Alonzo Walter Highsmith, Sr. (born February 26, 1965) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

executive, former fullback, and former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He is a General Manager for the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. He served as the vice president of player personnel for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

from 2018 to 2019. Before that, Highsmith served as a senior personnel executive for the Green Bay Packers for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. He also played in the NFL for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

, and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. He played college football at the

Early years

Highsmith attended Christopher Columbus High School, where he played

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

and helped his team reach the state championship final in 1982, while receiving All-American, Florida high school Defensive Player of the Year and the Dade County Athlete of the Year honors. He also played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and ran track.

College career

Highsmith accepted a scholarship from the

over offers from

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Although he was recruited by

Howard Schnellenberger Howard Leslie Schnellenberger (March 16, 1934 – March 27, 2021) was an American football coach with long service at both the professional and college levels. He held head coaching positions with the National Football League's Baltimore Colts a ...

to play defense, he was converted to fullback before his freshman season started. He was a member of the 1983 Hurricanes squad that won the national championship, and led the team in rushing during the 31-30 victory over

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

. In 1984, Jimmy Johnson arrived as the new

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

and named him a starter as a sophomore, rushing for a team leading 906 yards on 146 carries (6.2 average) and 11 touchdowns. One of the hardest working players on the team, he would develop into a complete fullback that could run, block and catch. As a junior, he registered 451 rushing yards on 117 carries (3.9 average) and 6 touchdowns, including a school record 88-yard touchdown reception against East Carolina University. In his last year, he was recognized as the nation's best fullback, while posting 442 rushing yards (led the team) on 105 carries (4.2 average) and 8 touchdowns. Highsmith finished his college career with 1,914 rushing yards (second in school history), 2,935 all-purpose yards (fifth in school history), 25 career touchdowns (tied for first in school history) and five 100-yard rushing games (tied for second in school history). In 1997, he was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Houston Oilers

Highsmith was selected by the

in the first round (third overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft. He reported to the team after a long contract holdout, that saw him miss 6 months and 6 games. As a rookie, he played in 8 games (3 starts) and registered 106 rushing yards. In

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, he started 16 games, rushing for 466 yards (third on the team) on 94 carries for a 5-yard average, while developing into one of the best blocking fullbacks in the NFL. In

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, he started again 16 games, led the team in rushing with 531 yards and was second on the team with 6 total touchdowns. During the 1990 season,

Jack Pardee John Perry Pardee (April 19, 1936 – April 1, 2013) was an American football linebacker and the only head coach to helm a team in college football, the National Football League (NFL), the United States Football League (USFL), the World Footbal ...

became the new Oilers head coach and implemented the

run and shoot offense The run and shoot offense (also known as Run N' Shoot) is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses. It was conceived by former ...

. The team decided that Highsmith wasn't a good fit for new system. On September 3, he was traded to the

in exchange for a second round (#38-

Darryll Lewis Darryll Lamont Lewis (born December 16, 1968) is an American retired professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). Lewis was born in Bellflower, California. After going to high school at Nogales Hig ...

) and a fifth round (#136- Tim Roberts) draft choice.

Dallas Cowboys

Although he had started 40 straight games with the

, he had a series of offseason knee surgeries, that had doctors recommending against the

acquiring him in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, based on a knee condition that could potentially end his career. Head coach Jimmy Johnson, knowing Highsmith from his playing days at the

, ignored the medical advice and went ahead with the proposed trade on September 3. He played in 7 games (5 starts) and was the lead blocker for rookie Emmitt Smith, before being placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

after not being able to fully recover from his previous knee surgery. He had 19 carries for 48 yards and 3 receptions for 13 yards. The next year, he had a contract holdout, that forced him to miss most of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

. He returned as the third-string fullback and played in only 2 games, before being waived on October 1,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 3,

, Highsmith was claimed off waivers by the

. Due to his chronic knee condition, he was released on October 7, 1992. Highsmith retired after playing in 65 games, posting 283 rushing attempts for 1,195 yards (4.2 avg.) and 7 touchdowns. He also had 42 receptions for 428 yards (10.2 avg.) and 3 touchdowns.

Boxing career

Following his football career, Highsmith became a professional boxer. Over a four-year career, Highsmith amassed a 27–1–2 record in the heavyweight division. Twenty three of those victories came by way of knockout. One of Highsmith's opponents in professional boxing was another former NFL player turned boxer,

Mark Gastineau Marcus Dell Gastineau (born November 20, 1956) is an American former football player who was a defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generatio ...

Front office

In 2012, he accepted a Senior Personnel Executive position in the front office of the Green Bay Packers. On January 2, 2018, it was reported that he would be joining the

as their vice president of football operations. On January 10, it was confirmed that Highsmith would join the Browns, just as the Vice President of Player Personnel. After consulting for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2020 offseason, he accepted a full-time position as a personnel executive with the team on June 12, 2020. On May 26, 2022, Highsmith was hired by the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

to serve as the general manager of football operations.https://miamihurricanes.com/news/2022/05/26/university-of-miami-hires-alonzo-highsmith-as-general-manager-of-football-operations/

Personal life

His father,

Walter Highsmith Walter "Buzz" Highsmith (August 27, 1943) is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), and National Footb ...

, was a successful football player and coach. He, like Alonzo, played for the Oilers in 1972. He also played for the Montreal Alouettes, with and Alonzo playing football and basketball in Montreal as a teenager. Walter was a former head coach for

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...

and enjoyed several coaching stints in college football and the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. One of Highsmith's sons, also named

Alonzo Highsmith Jr. Alonzo Jakeswic Highsmith Jr. (born November 21, 1989) is a former American football outside linebacker. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at Arkansas. College career Phoenix College ...

, was invited to

with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

and the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. Highsmith's cousin, Ali Highsmith, played for the Arizona Cardinals.

References

External links

*
The 50 Greatest Miami HurricanesGreen Bay Packers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Highsmith, Alonzo 1965 births Living people Sportspeople from Bartow, Florida Players of American football from Florida American football fullbacks Miami Hurricanes football players Houston Oilers players Dallas Cowboys players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players American male boxers Boxers from Florida Heavyweight boxers Green Bay Packers scouts Green Bay Packers executives Cleveland Browns executives Seattle Seahawks executives Ed Block Courage Award recipients Christopher Columbus High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida) alumni