Tony Bouie

Tony Vanderson Bouie (born August 7, 1972) is a former American college and professional American football who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football for the University of Arizona, and earned All-American honors. He played professionally for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early years

Bouie was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[1] He attended Holy Cross School in New Orleans,^[2] and played for the Holy Cross Tigers high school football team.

College career

While attending the University of Arizona, he played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1991 to 1994. Bouie was a key member of the Wildcats' Pacific-10 Conference championship team in 1993, which defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl. He was recognized as a consensus All-American and first-team All-Pac-10 selection at defensive back following his senior season in 1994, and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He also played for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, and was a member of the Wildcats' Pac-10 championship baseball teams in 1992 and 1993.

Bouie graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts degree in media arts. He was inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, and his name is included among other Wildcats football greats in the Ring of Honor on the facade of Arizona Stadium.

Professional career

He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995, and played for the Buccaneers from 1995 to 1998.^[1] In four NFL seasons, he played in 57 regular season games with the Buccaneers and started four of them.^[3]

Life after football

Bouie began work on his first master's degree while playing for the Arizona Wildcats, and graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master of Arts in literacy and education n 1997. He graduated from Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in 2005. While completing his M.B.A. degree requirements, he wrote a business plan for the development of a stackable cup that dispenses with an attached lid. He raised capital for the manufacture and marketing of his idea, and currently is the chief executive officer of Halo Cups, Inc., the distributor of the "SwoopCup."

He is a former board member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society^[4] and the National Football League Players' Association.^[5] He formerly was the vice president of the University of Arizona Maricopa County Black Alumni Association, and was a national board member for the University of Arizona alumni association.

He is a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma in 2007. He underwent successful chemotherapy in the spring of 2008.

In 2010, Bouie ran as a Republican candidate for the Arizona State Senate in District 4, which encompasses northwest Phoenix, surrounding suburbs, and much of rural northwestern Maricopa County.^[6]

Bouie received his first masters degree while playing in the NFL. In 1997, he received a MA in Literacy and Education from the University of Arizona. He received his third masters while coaching college football at the University of Akron in Ohio. Bouie was a defensive graduate assistant during the 2011 football season. He coached and received a MS in Sports Administration.

Bouie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and four children. He is an active member of Christ Church of the Valley in Peoria. Bouie has a bucket list with items that include bungee jumping, skydiving, and climbing mount kilamanjaro.

References