Anthony Degrate (born April 25, 1962) is a former American college and professional
football player who was a
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 ...
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 1985. He played
college football for the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, and was recognized as a consensus
All-American. He was selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals in the
1985 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the NFL's
Green Bay Packers.
Early years
Degrate was born in
Snyder, Texas.
[National Football League, Historical Players]
Tony Degrate
Retrieved September 4, 2012. He attended
Snyder High School,
[databaseFootball.com, Players]
Tony Degrate
. Retrieved September 4, 2012. 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 the Snyder Tigers.
College career
He received an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
, where he played for coach
Fred Akers
Fred Akers (March 17, 1938 – December 7, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. He served as head football coach at the University of Wyoming (1975–1976), the University of Texas at Austin (1977–1986), and Purdue Universit ...
'
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ...
team from 1981 to 1984.
[TexasSports.com, Football, All-Time Lettermen]
Tony Degrate Profile
Retrieved September 4, 2012. He was a first-team All-
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...
(SWC) selection in 1983 and 1984, and was a key member of the 1983 Longhorns team that won the SWC championship and finished 11–1.
[ As a senior team captain in 1984, he led the team in tackles and quarterback sacks, was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and won the ]Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...
honoring the best lineman in college football.
Professional career
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Degrate in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft.[Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History]
1985 National Football League Draft
Retrieved September 4, 2012. He played in a single professional game for the Green Bay Packers during the season.[Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players]
Tony Degrate
Retrieved September 4, 2012.
See also
* 1984 College Football All-America Team
The 1984 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1984. The National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...
* List of University of Texas at Austin alumni
This list of University of Texas at Austin alumni includes notable graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of the University of Texas at Austin. The institution is a major research university in Downtown Austin, Texas, US and ...
* Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Degrate, Tony
1962 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football defensive ends
Green Bay Packers players
People from Snyder, Texas
Texas Longhorns football players