Lorenzo Hampton
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Timothy Hampton is a former American college and professional football
player who was a running back
in the National Football League
(NFL) for five seasons in the 1980s. Hampton played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins
of the NFL.
in 1962. He attended Lake Wales High School, and he played high school football
for the Lake Wales Highlanders.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
and coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1981 to 1984. Hampton shared the Gators' backfield with fellow running backs John L. Williams
and Neal Anderson
from 1982 to 1984, and he was often used as a blocking
back when Williams and Anderson were the ball carriers. Memorably, he ran for 138 yards against the Florida State Seminoles
in 1982. In his four seasons as a Gator, he compiled 1,993 rushing and 655 receiving yards.
, and he played for coach Don Shula
's Dolphins for five years from to . Hampton started
in thirty-three of the seventy games in which he played, and finished his career with 500 carries for 1,949 rushing yards and twenty-two touchdowns, 123 reception
s for 954 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and ninety-six kickoff returns for 2,025 yards.
Hampton has been married to his wife Marcia for nineteen years. They have two children: a daughter, Loren, and a son, Lorenzo, Jr.
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...
player who was a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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...
(NFL) for five seasons in the 1980s. Hampton 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...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
Early years
Hampton was born in Lake Wales, FloridaLake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,194 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 11,802 . It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1962. He attended Lake Wales High School, and he played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Lake Wales Highlanders.
College career
Hampton received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
and coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1981 to 1984. Hampton shared the Gators' backfield with fellow running backs John L. Williams
John L. Williams
John L. Williams is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for ten seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
and Neal Anderson
Neal Anderson
Charles Neal Anderson is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s...
from 1982 to 1984, and he was often used as a blocking
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
back when Williams and Anderson were the ball carriers. Memorably, he ran for 138 yards against the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1982. In his four seasons as a Gator, he compiled 1,993 rushing and 655 receiving yards.
Professional career
The Miami Dolphins chose Hampton in the first round (twenty-seventh pick overall) in the 1985 NFL Draft1985 NFL Draft
The 1985 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 30 and May 1, 1985...
, and he played for coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
's Dolphins for five years from to . Hampton started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
in thirty-three of the seventy games in which he played, and finished his career with 500 carries for 1,949 rushing yards and twenty-two touchdowns, 123 reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
s for 954 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and ninety-six kickoff returns for 2,025 yards.
Life after the NFL
Hampton's charitable foundation, Lemon-Aid Makers, runs a series of South Florida summer football camps in for inner-city elementary and middle school boys ages 7 to 14.Hampton has been married to his wife Marcia for nineteen years. They have two children: a daughter, Loren, and a son, Lorenzo, Jr.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Miami Dolphins first-round draft picks
- List of Miami Dolphins players