
  6. "History:Full Draft – Alphabetically". NFL Enterprises LLC. 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  7. "Former Colts: Where are they now?". ColtPower.com and Scout.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  8. "Lifestyle Business Affairs". Lifestyle/Business Affairs. 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
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