Tony Fiammetta

Tony Fiammetta
No. 24     Dallas Cowboys
Fullback
Personal information
Date of birth: August 22, 1986 (1986-08-22) (age 25)
Place of birth: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
College: Syracuse
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 4 / Pick: 128
Debuted in 2009 for the Carolina Panthers
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2011
Rushing yards     25
Rushing average     2.5
Touchdowns     0
Stats at NFL.com

Placido Anthony "Tony" Fiammetta (born August 22, 1986) is an American football fullback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 28th pick in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft (128th overall). He played college football for Syracuse.

Contents

Early years

Fiammetta was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii to parents Vince and Esther Fiammetta. He was raised in Walkersville, Maryland where he attended Walkersville High School. There, he played both football and lacrosse all four years, and wrestled for one year. As a senior, he played in just one game before breaking his leg. In that game he recorded 144 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. During his high school career, he recorded 499 yards and 12 touchdowns on 60 carries.[1][2]

SuperPrep named Fiammetta the 25th-ranked prospect in the Mid-Atlantic. PrepStar named him a 2003 All-East Region player. He was recruited by and attended Syracuse.[1]

College career

Fiammetta sat out the 2004 season as a redshirt.[1] In 2005, he played in ten games, mostly in a special teams role, but recorded no statistics. In 2006, he saw action in all 12 games and attempted eight carries for 15 yards.[2][3] In 2007, he played in 11 games including 8 starts and made three carries for eight yards and 12 receptions for 75 yards.[2][3]

In 2008, Fiammetta played in ten games and accumulated 66 yards on just five carries. He also recorded 16 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown.[2] In his final season game, he rushed 58 yards on one attempt against the Big East championship team, Cincinnati.[3] Pro Football Weekly named Fiammetta the first-team All-American fullback.[4] He was also invited to and participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl.[5][6]

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft Countdown website predicted Fiammetta being selected in one of the middle rounds in the 2009 NFL Draft. They described him as an excellent blocker, but with limited ball-carrying experience.[7] NFL Draft Scout rated had him as the number-one fullback out of 87 prospective draft picks. He had the most bench reps at the combine by a back with 30 and posted impressive overall numbers for his position.[8]

Pre-draft measureables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in 245 lb 4.60 s 1.53 s 2.62 s 4.49 s 7.31 s 34 in 9 ft 4 in 30 rep 22
All values from NFL Combine[9]

Carolina Panthers

Many scouting experts were right in their prediction on Tony's draft poition, Fiammetta was drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.[9] He is expected to come in and compete at the fullback position. With the release of Brad Hoover Fiammetta will likely be the starting fullback for Carolina during the 2010 season.

On September 3, 2011, after battling concussion issues, he was waived.

Dallas Cowboys

Fiammetta was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys on September 4, 2011, but was waived on September 7. He re-signed with Dallas on September 13.

References

  1. ^ a b c Tony Fiammetta, Rivals.com, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse University, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Tony Fiammetta Stats, ESPN, 2009, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  4. ^ Pro Football Weekly's 2008 All-America team, December 22, 2008, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  5. ^ All-American Fiammetta Earns Senior Bowl Invite, Syracuse University, January 6, 2009, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  6. ^ 2009 Senior Bowl North Team Roster (DOC), Under Armour Senior Bowl, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  7. ^ Player Scouting Report, NFL Draft Countdown, retrieved January 27, 2009.
  8. ^ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2009_FB
  9. ^ a b "Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse, FB, 2009 NFL Draft Player Profile". NFL Draft Scout. January 23, 2009. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=79574&draftyear=2009&genpos=FB. Retrieved January 27, 2009.