Bradley D. Hopkins (born September 5, 1970) 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 with ...
player. He played
left tackle
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...
for 13 seasons 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), all of them with the
Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans organization.
Early years
Hopkins was an outstanding two-sport athlete at
Moline High School
Moline High School is a public four-year high school located in Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the Midwest area of the United States. The school is the only public high school in the city of Moline, and is part of Moline-Coa ...
, lettering in football as well as basketball. In football, Hopkins played on both offense and defense, playing on the defensive line as well as at tight end. In basketball, Hopkins played power forward, and was in the same lineup as future
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
shot-blocker and NBA first-round draft pick
Acie Earl
Acie Boyd Earl (born June 23, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player, who appeared in four National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons, as a , center. He also played many seasons in Europe.
High school/college
Born in P ...
.
College
Hopkins received a scholarship to play football for the
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.
The University operates a number of athletic faci ...
and was recruited by
John Mackovic
John Mackovic (born October 1, 1943) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach of the Italy national American football team, which was formed to compete in the EFAF European Championship. Previously, Mackovic served as the ...
. As a freshman, Hopkins was a reserve offensive lineman, blocking for future NFL overall first pick
Jeff George
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Music
* DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes
* ...
. George guided the Illini to the
1990 Florida Citrus Bowl
The 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game at the Florida Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the Virginia Cavaliers on January 1, 1990. The game ...
against the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
after a 9–2 record, second only to the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
in the Big Ten Conference.
His sophomore year, Hopkins became a starter, and started ten games at left tackle for quarterback
Jason Verduzco
Jason A. Verduzco (born April 3, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played one season with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played college football at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Early years
...
. The Illini posted an 8–4 record, tied for first in the Big Ten and went to the
Hall of Fame Bowl
The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, usually on New Year's Day. The event has been formerly called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 t ...
, losing to the
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
. The following season, in 1991, Hopkins started all 12 games once again protecting Verduzco, and received All-Big Ten honors. The team posted a 6–6 record, good for fifth place in the Big Ten, and a trip to the
1991 John Hancock Bowl
The 1991 John Hancock Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the University of California, Los Angeles on December 31, 1991. The game was the fi ...
.
His senior year, Hopkins was selected team captain by first-year coach
Lou Tepper
Lou Tepper (born September 7, 1945) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1991 to 1996, the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2005, and In ...
, along with John Wright and Steven Mueller. He started all 12 games at left tackle and was named
All-American as well as All-Big Ten. The Illini played in the
1992 Holiday Bowl
The 1992 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1992, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the unranked Illinois Fighting Illini, and the 25th ranked Hawaii R ...
, finishing with a 6–5–1 season.
Hopkins graduated from
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
with a degree in Speech Communications.
Professional
Hopkins was selected in the first round of the
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot Ma ...
by 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 as ...
.
In his rookie season, Hopkins started eleven games at left tackle and was named first-team All-Rookie by several organization
Hopkins started all sixteen games for the Oilers for the 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1999 seasons, blocking for fellow Big Ten alumnus
Eddie George
Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach at Tennessee State. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily f ...
. In 1999, the Titans made it to
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 NFL season, 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champ ...
in which Hopkins started, however they lost to the
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend fr ...
-led
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
.
In 2000, Hopkins earned a trip to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
, starting in all but one game for the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. Hopkins was part of an offensive line that allowed the third-lowest number of sacks in the NFL, and George gained over 1,500 yards rushing. That season, the Titans finished with a 13-3 record, winning the AFC Central Division, but lost to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the first round of the playoffs.
Hopkins continued starting for the Titans, and earned another trip to the Pro Bowl in 2003, starting all sixteen games for the fifth time in his career. The Titans were propelled by a high-powered offense with
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),[Steve McNair Found Dead](_blank)
...
and
Eddie George
Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach at Tennessee State. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily f ...
, which scored 30 points in six consecutive games – a franchise record.
He announced his retirement from football on June 14, 2006. Along with
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),[Steve McNair Found Dead](_blank)
...
, he was the last player left from the Houston Oilers.
He currently works as an analyst for SiruisXM's ESPNU, B1G, ACC, SEC, Mad Dog Radio and NFL Radio.
References
External links
* http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=20032
* https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/HopkBr00.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Brad
1970 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
American football offensive tackles
Houston Oilers players
Tennessee Oilers players
Tennessee Titans players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
Illinois Fighting Illini football players
Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople