Tavares Washington (born April 20, 1983 – January 2, 2024) is an American former college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

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 ...

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 a single season in 2008. 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 ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and also played professionally for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL). Washington was born in Greenville, Mississippi. He attended

South Delta High School South Delta High School is a public high school in Rolling Fork, Mississippi (United States). The school serves students in grades nine through twelve. South Delta High is part of the South Delta School District; the district serves all of Shar ...

in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and played high school football for the South Delta Bulldogs. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer's

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of ...

teams from

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 ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. Washington was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

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 ...

in 2006, and was a member of the 49ers' practice squad from 2006 to 2007. He was released by the 49ers in 2008, signed by 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 ...

and released. He was subsequently signed by 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 ...

in 2008, and appeared in two of the Chiefs' regular season games. He was a member of Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL, and participated in the Locomotives' 2009 UFL championship. Washington died on January 2nd of 2024, in

Fort Mill, South Carolina Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 census, 24,521 people live inside the town's corporate limits. ...

. He was 40 years-old.

References

External links

Tavares Washington
nbsp;– Florida Gators player profile
Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Tavares 1983 births Living people American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Florida Gators football players Kansas City Chiefs players Las Vegas Locomotives players Sportspeople from Greenville, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi Rhein Fire players San Francisco 49ers players Washington Redskins players