Aundray Bruce
Aundray Bruce (born April 30, 1966) is a former American football player. He played outside linebacker and tight end as a pro. As a college football player he played defensive end at Auburn University before playing for the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders of the NFL.
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| Position: | Outside Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 30, 1966 Montgomery, Alabama | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Montgomery (AL) Carver | ||||||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early years
Bruce was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery.
College career
Bruce was named All-Southeastern Conference in 1986 and 1987, All-America in 1987, and Citrus Bowl MVP in 1987. He first garnered national attention in a nationally televised game in 1987 against Georgia Tech by intercepting three passes and returning one for a touchdown and making 10 unassisted tackles. Entering the NFL Draft, he was saddled with expectations of becoming the next Lawrence Taylor, though once drafted was described as "unquestionably the least heralded No. 1 draft choice this decade."[1] He graduated from Auburn in 1988 as an education major.
Professional career
Bruce was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.[2] Although he was the first overall pick, Bruce started only 42 games in his 11-year career. Bruce enjoyed his most prominent role on the Falcons 1991 playoff team when he saw spot duty on offense as a tight end as well as defense. He signed with the Los Angeles Raiders as a free agent in 1992 and finished his career with the organization. Bruce played in 151 games over his 11-season career, posting 32 sacks and 4 interceptions. While Bruce concluded his career with a 7-season tenure in Oakland, he is typically regarded as a draft bust.[3] To this day, no other team has selected a linebacker with the #1 pick in the draft.
| Interception Stats | Defense Stats | ||||||||||
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| Year | Team | Games | INTs | Yards | TD | FF | FR | Yards | TD | Sacks | Tackles |
| 1988 | Atlanta Falcons | 16 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 70 |
| 1989 | Atlanta Falcons | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 66 |
| 1990 | Atlanta Falcons | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 40 |
| 1991 | Atlanta Falcons | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | L.A. Raiders | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 23 |
| 1993 | L.A. Raiders | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 11 |
| 1994 | L.A. Raiders | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1995 | Oakland Raiders | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 | 25 |
| 1996 | Oakland Raiders | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | 17 |
| 1997 | Oakland Raiders | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 8 |
| 1998 | Oakland Raiders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 151 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 32.0 | 264 | |
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
Coaching career
Bruce is currently a defensive line coach for the Faulkner University Eagles in Montgomery, Alabama.
References
- Falcons' Bruce Riding High And Promising Not to Fall
- "Sports People; Bruce to Be No. 1". The New York Times. March 31, 1988. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
- Top draft busts of the modern era