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Brian Bosworth (commonly referred to as The Boz) (born March 9, 1965 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former American football player. He was a linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners (1984–1986) and the Seattle Seahawks (1987–1989).
College football career
Bosworth was a college standout at the University of Oklahoma, known for being brash and arrogant. While he did not enjoy a long or successful pro football career, Bosworth is widely considered to be one of the best and most colorful college football players in history. Bosworth was known for raising his level of play in big games as well as being a fantastic tackler, although he sometimes received criticism for tackling too high. Bosworth insisted on hitting high to punish his opponents. Also known for his then radical hairstyles, and criticism of the NCAA, Bosworth was never one to shy from publicity or controversy. On more than one occasion he referred to the NCAA as the "National Communists Against Athletes." He even wore a shirt bearing that slogan during the 1987 Orange Bowl following the 1986 season. Banned from that game (which would turn out to be a 42-8 Sooner victory over Arkansas) because of steroid use, Bosworth unveiled the shirt while standing on the sidelines to the shock and outrage of many, including his own coach, Barry Switzer. The Boz was the winner of the first two Butkus Awards as the nation's top college linebacker before being kicked off the Oklahoma Sooners football team for testing positive for steroids. He remains the only player ever to have won the Butkus Award more than once.
Professional football career
He was drafted by the Seahawks in the 1987 supplemental draft and signed the biggest contract in team history, 10 years for $11 million dollars. Despite playing his entire college career on the strong side, the Seahawks moved him to the weak side. Contrary to popular belief, Bosworth did well during his short time with the Seahawks, leading the team in several defensive categories and making the NFL's All-Rookie Team in 1987. One of his worst moments happened on Monday Night Football when Bo Jackson ran into him and dragged him along to score a touchdown. A shoulder injury forced him to retire after only 3 seasons.
Although often remembered for his less than stellar professional career (in July 2004 he was named the 6th worst flop on the Biggest Flops of the Last 25 Years list by ESPN), Bosworth is also remembered as a tremendous collegiate player, being named #30 in College Football News' list of the "100 Greatest Players of All-Time."
Most recently, the Boz made an appearance in the booth during the Monday Night Football broadcast that saw the Seattle Seahawks host the Oakland Raiders on November 6th, 2006. During the discussion, he stated he had no regrets about his football career but wished that he and Jackson had had longer careers. He also stated that he thought he and Bo would have developed a good rivalry had they both been able to play longer.
Author
Bosworth co-authored a book with Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly in 1988 entitled The Boz: Confessions of a Modern Anti-Hero (ISBN 0-425-13041-X).
Actor
Bosworth starred in the 1991 action film Stone Cold and has had an on-again, off-again film career since. In 2005, he had a role as one of the prison-guard football players in the Adam Sandler movie remake The Longest Yard.
Collegiate honors
- Butkus Award - 1985, 1986
- All-America - 1985, 1986
- All-Big Eight - 1984, 1985, 1986
- Academic All America - 1986
External links
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