Thomas Gene Randall (born August 3, 1956) is a former professional

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 ...

offensive lineman who played in the

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(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 divi ...

and

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

. He played college football at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

Early years

Randall attended Mason City High School, where he initially focused on playing

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and set a school record with 21 rebounds in a game. That changed as a senior, when he became a starter and a two-way player, receiving All-state honors at offensive tackle. He accepted a scholarship from

, where he was coached by

Earle Bruce Earle Bruce (March 8, 1931 – April 20, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa (1972), Iowa State University (1973–1978), Ohio State University (1979–1987), the University of N ...

. He became a starter at defensive tackle as a sophomore. As a senior, he led all

defensive 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 numb ...

man in tackles in the Big Eight Conference. He posted 50 solo tackles, 78 assisted tackles, 11 sacks, 4 batted down passes and one recovered fumble. In 2011, he was inducted into the Cyclone Hall of Fame. In 1986, he was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Randall was selected by the

in the seventh round (194th overall) of the 1978 NFL Draft with the intention of converting him into an

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 numb ...

man. As a rookie, he was a backup

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right g ...

and played on

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 ...

, although he was affected with

tonsilitis Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and en ...

early in

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, ...

. He played in Super Bowl XIII. In his second year he was considered one of the strongest players on the team, but was waived on August 27,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

Houston Oilers

On August 28,

, the

claimed him off waivers and appeared in 13 games as a backup. On August 4, 1980, he walked out of training camp unhappy at being moved from

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 ...

to offensive tackle. He was released on August 13.

Minnesota Vikings

On August 15, 1980, he was claimed off waivers by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

. He was cut before the start of the season.

Personal life

He owns a real estate company.

References

External links

Cyclone Hall of Fame bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randall, Tom 1956 births Living people People from Mason City, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Iowa State Cyclones football players American football offensive linemen Dallas Cowboys players Houston Oilers players