John Alfred Roper (born October 4, 1965) 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

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

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) for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

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 ...

and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. 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

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...

, earning consensus All-American honors in 1987. Roper was selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He was on the Cowboys' Super Bowl XXVIII championship team that beat the

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

Early years

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, Roper was one of the best to play defensively in school history according to his coach,

Jackie Sherrill Jackie Wayne Sherrill (born November 28, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Washington State University (1976), the University of Pittsburgh (1977–1981), Texas A&M University (1982–1988), a ...

. In 1987, he was the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...

Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. In his four years as an Aggie, they compiled a record of 36 wins and just 12 losses: three conference championships; and twice they were victorious in the Cotton Bowl. Roper, a two-time All-

and a consensus All-American, was at the heart of that success. Before heading to the NFL, he began a tradition that became known all across college football. It was during his career the famed moniker of the “Wrecking Crew” was born. His career tackles for a loss of 68 while at Texas A&M ranked him 8th in the

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 ...

at the conclusion of his

career (currently ranks 14th). In addition, his career sack total of 36 ranked him 9th in the

at the conclusion of his

career (currently ranks 24th). He is one of the greatest

s in

history and was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Roper was drafted in the second round (36th overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft by the

. His best season came 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 ...

, when started all 16 games at right outside linebacker, finishing with 90 tackles and 8 sacks (second on the team). A pulled hamstring in the season finale at San Francisco forced him to miss the playoff loss against the

. He was also voted

NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...

player of the week, after registering 11 tackles, 2 sacks and one pass defensed in a 21–20 win against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. The next year, although he started 13 games, his sack production dropped to 2.5 sacks. In 1993, former

defensive coordinator

Dave Wannstedt David Wannstedt (born May 21, 1952) is a former American football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh foot ...

became the new

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

for the

and implemented a 4–3 defense where Roper and other

linebackers Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

already in the roster were no longer a good fit. He was eventually traded to the Cowboys along with

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 ...

Kelly Blackwell Kelly Reardon Blackwell (born February 13, 1969) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Fort Worth Cavalry in the Arena Football League ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

Markus Paul Markus Dwayne Paul (April 1, 1966November 25, 2020) was an American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1989 NFL Draft. He also was a ...

, in exchange for

Vinson Smith,

Barry Minter Barry Antoine Minter (born January 28, 1970) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. Early years Minter ...

and a sixth-round draft pick in the

1995 NFL Draft The 1995 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 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Th ...

Dallas Cowboys

It has been mentioned that

head coach Jimmy Johnson accepted the trade to help close friend

in his new job, with all of the players received eventually being waived. Roper didn't fit the Cowboys 4–3 defense either, which was the same system that was being implemented in Chicago. He recorded 3 tackles and 2 sacks in three games with the team, playing mainly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. In Cowboys lore, Roper is known for being cut by Johnson, in order to send the team a message, after he fell asleep during a

meeting prior to their October 17 game against 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 1993.

Philadelphia Eagles

The

after previously in the year trying twice to trade for Roper, signed him 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 ...

on November 17, 1993. He was waived in a

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

move on June 3,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

References

External links

Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roper, John 1965 births Living people All-American college football players American football linebackers Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Players of American football from Houston Philadelphia Eagles players Texas A&M Aggies football players