Luke Gifford (born August 28, 1995) is an

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

of the

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(NFL). 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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Early years

file:Luke Gifford (cropped).jpg, left, 200px, Gifford with

in 2018 Gifford attended Lincoln Southeast High School, where he was a two-way player as a tight end 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 ...

. As a sophomore, he contributed to the team winning the 2011 state championship. As a junior, he received second-team All-Nebraska honors. As a senior, he was named the starting

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

with the intention of playing

, but was converted into a

. As a

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freshman, he appeared in 6 games, tallying 7 tackles (one for loss) before suffering a season-ending hip injury. As a sophomore, he appeared in 4 contests as a backup, making only one assisted tackle. As a junior, he appeared in 7 games as a starter at

outside 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, ...

, registering 39 tackles (5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks, until suffering a season-ending hip injury. As a senior, he appeared in all 12 contests, posting 62 tackles, 13 tackles for loss (led the team), 5.5 sacks (led the team), 7 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Gifford was signed by 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 ...

as an

undrafted 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 ...

after the

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on April 30. He suffered a left

high ankle sprain A high ankle sprain, also known as a syndesmotic ankle sprain (SAS), is a sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula in the lower leg, thereby creating a mortise and tenon joint for the ankle. High ankle sprains are desc ...

in the first preseason 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 ...

, after making one interception, one tackle and one pass breakup. Even though he was injured, the Cowboys protected his player rights by keeping him on the regular season roster. He returned to action in Week 6 against the

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

and was focused on playing

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 Week 15 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

, Gifford suffered a fractured left arm while covering a punt return and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He was placed on injured reserve on December 17. He appeared in 6 games and was declared inactive for 8 contests during the season. In 2020, he appeared in 8 games, playing mostly on

. He was declared inactive for the season opener with a hamstring strain. On November 24, he was suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

, forcing him to sit in Week 12 and Week 13. Although he was reinstated from suspension on December 9, the club opted to declared him inactive for 2 additional games. He finished second on the team with 7 special teams tackles. On March 21, 2022, Gifford re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year contract.

Tennessee Titans

On March 20, 2023, Gifford signed a two-year contract with the

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bioNebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gifford, Luke 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Lincoln, Nebraska American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Dallas Cowboys players Tennessee Titans players