Rufus French (born March 15, 1978) 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 ...

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 ...

who 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 Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

and attended

Amory High School Amory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi, Monroe County, Mississippi. The population was 7,316 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Located in the northeastern part of the state near the Alabama border, it was founded in 1887 as a ...

Amory, Mississippi Amory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi. The population was 7,316 at the 2010 census. Located in the northeastern part of the state near the Alabama border, it was founded in 1887 as a railroad town by the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingh ...

. He was a consensus All-American in 1998. He was also a member of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Early years

French played football and baseball at Amory High School. He was drafted by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft.

College career

French chose to play football for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1998. French was a first-team All- SEC selection in 1997 and 1998. He was a finalist for the

Conerly Trophy The C Spire Conerly Trophy is an award given annually to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Voting Sixty media representatives from across Mississippi determine the Trophy recipie ...

in 1998. French finished his college career with 84 receptions, 814 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He chose to forgo his senior season and enter the

1999 NFL Draft The 1999 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 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

French signed with the Seattle Seahawks after going undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft. He missed the 2000 season while recovering from a knee injury. He was released by the Seahawks on August 5, 2001.

Green Bay Packers

French was signed by the Green Bay Packers on March 26, 2002. He was released by the Packers on July 23, 2002.

References

External links

NFL Draft ScoutFanbase profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Rufus Living people 1978 births Players of American football from Mississippi American football tight ends African-American players of American football Ole Miss Rebels football players All-American college football players People from Amory, Mississippi Amory High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople