Oliver Hoyte (born October 5, 1984) 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 ...

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

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 ...

. 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 ...

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

Early years

Hoyte attended

Chamberlain High School George D. Chamberlain High School is a public high school in Tampa, Florida, United States. It was opened in 1956 on North Boulevard (on the corner of Busch Boulevard). The school is named in honor of George D. Chamberlain, who served for several ...

, where was a three-time All-conference and a two-time All-state selection. As a senior he posted 153 tackles (98 solo) and 5 sacks, while helping the team reach the Class 5A state championship game. He received All-state honors as a junior and senior and was an All-conference selection three straight years.

College career

Hoyte accepted a football scholarship from

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. As a true freshman, he appeared in 14 games, tallying 51 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and one sack. As a sophomore, he started 11 games, making 97 tackles (second on the team) and 8 tackles for loss. As a junior starter, even though he came off the field in passing situations, he collected 93 tackles (led the team), 14.5 tackles for loss (ninth best in school history) and 1.5 sacks. As a senior, he started 10 games, registering 99 tackles (second on the team), 12 tackles for loss, one sack and 2 forced fumbles. He was part of a defense that included future

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 ...

players

Manny Lawson Manny Lawson (born July 3, 1984) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football at North Carolina State, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Lawson also played for th ...

and

Mario Williams Mario Jerrel Williams (born January 31, 1985) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for North Carolina State University, and was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft. A four-time ...

on the defensive side.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Hoyte was signed 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 ...

by the

after 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 ...

on May 3. After earning a roster spot as a reserve linebacker and a solid special teams prospect, although he hadn't played the position since high school, he was converted into a fullback at the end of October and started 5 games. He also posted 5

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 ...

tackles. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, he had 9 starts at fullback, but also missed 6 games with a neck injury. On February 28,

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; ...

, he was released to make room for

Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Texas Tech University, and was ...

, after he appeared in 22 games (14 starts) during his two years with the team.

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 3,

, the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

claimed him off waivers. During

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

, the team played him at

middle 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, ...

and was released before the start of the season due to a neck injury.

Personal life

After football, he coached at

, semi-pro ball for the Florida Thunder and was the linebackers coach at

Tiffin University Tiffin University is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. It was founded in 1888 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the main campus in Tiffin, Ohio; the Unive ...

in 2010.

References

External links

Oliver Hoyte is Old School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyte, Oliver 1984 births Living people George D. Chamberlain High School alumni Players of American football from Tampa, Florida American football linebackers American football fullbacks NC State Wolfpack football players Dallas Cowboys players