Solomon Page (born February 27, 1976) 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 ...

offensive 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 ...

man 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 ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. He was drafted by the

in the second round of 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 ...

. 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 ...

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

Early years

Page was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

where he played football at

Brashear High School Brashear High School is a large, urban, magnet, public school in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Brashear is one of four high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. In the 2010–2011 school year, the sc ...

and was an All-city selection at

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 ...

. After graduating from high school, he spent a year at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

improving his grades.

College career

He accepted a football scholarship from

. As a red-shirt freshman, he played

man, earning the starting

left tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

job and grading out at 84% consistency. He blocked for fellow freshman

Amos Zereoué Amos L. Zereoué (born October 8, 1976) is a former American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for West Virginia. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (95th overall) of the ...

, becoming just the 11th freshman since 1980 to earn a spot in the Mountaineer Club for players who grade at least 80 percent. As a sophomore, he earned All-Big East honors for an offense that amassed 4,602 yards. As a junior, he was an All-Big East selection while grading out at 89% consistency for an offense that generated 5,546 total yards. He declared after the season for the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. During his career at West Virginia, Page helped to anchor an

that helped the offense produced at least 300 yards in each of his final 21 career games. He contributed to All-American

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

Zereoué becoming the school and Big East's all-time leading rusher (4,054) yards,

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 ...

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 ro ...

becoming the school's career passing yards leader (5,995) and wide receiver David Saunders becoming the school's career leader in receiving yards. Page was an athletic coaching education major.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Page was selected by the

in the second-round (55th overall) of the

. During training camp he was moved to

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

. He made his

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 ...

debut against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

on October 3, which was also his first professional start, as a right tackle replacement for injured starter

Erik Williams Erik George Williams (born September 7, 1968) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforc ...

. Beginning on November 21, Page started five consecutive games at left guard replacing injured starter

Larry Allen Larry Christopher Allen Sr. (born November 27, 1971) is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Sonoma State and ...

. As a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, he contributed to the Cowboys offensive line allowing just 24 sacks, the second fewest in the

, while allowing one or fewer sacks in nine-of-16 games. In addition, the offensive line helped running back

Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the lea ...

to his highest single-season rushing total (1,397) since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

. In

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, Page began the season as the starting right guard and was part of an offensive line that surrendered 35 sacks, with only 12 teams allowing fewer on the season. In the opener against Philadelphia, he started the game at right guard but was shifted to

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

after start Williams was ejected. Later in the season on December 10, 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 ...

Page started at guard but moved to

again when Williams suffered a

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

injury early in the second half. In

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, he was moved to

to replace Williams who had left via

free agency 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 ...

to play for 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 its ...

. He was part of an offensive line that helped the Cowboys finish third in the league in rushing with 136.5 yards-per-game. The offensive line also helped Emmitt Smith rush for a league record 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season, while he also moved into second place on the NFL's all-time career rushing list with 16,187 career yards. The offensive line also allowed just 34 sacks in 447 pass plays on the season. Just 12 teams allowed fewer sacks for the year and only eight teams lost fewer yards due to sacks than the 190 lost by the Cowboys. It is believed

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

was the first time an

franchise had five African American starters on their

, when the Cowboys lined up rookie

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Andre Gurode Andre Bernard Gurode (; born March 6, 1978) is a former American football center and guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Color ...

, tackles

Flozell Adams Flozell Jootin Adams (born May 18, 1975) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football for Michigan State University. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and also played ...

and Page,

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

and

Kelvin Garmon Kelvin Garmon (born October 26, 1976) is a former American football offensive guard. He played college football at Baylor University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Garmon was also a member of th ...

. That season, he started in 15 games (10 at right tackle and 5 at right guard). He also became part of history as the starting

on the Cowboys

that helped

eclipse

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...

as the

's all-time leading rusher, playing against 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 ...

on October 27.

San Diego Chargers

On June 5,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, he was signed by the

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 ...

, reuniting with

Hudson Houck Hudson Houck (born January 7, 1943) is an American football coach and college player who was an offensive line coach for a six teams of the National Football League (NFL) over a 40-year coaching career. Houck retired on January 10, 2012. Pla ...

who was his

coach with the Cowboys. In his one season with the Chargers, he played in eight games (missed eight with a sprained left ankle injury), with seven starts at right guard, helping the team rush for 2,146 and pass for 3,226, sixth and 22nd in the league respectively.

Detroit Lions

On July 27,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, he was signed as a

by 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 ...

. He was waived on August 23.

New York Giants

On August 25,

, he signed with the

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

as a

. He was released on September 5.

Personal life

Page is currently an

coach at Carrollton Christian Academy in

Carrollton, Texas Carrollton is a city in Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 133,434, making it the 23rd-most populous city in Texas. History The area was first settled by Jared Ford i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Solomon 1976 births Living people Players of American football from Pittsburgh American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles West Virginia Mountaineers football players Dallas Cowboys players San Diego Chargers players High school football coaches in Texas Hargrave Military Academy alumni