Tommy Lee Hart (born November 7, 1944) 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 ...

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 p ...

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 majo ...

(NFL) for 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 Nationa ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a private Methodist historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded January 5, 1881, Morris Brown is the first educational institution in Georgia to be owned and operated entirely by African Ame ...

Early years

Hart attended Ballard High School. He accepted a football scholarship from

. He earned four letters in football as an offensive guard, offensive tackle and defensive tackle. He also earned three letters in track as a sprinter and shot putter. He was a three-time All-conference selection. He was named second-team NAIA All-American as a senior. In 1993, he was inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Hart was selected by the

in the tenth round (261st overall) of the

1968 NFL Draft The 1968 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. It took place at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City on January 30–31, 1968. The M ...

. He was a one-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

er in 1976 when he recorded 16 sacks including 6 in a single-game versus the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

. He recorded 17 sacks in 1972 when he was honorable-mention All-NFC. In 1972 and 1976, he earned the

Len Eshmont Leonard Charles Eshmont (August 26, 1917 – May 12, 1957) was an American professional football halfback and safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) and the San Francisco 49ers, then in the All-America Football ...

Award, the 49ers most prestigious annual honor. He was traded to the

before the start of the 1978 season.

Personal life

In 1981, he was hired as an assistant defensive line coach for the 49ers under head coach Bill Walsh. He was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams. His 1985 coached defensive line, helped the team collect 60 sacks, the second highest total in team history. He moved to the 49ers scouting department from 1992 to 1993. In 1996, he joined 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 divis ...

as the defensive ends coach. In 1998, he was hired as the Cowboys West area scout.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Tommy 1944 births Living people American football defensive ends Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys scouts Morris Brown Wolverines football players New Orleans Saints players San Francisco 49ers coaches San Francisco 49ers players San Francisco 49ers scouts National Conference Pro Bowl players Sportspeople from Macon, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)