Robert Glenn Baumhower (born August 4, 1955) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Alabama Crimson Tide under coach

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

from 1973 to 1976 and professionally for Miami under coach

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...

. He later became a restaurateur.

Early life and college

Baumhower attended North Palm Beach Gardens High School in Florida for two seasons before playing at Tuscaloosa High School his senior year. Playing as a defensive tackle in college at the University of Alabama under coach

, Baumhower helped lead the Crimson Tide to two 11–1 records as well as a 31–4 overall record. He was part of the 1974 team which lost to

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

in the Orange Bowl, the 1975 team which defeated

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

, and the 1976 team which won the Liberty Bowl over UCLA. Baumhower was a first-team

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: * 1 ...

selection in both 1975 and 1976. After the 1976 season, he was invited to play in the Senior Bowl college all-star game.

Professional career

Baumhower was drafted by the Dolphins with the 40th overall pick (second round) in the 1977 NFL draft, behind the first round pick, another defensive lineman from the Southeastern Conference,

A. J. Duhe Adam Joseph Duhe Jr. (born November 27, 1955) is a former American football defensive end who played eight seasons for the Miami Dolphins from 1977 to 1984 in the National Football League (NFL). Early life Born in Reserve, Louisiana, Duhe played ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

; earning a spot on the 1977 All-Rookie team. Baumhower and Duhe would share the 1977 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He was selected five times to the Pro Bowl in the NFL. Baumhower and Duhe, who eventually was moved to inside linebacker, formed the heart of the Dolphins' "Killer B's" defense of the late 1970s through mid-1980s, coached by defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger. Baumhower was flanked on the line by ends

Doug Betters Douglas Lloyd Betters (born June 11, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1987. After graduating from Arlington Heights High ...

and

Kim Bokamper Kim Bokamper (born September 25, 1954) is a former American football linebacker and defensive end who played his entire nine-year career with the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins from 1977 in sports, 1977 to 1985 in sports, 1985. ...

, while other stars of the unit included outside linebacker

Bob Brudzinski Robert Louis Brudzinski (born January 1, 1955) is a former American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Ohio State Brudzinski was a four-time letter winner and a three-year starter at defensive end for ...

and defensive backs

Lyle Blackwood Lyle Vernon Blackwood (born May 24, 1951) is a former professional football player. He played safety position in the National Football League (NFL). Blackwood's best season was in 1977, when he intercepted 10 passes for the Baltimore Colts, helpi ...

and

Glenn Blackwood Glenn Allen Blackwood (born February 23, 1957) is a former professional football player, He played Safety (gridiron football position), safety for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Biography Blackwood was born in San Antonio, Te ...

. The unit was ranked first in the NFL in total defense in 1982, when Miami reached

Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1982 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1982 Washington Redskins season, Washington Reds ...

. The 1983 season may have been Baumhower's best as he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (Pro Football Weekly), first-team All-Pro (Associated Press), first-team All-AFC (United Press International) and a starter in the Pro Bowl game. He was a first-team All-NFL selection in 1981 and 1983 and first-team All-AFC in 1979, 1981 and 1983. Baumhower would retire after the 1986 season. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. On December 14, 2008, Baumhower was inducted into

The Miami Dolphin Honor Roll The Miami Dolphins Honor Roll is a ring around the second tier at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which honors former players, coaches, contributors, and officials who have made significant contributions to the Miami Dolphins franchise. ...

during a ceremony at Dolphin Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium).

Restaurants

Baumhower is also the owner and CEO of Aloha Hospitality, which owns and operates restaurants throughout Alabama including the fine dining establishment Dauphin's in Mobile as well as his namesake Baumhower's Victory Grille.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baumhower, Bob 1955 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football defensive linemen Miami Dolphins players American Conference Pro Bowl players American restaurateurs Players of American football from Portsmouth, Virginia