Joseph Donald Looney (born August 31, 1990) 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 ...

center. He was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the fourth round of the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. 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 ...

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

Early years

Looney was raised in

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth ...

. At the age of six, he already weighed 120 pounds, so he had to play football with boys who were as much as twice his age. He attended

Lake Worth Community High School Lake Worth Community High School is a public high school located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Established in 1922 as Lake Worth High School, it is currently one of Palm Beach County's largest schools. The Palm Beach County School Board added ...

, where he was a four-year starter at

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

. He was named second-team all-state as a junior. He received All-Palm Beach County and All-state Class 6A honors as a senior in 2008.

College career

Looney accepted a football scholarship from

. As a true freshman, he became a starter at

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right g ...

in the seventh game against the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, after Trey Bailey broke his ankle against the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and Russell Nenon was moved from

to center. As a sophomore, he started 11 out of 12 games at

. The next year he started 10 games at

, missing 2 contests while recovering from a sprained ankle. As a senior, he started all 13 games at

. He finished his college career with 41 starts out of 48 games over four years. He received a late invitation to play in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, but he suffered a foot injury during practice, and was unable to participate in the NFL Combine or Wake Forest's pro day.Eric Branch
"Fourth round: 49ers trade up for Wake Forest G Looney"

SFGate.com The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The p ...

, April 28, 2012.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Looney was selected by the

in the fourth round (117th overall) of the

, after trading a sixth round pick (#196-

Jonte Green Jonte Green (born July 19, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. He was most recently a member of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected in the sixth round, 196th overall, by the Detroit Lions in th ...

) to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in order to move up 8 slots. As a rookie, he spent the entire season on the inactive list. In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, he appeared in 4 games as a backup and was inactive for 12 contests and all 3 playoff games. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, he appeared in 15 games with 4 starts, including 2 starts at

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gill ...

, one at center and one at

, helping the offense finish fourth in 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 ...

in rushing with 2,176 yards. He was released on September 4,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Tennessee Titans

On October 20,

, Looney was signed by 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 ...

for depth purposes, after center

Brian Schwenke Brian Max Schwenke Jr. ( ; born March 22, 1991) is a former American football player. He played college football at California and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years Schwenke was born in ...

was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. He appeared in 8 games with 6 starts (3 at center and 3 at

). He dressed but did not play in 3 games.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 29,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

signed Looney as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

to a two-year contract, to replace the recently departed

Mackenzy Bernadeau Mackenzy Bernadeau (born January 3, 1986) is a former American football guard. He was drafted with the 250th pick by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Bentley University. Early years ...

, as a versatile backup that could play any of the interior positions along the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He replaced an injured

Ronald Leary Ronald Leary (born April 29, 1989) is a former American football guard. He played college football at Memphis and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He also played for the Denver Broncos. Early years Leary did n ...

at left guard in the fourth quarter against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. After

Geoff Swaim Geoff Swaim (born September 16, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Dalla ...

was injured against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, he began to be used as a blocking

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. Like ...

in short yardage situations. He helped rookie running back

Ezekiel Elliott Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he earned second-team All-America honors in 2015. Elli ...

become the rushing NFL leader and was one of the offensive linemen that Elliott gave an

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...

as a gift at the end of the season. In

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, he appeared in all 16 games as a backup. On March 26, 2018, Looney re-signed with the Cowboys on a two-year contract. In 2018, Looney was named the starting center for all 16 games after

Travis Frederick Travis Frederick (born March 18, 1991) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire seven-year career as a center for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisc ...

was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome and missed the entire season. In 2019, he returned to a reserve role after Frederick regained his health and his starting job. He appeared in 16 games with one start at center in the season finale against the Washington Redskins. On March 19, 2020, Looney re-signed with the Cowboys. He was named the starting center following the retirement of Frederick. He suffered a sprained MCL in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 10, 2020. He was activated on October 31. He appeared in 13 games with 12 starts at center and was replaced with rookie

Tyler Biadasz Tyler Biadasz ( ; born November 20, 1997) is an American football center for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin and was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Dra ...

while he was out. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

New York Giants

On July 31, 2021, Looney signed with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He announced his retirement from the NFL on August 4.

Personal life

Looney's younger brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, was a notable player at

and also decided to attend Wake Forest, before transferring to the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

. He was a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

' practice squad. 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 of ...

.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, North Carolina, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by ...

'', November 2, 2012.

References

External links

Wake Forest Demon Deacons bio

Wake Forest interview (December 5, 2011) {{DEFAULTSORT:Looney, Joe 1990 births Living people American football centers American football offensive guards Dallas Cowboys players New York Giants players Sportspeople from Lake Worth Beach, Florida Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida San Francisco 49ers players Tennessee Titans players Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players