Bruce Huther
| No. 57, 58, 55 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Date of birth: | July 23, 1954 | ||||
| Place of birth: | Paterson, New Jersey | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Haledon (NJ) Manchester | ||||
| College: | New Hampshire | ||||
| Undrafted: | 1977 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Bruce Albert Huther (born July 23, 1954) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Hampshire.
Early years
Huther grew up in Haledon, New Jersey and played high school football at Manchester Regional High School.[1][2] He moved on to the University of New Hampshire, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker. He also played some fullback.
He led the team in tackles in his last two seasons, while helping the team win two Yankee Conference Championships (1975 and 1976).
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
Huther was not selected in the 1977 NFL Draft and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. As a rookie, he played mainly on special teams and was a part of the Super Bowl XII winning team, recovering a fumble during the game.
In his second season, he was named the special teams captain and solidified his status as one of the best players on the unit. He won the team's special teams player of the year award twice. He was also considered one of the strongest players on the team.
On August 24, 1981, to make room for rookie Danny Spradlin, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange of a sixth round draft choice (#143-Ken Hammond).[3]
Cleveland Browns
In 1981, he appeared in 16 games (2 starts), but after the team signed Tom Cousineau in the offseason, he demanded to be traded and was sent to the Chicago Bears in exchange of a seventh round draft choice (#176-Rocky Belk) on August 13, 1982.[4]
Chicago Bears
During his time with the Chicago Bears he was a backup and was not re-signed after his contract expired.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
In 1983, Huther signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys to replace Scott McLean, who was out for the season. He started five games at middle linebacker in place of an injured Bob Breunig. [5]
Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL)
Although his rights belonged to the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League, the Pittsburgh Maulers traded for him and also convinced him not to re-sign with the Dallas Cowboys.[6][7] After leading the team in tackles, he was benched the next year in favor of rookie Ernest Adams, which made Huther to eventually force his release.[8]
Denver Gold (USFL)
On May 30, 1984, he signed as a free agent with the Denver Gold where he played until the league folded.[9]
Personal life
Huther graduated from New Hampshire with a degree in zoology, and later earned a master's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. In 1992, he founded Huther & Associates, an environmental consultancy, in Denton, Texas.[10]
References
- ↑ Roberts, Jeff. "Super Bowl: Memories, super or not, live forever", The Record (Bergen County), January 29, 2014. Accessed August 13, 2015. "The Haledon native and Manchester product was only a rookie when he earned a trip to Super Bowl XII."
- ↑ Bruce Huther player profile Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine., database Football. Accessed August 23, 2007.
- ↑ "Oilers Anxiously Awaiting Results On Nielsen". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Modell angered". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Retired Cowboy may start". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Cowboys linebacker joins Maulers". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Getting Huther a smart move". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Huther raps Maulers coordinator after benching". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Huther Joins Denver Gold". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Huther And Associates, Inc". Retrieved February 19, 2016.