Montavious Stanley (born October 10, 1981) 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

for 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 ...

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. 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

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 ...

Early years

Stanley attended

Dougherty Comprehensive High School Dougherty Comprehensive High School is a four-year secondary school located in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Dougherty County School System, along with, Monroe Comprehensive High School, and Westover Comprehensive High Scho ...

, where he was an accomplished three-sport athlete. As a junior he had 17 sacks, helping his team to a state title and a 13-2 record. As a senior he made 15 sacks, contributing to an 11-2 record and reaching the state semifinals. He was a three-time All-Region and a two-time All-state selection at

. He was a three-time All-Region selection in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, helping his team win a state title as a senior, while averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. He also practiced

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

for two years, finishing third in the region in the discus and

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

competitions as a senior.

College career

Stanley accepted a football scholarship from the

. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

freshman, he began his college 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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, tallying 16 tackles (2.5 tackles for loss) and one fumble recovery. As a sophomore, he became a starter at left defensive end on a

defensive 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 ...

that included future NFL players

Elvis Dumervil Elvis Kool Dumervil (born January 19, 1984) is a former American football defensive end and linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Bronko Nagurski Tr ...

and Amobi Okoye. He was moved to left defensive tackle for the 2003 GMAC Bowl. He finished with 37 tackles (13 for loss), 3 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. As a junior, he started at right defensive tackle, registering 30 tackles (4.5 tackles for loss), 4 sacks 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown against

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

. As a senior, although his first start came in the third game against the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

, he received All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

honors. He posted a career-high 48 tackles (10 for loss), 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries. He finished his career ranked 12th in school history with 12.5 sacks and tied for ninth with 30 tackles for loss.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

Stanley was selected by the

in the sixth round (182nd overall) of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

, to play

nose guard 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 ...

in the team's 3-4 defense. He was waived on September 2.

St. Louis Rams

On September 4,

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, he was signed to the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

Jacksonville Jaguars (first stint)

On September 12,

, the

signed him from the Rams'

for depth purposes, after

Reggie Hayward Reginald Joseph Hayward Jr. (born March 14, 1979) is a former American football defensive end who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at Iowa State U ...

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 was declared inactive in his first 3 games. He played in 3 out of 4 games, posting 4 tackles, half a sack, and a forced fumble. He was cut on November 14.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On November 16,

, he was claimed off waivers by the

to backup Jason Ferguson. He was declared inactive for the rest of the season. He was released on August 27,

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Atlanta Falcons

On August 28,

, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He played in 14 games (six starts) and registered 29 tackles. He was cut on August 30,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

New Orleans Saints

On October 8,

, Stanley signed 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 ...

with the

and played in one game, before being placed on the

on October 18.

Jacksonville Jaguars (second stint)

On July 23,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, he signed with the

. He went on to play in a career-high 15 games (no starts), finishing with 24 tackles (1 for loss), one sack and 3 passes defensed. He was waived on April 26,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Omaha Nighthawks (UFL)

, he was drafted with the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...

of the United Football League. He played one season.

Miami Dolphins

On July 25,

, he was signed by the

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

, reuniting him with various coaches and front office personnel from the

, including

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

who was his head coach as a rookie. He was acquired for depth purposes after Jason Ferguson retired and was released on September 4.

Detroit Lions

On August 8,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, Stanley signed with 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 ...

, before being waived on August 29.

Las Vegas Locomotives (UFL)

In 2011, he signed with the

Las Vegas Locomotives The Las Vegas Locomotives (called the Locos for short) were a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada that played in the United Football League. The team played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the Unive ...

of the United Football League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Montavious 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Albany, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football defensive tackles Louisville Cardinals football players Dallas Cowboys players St. Louis Rams players Jacksonville Jaguars players Atlanta Falcons players New Orleans Saints players Omaha Nighthawks players Miami Dolphins players Detroit Lions players Las Vegas Locomotives players