Jeffrey Tonja Hurd (born May 25, 1964) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...

in the Arena Football League (AFL). 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 ...

at the

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

Early years

Hurd attended

Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Lincoln College Preparatory Academy (LCPA) (also known as Lincoln Prep Academy or The Castle on the Hill) is a three-year middle school and four-year college preparatory magnet school in the Kansas City, Missouri School District. The high school ...

, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, where he participated in football, basketball, and baseball. He received Kansas City prep athlete of the year honors as a senior. He accepted a football scholarship from

. He was a reserve linebacker in his first two seasons. As a junior, he was named a starter at defensive end, registering 62 tackles and 4 sacks. As a senior, he was moved to

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 ...

, posting 57 tackles and 5 sacks. He pitched for the baseball team as a freshman, compiling an 0-1 record with a 3.5 ERA.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Hurd was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the

1987 NFL Draft The 1987 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 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Marq ...

and was moved to linebacker. He was waived on August 17. After the NFLPA strike was declared on the third week of the 1987 season, those contests were canceled (reducing the 16 game season to 15) and the

NFL 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 major ...

decided that the games would be played with replacement players. He was re-signed to be a part of the Dallas replacement team that was given the mock name "Rhinestone Cowboys" by the media. He was a backup at right outside linebacker behind

Chris Duliban Christopher E. Duliban (born January 9, 1963) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Texas. Early years Duliban attended Spring Woods ...

. He was released on October 26, at the end of the strike. He was re-signed for the last 2 games. 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 Australian ...

, he injured his left knee and was placed on the injured reserve list. In

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, 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 Exxo ...

, he was switched to defensive end and was placed on the injured reserve list with a right knee injury on August 28. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Dallas Texans (AFL)

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 Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, he signed with the

of the Arena Football League. He had 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In

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 Phil ...

, he collected 32 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries and 3 blocked kicks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurd, Jeff 1964 births Living people Players of American football from Monroe, Louisiana American football linebackers Kansas State Wildcats football players Kansas State Wildcats baseball players Dallas Cowboys players Dallas Texans (Arena) players National Football League replacement players