Reggie Jermaine Torbor (born January 25, 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 wi ...
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, ...
. He was drafted by the
New York Giants in the fourth round of the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...
. He played
college football at
Auburn.
Torbor has also played for 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 p ...
and
Buffalo Bills. He earned a
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...
with the Giants in
Super Bowl XLII beating the
New England Patriots.
Early years
Torbor attended and played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
for
Robert E. Lee High School in Baton Rouge, where he was a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
and
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, ...
.
He rushed for 1,563 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior while accumulating 1,241 yards and 14 touchdowns a senior on his way to an All-State selection.
He finished his high school career with 18 sacks.
College career
Following high school, Torbor attended
Auburn University, where he was a four-year letterman in football.
He appeared in all 13 games for the team as a senior, recording 38 tackles (15 for a loss), 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on his way to Second-team All-
SEC honors.
He finished his collegiate career with 46 games played (22 starts), 120 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, 10 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a blocked kick.
His sack total ranked him fifth in school history at the time of his departure.
Professional career
Pre-draft
New York Giants
Torbor was drafted by the
New York Giants in the fourth round (97th overall) of the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...
. He wore No. 58 with the team during his rookie season.
During his rookie season in 2004, Torbor appeared in all 16 games while starting one.
His first NFL start came against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on September 19.
In a December 12 contest against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, Torbor sacked quarterback
Kyle Boller
Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17, 1981) is a former American football quarterback. After playing college football for California, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (19th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played for the Ra ...
and forced a fumble that was recovered by
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 formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
Osi Umenyiora
Ositadimma "Osi" Umenyiora (born November 16, 1981) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for Troy University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Umenyiora was a ...
and returned 50 yards for a touchdown.
In the season finale against 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 divi ...
he recorded half a sack and recovered a
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the H ...
fumble that lead to a Giants touchdown.
Torbor finished the year with 21 tackles, three sacks (all in the final four games of the season), two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Prior to the 2005 season, Torbor switched from No. 58 to No. 53.
He was also inactive for the team's first-round playoff game against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
after undergoing hernia surgery.
He earned a starting job during the preseason, but was benched for ineffective play during the team's Week 3 contest.
He went on to appear in 14 games, starting nine, while missing two.
On the year, he recorded 34 tackles, an interception, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
His interception came off
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 ...
quarterback
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger (; born April 5, 1977) is a retired American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth r ...
while his fumble recovery came against
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 divi ...
quarterback
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
.
In 2006, Torbor appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Giants while starting one,
despite it being was reported during the preseason he was a long shot to make the team.
On defense, he recorded 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
He also added 14 special teams tackles, which tied him with fellow linebacker
Chase Blackburn for the team lead.
His forced fumble, which was recovered by
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
Gibril Wilson
Gibril Donald Wilson (born November 12, 1981) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.
W ...
, came against
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
Travis Henry and 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 hom ...
on November 26.
A
restricted free agent
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
in the 2007 offseason, Torbor received a fourth-round tender from the Giants.
This meant that any team that signed Torbor would have to give the Giants a fourth-round pick in the
2007 NFL Draft as compensation.
He signed his tender on May 3.
That season, Torbor went on to appear in all 16 games for the Giants for the second straight season, and started six of them.
All six of his regular season starts, and his four subsequent starts, were in place of injured linebacker
Mathias Kiwanuka.
On the season, he recorded 29 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed on defense while adding seven tackles on special teams.
During the playoffs, he sacked quarterback
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...
in the team's divisional win over 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 divi ...
.
He finished the postseason with 10 tackles and a sack, including two tackles in the Giants'
Super Bowl XLII victory over the
New England Patriots.
Miami Dolphins
After his contract expired with the Giants, Torbor became an
unrestricted 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 ...
in the 2008 offseason.
On February 29, Torbor agreed to terms on a four-year, $14 million contract with 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 p ...
.
During the 2008 offseason, it was reported that Torbor was projected to start for the Dolphins at inside linebacker alongside
Channing Crowder
Randolph Channing Crowder Jr. (born December 2, 1983) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 2000s. He played college football for Fl ...
, but would face pressure from
Akin Ayodele
Akinola James Ayodele (; born September 17, 1979) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted by the Jacksonville J ...
.
Torbor was released on May 27, 2010.
Buffalo Bills
Torbor signed with the
Buffalo Bills on June 5, 2010. He started 10 games in 2010, recording 41 tackles. In 2011, during training camp, he injured his shoulder and was later placed on
injured reserve.
Family
Torbor and his wife Michelle have two sons, Reggie Jr. and Cameron
Miami Dolphins Bio
/ref>
References
External links
Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torbor, Reggie
1981 births
Living people
Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
African-American players of American football
American football defensive ends
American football linebackers
Auburn Tigers football players
New York Giants players
Miami Dolphins players
Buffalo Bills players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people