James Thomas Looney (born May 15, 1995) 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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

. He played college football at

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College career

Looney initially started his collegiate career as a

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 ...

at Wake Forest in 2013, appearing in six games. He transferred to Cal in 2014 and had to sit out a season per

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

transfer rules. In 2015, he started in 11 games and appeared in 12 games. He recorded 35

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, 3.0

tackles for loss Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling are to dispossess an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend. The word ...

, one sacks, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery. In 2016, he started all 12 games and recorded 54 tackles, one forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss (−38 yards), one fumble recovery, and two quarterback hurries. In his final collegiate season in 2017, he started all 12 games and recorded 41 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

Professional career

Looney was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (232nd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He signed his rookie contract on May 7, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 24, 2018. On August 31, 2019, Looney was waived by the Packers and was signed to the practice squad the next day. On December 6, 2019, the Packers switched Looney over to

. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers on January 21, 2020. The Packers waived Looney on August 15, 2020.

Personal life

Looney's older brother,

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, is a former NFL offensive lineman who played at Wake Forest in college. Their father played college football at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

.Dan Collins
"Wake Forest football lands another Looney"
''

Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journa ...

'', November 2, 2012.

References

External links

*
California Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Looney, James Living people 1995 births Sportspeople from Lake Worth Beach, Florida Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida American football defensive linemen California Golden Bears football players Green Bay Packers players American football tight ends