Antonio Richardson (born December 17, 1971) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

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

, and

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was signed by the Cowboys as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 1994. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

. He is considered one of the best fullbacks in NFL history having blocked for 1,000 yards rushers in nine consecutive NFL seasons in addition to leading the

in rushing yards in 2000. During those seasons he blocked for multiple Pro Bowl running backs including Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Thomas Jones and

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979), nicknamed "LT", is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the T ...

Early life

Richardson did not start playing football until attending Daleville High School in Daleville, Alabama. As a senior, he posted 1,003 rushing yards. He also competed in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

, where he was a three-year starter. As a true freshman, he became the second player to start his first game at Auburn for head coach Pat Dye. As a junior, he began blocking for two-time All-SEC running back James Bostic. As a senior, he started all 11 games at fullback, contributing to the team having an undefeated season with an 11–0 record and finishing ranked #4 in the AP Poll. He registered 58 carries for 249 yards (third on the team), 4 rushing touchdowns, 28 receptions for 273 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. He finished his college career with 162 carries for 715 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns, 44 receptions for 395 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. In 2015, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Richardson was signed as an

by the

after the

1994 NFL draft The 1994 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 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Ma ...

. He was waived on April 29. He was later brought back to the team and given the chance to finish training camp. On August 28, he was released for a second time. On August 30, he was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

, where he remained the rest of the season as part of a team that included

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

ers Emmitt Smith and

Daryl Johnston Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston (born February 10, 1966) is an American former professional American football, football player (running back/Fullback (gridiron football), fullback) who is currently the executive vice president of football operati ...

. At the end of the year, he was declared a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 28,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, Richardson signed as a

with the

. He started one game in that season, and was noted for blocking for Hall of Famer

Marcus Allen Marcus LeMarr Allen (born March 26, 1960) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the greatest goal li ...

on his way to his 100th career touchdown. In 1999, he became the starting fullback for the team, blocking for Donnell Bennett and

Bam Morris Byron ''Bam'' Morris (born January 13, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL ...

. He later blocked for record setting running back Priest Holmes and the most productive seasons of Larry Johnson's career. In 2000, he was given a chance to be the team's featured back in the fifteenth game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, posting 23 carries for 156 rushing yards and one touchdown. In 2001, the Chiefs signed

Priest Holmes and Richardson helped him lead the NFL in rushing yards (1,555). In 2002, with Richardson's blocking contribution, Holmes had the best season by a running back in Chiefs history, registering 1,615 rushing yards, 672 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns. Richardson was named to USA Today's All-Joe Team in 2000 and 2001. He was selected to represent the AFC in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

s. In 2016, he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame during the 2016 season.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 21,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Richardson signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He suffered a broken forearm in the ninth game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. On November 22, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

. He was replaced with second year player Jeff Dugan. Richardson contributed to running back Chester Taylor's only career 1,000 rushing yard season. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, he appeared in 14 games with 3 starts and blocked for rookie Adrian Peterson. He was selected to represent the NFC in the

2008 Pro Bowl The 2008 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2007 NFL season, 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by NFL on Fox, Fox and b ...

. At the end of the season, the Vikings did not re-sign Richardson, opting to pay for the cheaper Thomas Tapeh.

New York Jets

On March 6,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Richardson signed a one-year contract with the

, reuniting with his former Chiefs running back coach Jimmy Raye II. He was re-signed by the team on February 27,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. Following the expiration of his previous contract, Richardson, once again, signed with the team on March 16,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. He was released on September 5, but a day later he was re-signed after the Jets reached a deal with

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 ...

Darrelle Revis. He wasn't re-signed after the season. He was the recipient of the "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award at the end of the 2010 season. During his time with the Jets, Richardson helped Thomas Jones to two 1,000+ yard seasons.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

His father,

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

Ben Richardson, was stationed in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

when Tony was born, and he lived there for the first eight years of his life. When they returned to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, the family lived in Daleville, Alabama. He received his

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

degree in 2000, and later got his

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from Webster University in 2004. Off the field, Richardson is very involved with local charities. He hosts the Kansas City chapter of the annual

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

Punt, Pass & Kick competition, and has served as chairman of many charitable organizations and fundraisers. In 2002, he was nominated by his team for the NFL Man of the Year award. Richardson was elected to the NFLPA executive committee in 2008 for a two-year term.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Tony 1971 births Living people People from Daleville, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama German players of American football American football fullbacks Auburn Tigers football players Dallas Cowboys players Kansas City Chiefs players Minnesota Vikings players New York Jets players American Conference Pro Bowl players National Conference Pro Bowl players Webster University alumni Sportspeople from Frankfurt