Phil Costa (American football)

Phil Costa (born July 11, 1987) is former American football center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Maryland.

Phil Costa
No. 67
Position:Center, Guard
Personal information
Born: (1987-07-11) July 11, 1987
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:302 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Holy Cross (NJ)
College:Maryland
Undrafted:2010
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:26
Games started:20
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Costa attended Holy Cross High School. He was a starting left guard, who played in every game during his three seasons on the team.

He was a three-time All-County and two-time All-parochial selection. He received a first-team All-South New Jersey, All-East region and second-team All-state honors as a senior.

College career

Costa accepted a football scholarship from the University of Maryland. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 13 games with six starts (5 at left guard and one at right guard).

As a junior, he appeared in all 13 games, starting the final 12 contests at right guard. He contributed to running back Da'Rel Scott becoming the seventh player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and Chris Turner (American football) to pass for the seventh-highest single-season mark in school history (2,516 yards).

As a senior, he was switched to center to replace the recently graduated Edwin Williams and started all 12 games.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Costa was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft. He began as the fourth-string center, with five-time Pro Bowler Andre Gurode, Kyle Kosier and Travis Bright ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster. As a rookie, he earned his first career start at left guard in place of the injured Kosier and Montrae Holland, in the seventh game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In 2011, he performed well during training camp and preseason, before suffering a strained right posterior cruciate ligament on August 24.[1] After contract restructuring negotiations fell through, Gurode was cut before the fourth preseason game and Costa became the starting center for the year.[2] Because of his small size for the position, as the season wore on, he was exposed and struggled in his blocking assignments against bigger defenders.

In 2012, the Cowboys signed free agents guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to help protect Costa against stronger defensive fronts. Ryan Cook replaced him in the season opener after one series, because he was limited by a back injury he carried from training camp. He returned to play against the Baltimore Ravens and arguably had his best game as a professional, with the Ravens yielding a franchise record 227 rushing yards. In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, he suffered a dislocated ankle and was eventually placed on the injured reserve list on December 5, after playing only six quarters in the season.[3]

Looking to improve the center position, the Cowboys selected Travis Frederick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft and moved Costa to a backup role during training camp.[4] He was eventually waived in a salary cap move on March 7, 2014.[5]

Indianapolis Colts

On March 13, 2014, Costa signed a two-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[6] He retired at the age of 26 on April 21.[7]

Personal life

His father is a former competitive bodybuilder who won the Mr. New Jersey title in 1980. Costa is the author of The Transition Playbook for ATHLETES: How Elite Athletes WIN After Sports.

After the NFL, Costa worked in medical device sales and actively participated in more than 500 heart surgeries. In 2018, he graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA. He's traveled to more than 30 countries, including South Africa, Brazil, and Japan. Phil spent time living in Madrid, Spain, where he was enrolled in Spanish language school.

Phil currently lives in Philadelphia, where he is a commercial real estate broker with Wolf Commercial Real Estate and serves on the board of directors for the AthLife Foundation.

References
  1. Clarence Hill, Jr. (August 25, 2011). "Knee injury stalls rise for Cowboys center Costa". Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  2. "Cowboys cut center Andre Gurode". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  3. "Cowboys cut center Andre Gurode". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  4. "Phil Costa healthy, fighting for job". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. "Cowboys clear salary cap room". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. "Indianapolis signs free agent center Phil Costa". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. Wells, Mike (April 21, 2014). "Costa's retirement puts Colts in tough spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
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