Alvin Toles (born March 23, 1963) is a former

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 ...

player who played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) from 1985 until 1988, when a knee injury ended his career. He played college football at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

, initially as a fullback before switching to linebacker his junior year. He was the Saints' 1st-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.

Early life

Toles played high school football at

Mary Persons High School Mary Persons High School is a public 9-12 high school located in Forsyth, Georgia, United States. It is the sole high school of Monroe County Schools. During the 2011–12 school year, 1,181 students were enrolled in the school. There are around ...

Forsyth, Georgia Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Georgia, United States.Forsyth
Georgia.gov The populat ...

, under long-time coach Dan Pitt. Playing as a fullback, he rushed for 1,663 yards during his senior season in 1980,Jonathan Heeter,
The Numbers Game: The 40s
", ''The Telegraph'' (Macon), July 22, 2012. Retrieved: July 31, 2013. leading the Bulldogs to the Class AA state championship and a 15–0 season.1981 Tennessee Signees
", ''1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide'' (University of Tennessee, 1981), p. 58. He rushed for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 34–6 victory over

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

in the title game. He earned All-State honors, and was named the "All-Middle Georgia Player of the Year" by the ''

Macon Telegraph ''The Telegraph,'' frequently called The Macon Telegraph, is the primary print news organ in Middle Georgia. It is the third-largest newspaper in the State of Georgia (after the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' and ''Augusta Chronicle''). Founded ...

''. He was ranked among the top 33 recruits in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

by the ''

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

''.

Tennessee

Toles joined the Tennessee Volunteers in 1981, part of a signing class that included Reggie McKenzie, Raleigh McKenzie,

Johnnie Jones Johnnie Henry Jones (born June 30, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Though drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1985, injuries prev ...

Alan Cockrell Atlee Alan Cockrell (born December 5, 1962) is an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. He was most recently the hitting coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Football career Twice named first-team all state, Co ...

and Carl Zander. Playing as a fullback during his freshman year, he rushed for 220 yards on 47 carries while splitting time with junior Doug Furnas. During his sophomore year in 1982, he rushed for 135 yards on 46 carries. With 250-pound sophomore Sam Henderson poised to take over the starting slot at fullback at the start of the 1983 season, Toles switched to linebacker at the request of head coach

Johnny Majors John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...

.Tim Hix,
Vol Profile: Alvin Toles
, ''Tennessee vs. LSU Football Program'' (University of Tennessee, 1983), pp. 47-48. In spite of never having played defense, Toles had a breakout season, registering a team-leading 135 tackles (72 solo), including 8 tackles-for-loss (1 less than All-American teammate

Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...

). In the Vols' season-opening loss against

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Toles had 19 tackles, one of which broke the

collarbone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...

of Panthers quarterback John Cummings. In Tennessee's loss to Auburn, he had 17 tackles, including 4 tackles-for-loss. He also had 18 tackles (8 solo) against

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, 14 tackles (8 solo) against

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, and 20 tackles (7 solo) against Ole Miss.1984 Tennessee Squad
, ''1984 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide'' (University of Tennessee, 1984), p. 60. In Tennessee's 30–23 victory over

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the 1983 Florida Citrus Bowl, Toles stuffed Terrapins running back

Rick Badanjek Richard Alan Badanjek (born April 25, 1962) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons. Having grown up the son of interracial parents, he was a 1981 graduate o ...

at the 1-yard line to prevent a touchdown on the opening drive, and he had a fumble recovery and an interception — both of which led to scores — in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 6 tackles, and he was named the game's "Outstanding Defensive Player." Toles was expected to have a big year as a senior in 1984, but broke his ankle during the game against Auburn and missed the rest of the season. In just four games, he had 43 tackles (26 solo), broke up a pass and recovered a fumble. He finished his career at Tennessee with 178 tackles (98 solo), 8 of which were for a loss, to go along with the 355 yards rushing on 93 carries he had amassed while playing fullback.

New Orleans Saints

Toles was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (24th overall pick) in the 1985 NFL Draft, one of three Vol linebackers (the others being Carl Zander and Reggie McKenzie) to be drafted that year. He played 55 games over four seasons for the Saints, much of it on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

as he competed with

Sam Mills Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for ...

and Vaughan Johnson for playing time at linebacker. In the Saints' 24–22 loss to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on October 25, 1987, Toles returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, temporarily giving the Saints the lead. During the Saints' 14–10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on November 13, 1988, he suffered a serious knee injury. He was waived by the Saints in 1990.

Personal life

Toles' son,

Andrew Toles Alvin Andrew Toles (born May 24, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Toles played college baseball for the University of Tennessee and Chipola College. He was selected by the Tampa Bay ...

, was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player. His daughter, Morgan Toles, is a former Seminole basketball standout.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toles, Alvin 1963 births Living people People from Monroe County, Georgia People from Barnesville, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) African-American players of American football American football linebackers Tennessee Volunteers football players New Orleans Saints players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople