Sullivan Anthony "Tripp" Welborne III (born November 20, 1968) 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 wi ...
player.
Welborne played
college football, principally as a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
and
punt returner, from 1987 to 1990. He had five interceptions as a sophomore in 1988 and was selected as a unanimous first-team All-American in both 1989 and 1990. As a senior, he set a Michigan single-season record with 455 punt return yards (a record that stood until broken by
Steve Breaston in 2003) and averaged 14.7 yards per return.
Welborne sustained a serious injury in the 10th game of the 1990 season that required reconstructive surgery on his right knee. He was unable to play during the
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. It was the final season for coach Chuck Noll. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills, 37–24, at the Metr ...
, but attempted a comeback the following year. He appeared in only two games for
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 ...
during the
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.
Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was res ...
before suffering an ACL injury to his left knee that required season ending surgery.
Early years
Welborne was born in
Reidsville, North Carolina, in 1968.
[ He was given the nickname "Tripp" because he was the third generation in his family to be named Sullivan Welborne.] His father, Dr. Sullivan Welborne Jr., was an administrator and chemistry professor at North Carolina A&T University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...
.[ His mother, Gloria, was a kindergarten teacher.][
Welborne attended ]Walter Hines Page Senior High School
Walter Hines Page Senior High School is a public high school in Greensboro, North Carolina commonly referred to as Page High School or simply Page.
History
Walter Hines Page Senior High School opened its doors in September, 1958, under the leader ...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
. He was a three-sport star at Page High School, playing football, basketball and baseball.[ He was rated the #1 wide receiver prospect in the country while in high school and was an All-State basketball and football player on both offense and defense.] The Page Pirates football team compiled a 40-1-1 record and won two state championships with Welborne in the lineup. In the 1985 4A state championship game, he blocked a field goal attempt on the final play that a teammate returned for a touchdown to give the Pirates a 26–20 victory over Terry Sanford High School. Welborne also became an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...
while in high school.[
]
University of Michigan
Welborne enrolled at the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1987 and played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1987 to 1990. He arrived at Michigan as a highly rated wide receiver prospect, and played in every game. He caught two passes for 45 yards during the 1987 season.[(to retrieve Welborne's statistics, enter "welborne" in the box for the player's last name)]
1988 season
As the Wolverines prepared for the 1988 season, they were well stocked with receivers (including Chris Calloway, Greg McMurtry, Derrick Walker and John Kolesar) but short on talent at defensive back. Accordingly, head coach Bo Schembechler began to use Welborne as a defensive back during spring practice in April 1988. Welborne handled the position change well, winning the 1988 John Maulbetsch Award as the freshman player best demonstrating desire, character, and capacity for leadership during spring practice.[ He started all 12 games at strong safety for the 1988 Michigan football team,] compiling 72 tackles, five interceptions, three pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.[
]
1989 season
As a junior, Welborne again started all 12 games at strong safety for the 1989 team that compiled a 10–2 record, lost to USC in the 1990 Rose Bowl
The 1990 Rose Bowl was the 76th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. The game was a rematch of the previous year, won by Michigan, 22–14. Gaining a measure of revenge, ...
, and finished the season ranked #7 in the final AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
. Welborne totaled 80 tackles, four pass breakups and three interceptions in 1989.[ He also became Michigan's principal punt returner in 1989, returning 32 punts for 297 yards, an average of 9.3 yards per return.][ At the end of the season, he was honored as a unanimous first-team defensive back on the 1989 All-America Team.]
1990 season
As a senior, Welborne started the first 10 games of the 1990 season at strong safety. In just 10 games, Welborne had 86 tackles, seven pass breakups, a fumble and an interception.[ He also returned 31 punts for 455 yards (an average of 14.7 yards per return), including returns of 60 yards against ]Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, 53 yards against Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, and 38 yards against Notre Dame.[ Welborne broke Michigan's single-season record with his total of 455 punt return yards, a record that stood until 2003 when it was broken by Steve Breaston.][(single-season records can be viewed by using the "Individual Statistical Leaders" section of the database)] In the 10th game of the 1990 season, on November 17, 1990, Welborne sustained a serious injury to his right knee while returning a punt 31 yards to Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
's 20-yard line to set up the go-ahead touchdown for Michigan. At the end of the 1990 season, Welborne was honored as the Most Valuable Player on the 1990 Michigan team. He was college defensive player of the year, and was also selected for the second consecutive year as a unanimous first-team All-American.[
]
Career statistics
In three years at strong safety, 238 tackles, nine interceptions, fifteen pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. He also returned 67 punts for 773 yards, an average of 11.5 yards per return.[ During Welborne's three years as a defensive starter from 1988 to 1990, Michigan won three ]Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
championships, compiled a 36-11-1 record, and finished ranked in the top ten each year (#4 in 1988, #7 in 1989, and #7 in 1990).[ In 1990, ]Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolverines compiled a record ...
, then Michigan's defensive coordinator, said of Welborne: "Tripp does more than any player we've ever had. He is an outstanding blitzer and ball-reactor, very intelligent."[
]
Professional football
Welborne was selected 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 ...
in the seventh round (180th pick) of the 1991 NFL Draft.[ He was projected to be drafted as a top 5 pick in the first round, but fell in the draft after injuring his knee and undergoing reconstructive surgery.][ He missed the ]1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. It was the final season for coach Chuck Noll. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills, 37–24, at the Metr ...
while rehabilitating his knee, but signed a contract with the Vikings in April 1992 that was contingent on Welborne passing a physical examination on his knee. Welborne appeared in two games for the Vikings during the 1992 season
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
.[ He tore the ACL in his left knee during a game against the Detroit Lions, ending his 1992 season. He attempted a comeback in 1993, but injured his knee again, and his playing career was over.]
Later years
After retiring from his playing career, Welborne formed a company to provide scholarships and seminars to young people. He then moved into the financial service field, working for Wachovia Securities
Wachovia Securities was the trade name of Wachovia's retail brokerage and institutional capital markets and investment banking subsidiaries. Following Wachovia's merger with Wells Fargo and Company on December 31, 2008, the retail brokerage beca ...
, as a risk manager at Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
, and then with Target Financial Services.[ From at least 2008 to 2015, Welborne was employed as the athletic director at Shorecrest Preparatory School, a private school in ]St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
. In January 2012, he oversaw the opening of the school's new $7 million, 34,000 square foot athletic facility. In March 2015, he was hired to serve as the athletic director at the Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...
in Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Lawrenceville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. , starting in July 2015.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welborne, Tripp
1968 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football safeties
Michigan Wolverines football players
Minnesota Vikings players
Players of American football from North Carolina