Warren Capone
| No. 59, 51 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 14, 1951 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Catholic (LA) | ||||||||
| College: | LSU | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1975 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Warren Capone (born August 14, 1951) is a former professional American football linebacker in the World Football League (WFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University.
Early years
Capone played football at Catholic High School from 1966 to 1970. Also an accomplished wrestler, he was the heavyweight wrestling champion in the 1970 Baton Rouge City Championships.
College career
He accepted a scholarship to play for Louisiana State University. He became a three-year starter and led the team in tackles twice.
Capone is one of only eight players in LSU football history to be named to the College Football All-America Team twice. He was also a two-time All-SEC selection (1972 and 1973). He played in the Sun, Bluebonnet and Orange Bowls.
In 1988, he was inducted into the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame.[1] He was named to the LSU All-Century team and is considered as one of the best linebackers in school history.[2]
Professional career
Birmingham Americans (WFL)
Although he was a great college player, he went undrafted in the 1974 NFL Draft because he was considered small to play professional football. Instead of sigining a rookie free agent contract for a team in the National Football League, he opted to sign with the Birmingham Americans of the World Football League.
As a rookie in 1974, Capone became the Americans starting middle linebacker, where he was known for his hard-hitting.[3] The team finished the regular season with a record of 15-5 and became the World Football League champions.[4]
The next year, the Americans were replaced as the Birmingham WFL franchise by a new team called the Birmingham Vulcans. He was the leader of the defense,[5] until the WFL folded in mid-season.
Dallas Cowboys
On October 24, 1975, he was signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL, where he was a backup linebacker and played mostly on special teams. That year, he played in Super Bowl X and blocked a punt in the game.[6]
On August 3, 1976, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a conditional draft choice (not exercised).[7]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Capone was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the start of the season on September 5, 1976.[8]
New Orleans Saints
On October 26, 1976, he signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent.[9] He returned a fumble for a touchdown during the season. He was released on September 6, 1977.[10]
Personal life
In 2008, he started coaching high school football at Christian Life Academy.[11] In his third season, Capone was named coach of the year, after guiding Christian Life Academy to a state Class 1A second-place finish and a 12-2 record, just two years after the Crusaders finished 0-9.[12]
References
- ↑ "LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Members". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "LSU's Top 50 players since 1940: the final results". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Americans coast despite problems". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Birmingham Wins First World Bowl". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "'Exhibitions mean nothing now' -- Bass". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Capone made his bones early on Cowboys' specialty team". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Bay Bucs Get Cowboys Veteran". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Bucs trim eight". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Transactions". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Transactions". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "The surprise teams of 2008". Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Ex-LSU, Saints linebacker Warren Capone dismissed as Christian Life head coach". Retrieved April 13, 2017.