Eugene Lockhart
Encyclopedia
Eugene Lockhart, Jr. is a former American football
linebacker
who played for nine seasons in the National Football League
from 1984 to 1992. He played college football
at the University of Houston
and was drafted
in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft
.
for the University of Houston
from 1981 to 1983.
In 1983, he was named tri-captain of the Cougars football
team. He also led the team with 134 tackles, was named second team All Southwest Conference by UPI and was voted team's most valuable player.
Graduated with a degree in Marketing
.
in the 6th round of the 1984 NFL Draft
.
In 1984
, he became the first rookie in Cowboys history to start at middle linebacker, when Bob Breunig
went down with a back injury during the first half of the season. And after Breuning
retired at the end of the year, he became just the fourth player in Cowboys history to held that job.
In Dallas, his hard hits earned him the nickname "mean gene, the hitting machine".
Lockhart, led the Cowboys in tackles for several years and contributed more than 100 tackles in every season but 1987
(when he suffered a broken bone in his leg).
In 1989
, he led the NFL and set a club record with 222 tackles. He also led the team in interceptions (2) and set club records with 154 solo tackles, 16 double-digit tackle games and 16 solo tackles in one game vs. Phoenix (10-29-1989).
He did not make the Pro Bowl
that year, but he was named to the 1989 All-Pro
first team and was a bright spot on an otherwise dismal 1-15 team.
In 1990
, he led again the Cowboys with 139 tackles (72 solos) and was named second team All NFC
by the United Press International
.
He played for the Cowboys during a low point in the franchise history, and a lot of times, he was one of the few legitimate players on sub par teams, that eventually ended up costing him a chance to earn Pro Bowl
honors and other accolades.
Jimmy Johnson
system favored more agile linebackers, so Lockhart was traded to the New England Patriots
Patriots on 1991-04-19.
In exchange for the first overall draft pick of the 1991 NFL Draft
(Russell Maryland
), he was traded to the Patriots along with cornerback
Ron Francis
, linebacker
David Howard, a 1991 first round pick (#11 Pat Harlow
) and a 1991 second round pick (#41 Jerome Henderson
).
While cleaning out his locker, he was quoted saying: "It's a cold business—a cold, cold business, And it's even colder in New England".
Lockhart played in the NFL for 9 seasons (7 with the Cowboys, 2 with the Patriots), started 117 games, recorded close to 1,000 tackles, 16 sacks and 6 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played for nine seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1984 to 1992. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
.
Early days
He was a two year starting linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
from 1981 to 1983.
In 1983, he was named tri-captain of the Cougars football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. He also led the team with 134 tackles, was named second team All Southwest Conference by UPI and was voted team's most valuable player.
Graduated with a degree in Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
.
Dallas Cowboys
Lockhart was selected by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the 6th round of the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
.
In 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
, he became the first rookie in Cowboys history to start at middle linebacker, when Bob Breunig
Bob Breunig
Robert Paul Breunig is a former American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1975 to 1984...
went down with a back injury during the first half of the season. And after Breuning
Bob Breunig
Robert Paul Breunig is a former American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1975 to 1984...
retired at the end of the year, he became just the fourth player in Cowboys history to held that job.
In Dallas, his hard hits earned him the nickname "mean gene, the hitting machine".
Lockhart, led the Cowboys in tackles for several years and contributed more than 100 tackles in every season but 1987
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
(when he suffered a broken bone in his leg).
In 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
, he led the NFL and set a club record with 222 tackles. He also led the team in interceptions (2) and set club records with 154 solo tackles, 16 double-digit tackle games and 16 solo tackles in one game vs. Phoenix (10-29-1989).
He did not make the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
that year, but he was named to the 1989 All-Pro
1989 All-Pro Team
The 1989 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League players that were named to the Associated Press, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Pro Football Writers Association, Pro Football Weekly and The Sporting News in 1989. Both first- and second- teams are listed for the AP and NEA...
first team and was a bright spot on an otherwise dismal 1-15 team.
In 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, he led again the Cowboys with 139 tackles (72 solos) and was named second team All NFC
NFC
NFC may refer to:* Nagacorp FC, a Cambodian sporting club* National Finance Center, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture* National Football Conference, a constituent conference of the National Football League...
by the United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
.
He played for the Cowboys during a low point in the franchise history, and a lot of times, he was one of the few legitimate players on sub par teams, that eventually ended up costing him a chance to earn Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
honors and other accolades.
New England Patriots
Head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
system favored more agile linebackers, so Lockhart was traded to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
Patriots on 1991-04-19.
In exchange for the first overall draft pick of the 1991 NFL Draft
1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
(Russell Maryland
Russell Maryland
Russell James Maryland is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft...
), he was traded to the Patriots along with cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Ron Francis
Ron Francis
Ronald Michael Francis, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs...
, linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
David Howard, a 1991 first round pick (#11 Pat Harlow
Pat Harlow
-College career:Harlow played college football at the University of Southern California and won the Morris Trophy. He blocked for quarterbacks Todd Marinovich and Rodney Peete and cleared the way for Ricky Ervins in college....
) and a 1991 second round pick (#41 Jerome Henderson
Jerome Henderson
Jerome Virgil Henderson is a former American football defensive back for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets of the National Football League. He played college football at Clemson University and was drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
).
While cleaning out his locker, he was quoted saying: "It's a cold business—a cold, cold business, And it's even colder in New England".
Lockhart played in the NFL for 9 seasons (7 with the Cowboys, 2 with the Patriots), started 117 games, recorded close to 1,000 tackles, 16 sacks and 6 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).