Pat Toomay

Patrick Jay Toomay (born May 17, 1948 in Pomona, California) was an American football defensive end who played 10 years in the National Football League for four different teams: the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for Vanderbilt University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He is the author of books about professional football, including: The Crunch and the novel On Any Given Sunday.

Early years

Toomay attended Thomas A. Edison High School, where he was an All-State player in football, basketball and baseball.

He accepted a scholarship to Vanderbilt University, where he was given a chance to play both basketball and football. As a sophomore he made the decision to focus on football, where he was converted from a running quarterback, to a safety, linebacker and finally defensive end. As a senior he played in the Blue–Gray Football Classic.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. At the beginning of his career he was undersized for a defensive end, so he was used mostly in substitution situations.

In 1972 with the imminent retirement of George Andrie, he became the team's starter at right defensive end.

The NFL didn't start recognizing quarterback sacks as an official stat until 1982; however, the Cowboys have their own records, dating back before the 1982 season. According to the Cowboys' stats, Toomay is unofficially credited for leading the team in sacks in 1973 with a total of 10.5.

Toomay was considered a character and an intellectual during his time with the team. He was a member of the "Zero Club" which prided itself on performing behind the scenes. Their first rule, "Thou Shalt Not Seek Publicity", kept their members (Toomay, Blaine Nye and Larry Cole) out of the limelight.

In 1974 although he remained a starter, he shared playing time with Ed "Too Tall" Jones, who was the NFL's number 1 overall draft choice. That year he was used mainly on running downs.

In 1975 the Cowboys traded him to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second round draft choice in 1977, that was eventually used in a deal package to draft Tony Dorsett. During his five seasons with the team, he was a productive and durable player (never missing a game) and was a part of two Super Bowls, including winning Super Bowl VI.

Buffalo Bills

Toomay was the team's defensive MVP in 1975, but was involved in different controversial official calls, including being called for elbowing head lineman Jerry Bergman, which contributed to a loss against the Miami Dolphins (31-21), that ended the team's playoff chances.^[1] At the end of the year he was left unprotected for the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft, through the years, there has been speculation that the publishing of his insider view in the book "The Crunch", was the main reason behind this decision.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him from the Bills roster in the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft and went on to be named the starter at right defensive end for their inaugural season, that saw the team go winless (0-14).^[2] That year he registered 49 tackles and 3 sacks.^[3]

The Buccaneers traded him to the Oakland Raiders before the start of the 1977 season, in exchange for a draft choice.^[4]

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders credited him with a team leading 17 sacks in 1977.^[5] In 1978 he was credited with 5 sacks after seeing little playing time. He was released the next year, after having problems with his knee.

Personal life

Toomay published a series of books, including the novel, "On Any Given Sunday". He also played the part of an assistant coach to Y.A. Tittle in the Oliver Stone film, "Any Given Sunday". His father played professional basketball and was a general in the United States Air Force.

Bibliography

• The Crunch at Amazon.com
• On Any Given Sunday at Amazon.com
• Clotheslined at Amazon.com
• First Cut at Amazon.com

References

External links

• Pat Toomay talks about his career
• Interview with Pat Toomay, Part 2