Ronald Leon Lippett (born December 10, 1960) is a former American professional football player who played eight seasons with the New England Patriots of 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) from 1983–1991. A

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

from

Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

, Lippett was selected by the Patriots in the eighth round of the

1983 NFL Draft The 1983 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 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

Professional history

Ronnie was named the "AFC Defensive Player of the Week" as he intercepted Dan Marino twice in the Patriots 34–7 rout of the Miami Dolphins @ Sullivan Stadium on 10-05-86. Ronnie blocked an extra point attempt by Pat Leahy in the Patriots 23–13 win over the New York Jets @ Sullivan Stadium on 9-18-83. He recovered a fumble by Paul McDonald that helped set up the final TD in the Patriots 17–16 win over the Cleveland Browns on 10-07-84. Ronnie returned a pass by Art Schlitcher 13 yards, with 36 seconds left, in the Patriots 16–10 win over the Colts @ Sullivan Stadium on 12-16-84. He intercepted Joe Ferguson twice in the Patriots 38–10 rout of the Buffalo Bills @ Sullivan Stadium on 11-11-84. He intercepted Dan Marino twice in the Patriots 34–7 rout of Miami @ Sullivan on 10-05-86. He intercepted Dan Marino twice in their 27–24 loss to the Dolphins @ Foxboro Stadium on 09-09-90. Ronnie intercepted Jim Kelly and Frank Reich in the Patriots 23–3 rout of the Buffalo Bills @ Rich Stadium on 10-26-86. Ronnie intercepted Marc Wilson twice in the Patriots 27–20 AFC Playoff Game victory over the Los Angeles Raiders @ the LA Coliseum on 01-05-86. Ronnie was awarded the Patriots UNSUNG Hero Award after the 1987 season. He recovered an onside kick by Dean Biasucci in the Patriots 16–14 win over the Colts on 09-16-90. Ronnie started in 111 of his 122 regular season games for the New England Patriots and started in 4 Playoff Games. Ronnie Lippett hated the Dolphins ever since an incident when he visited a Dolphins training as a university student. Of his 24 career interceptions, 7 of them were Dan Marino passes.http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=31603&pcid=48

Personal life

Ronnie attended Sebring High School in Sebring, FL. He currently lives in South Easton, Massachusetts.

References

1960 births Living people American football cornerbacks Miami Hurricanes football players New England Patriots players Sportspeople from Melbourne, Florida Players of American football from Brevard County, Florida {{defensiveback-1960s-stub