Reynaldo Hill
Encyclopedia
Reynaldo Romel Hill is a American
college and professional football
player who was a cornerback
in the National Football League
(NFL) for four seasons. Hill played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Tennessee Titans
of the NFL. Hill currently plays for the Omaha Nighthawks
of the United Football League (UFL).
in 1982. He attended Stranahan High School
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, where he played high school football
for the Stranahan Dragons.
in Dodge City, Kansas
, before accepting an athletic scholarship
to transfer to the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
. While attending Florida, Hill played for coach Ron Zook
's Florida Gators football
team in 2003
and 2004
. He appeared in twenty-five games in his two seasons as a Gator, and started in twelve during his senior season in 2004. He totaled fifty-seven tackles, one interception, and nine passes defensed throughout his college career. He was named to the Super Sleeper Team by the NFL Draft Report prior to the 2005 NFL Draft
. As a sophomore at Dodge City Community College, he led the NJCAA
with twenty-two passes defensed, and added 57 tackles, three interceptions, two returned kickoffs and one returned punt for touchdowns. As a freshman, Hill had forty-five tackles, six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and fifteen breakups. He was a significant contributor to the Dodge City Community College secondary that was ranked first in the nation among junior colleges, and also returned fourteen punts for eighty-nine yards and scored two touchdowns.
Hill also ran track
at Dodge City Community College and ranked fifth nationally in the 200 meter dash his sophomore year.
, Hill was not invited to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine
. At the University of Florida's Pro Day, Hill posted a 40 yard dash
time of 4.32 seconds and a 37.5-inch vertical leap, which rated among the top ten performances at the 2005 combine.
The Tennessee Titans selected Hill in the seventh round (218th pick overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft, and he subsequently played for the Titans for four seasons from to . After competing for a roster spot among a group of talented, young defensive backs in the Titans training camp, Hill took over the starting position midway through the 2005 NFL season
and started the remaining ten games of the year. Hill showcased his play-making abilities by leading the team with three interceptions and tied for most interceptions among NFL rookie defensive backs. Hill scored his first career touchdown on a 52-yard interception that he returned for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders
. During the 2005 season, Hill started ten of the fifteen games in which he played, ending the season as the Titans interception leader with three, including one for a touchdown, and had forty-eight tackles. During the 2006 season, Hill started fourteen of fifteen games he played, ending the season with a career-high fifty-six total tackles and two interceptions.
In 2007, Hill started just two games after losing his starting job. In 2008, his role as a backup cornerback was reduced as he was passed over by Chris Carr and Eric King for nickel and dime back duties. After two seasons of declining playing time, Hill was released by the Titans.
of the United Football League on June 29, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college and professional 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...
player who was a 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...
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 four seasons. Hill 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 Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
of the NFL. Hill currently plays for the Omaha Nighthawks
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD...
of the United Football League (UFL).
Early years
Hill was born in Pahokee, FloridaPahokee, Florida
Pahokee is a city located on the shore of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,985 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,459. Culturally, Pahokee is associated with the Florida Heartland, although...
in 1982. He attended Stranahan High School
Stranahan High School
Stranahan High school, is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was officially opened in 1953 as an elementary school. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district....
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, where 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 Stranahan Dragons.
College career
Hill attended Dodge City Community CollegeDodge City Community College
Dodge City Community College is located on the Central High Plains in Ford County, southwest Kansas.-Campus:For 22 years, the College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 1601 First Avenue. By 1957, it had grown large enough to require a move to a different...
in Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, before accepting an athletic scholarship
Athletic 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 transfer to 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...
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...
. While attending Florida, Hill played for coach Ron Zook
Ron Zook
Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...
'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...
team in 2003
2003 Florida Gators football team
The 2003 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2003 college football season...
and 2004
2004 Florida Gators football team
The 2004 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2004 college football season...
. He appeared in twenty-five games in his two seasons as a Gator, and started in twelve during his senior season in 2004. He totaled fifty-seven tackles, one interception, and nine passes defensed throughout his college career. He was named to the Super Sleeper Team by the NFL Draft Report prior to the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. As a sophomore at Dodge City Community College, he led the NJCAA
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
with twenty-two passes defensed, and added 57 tackles, three interceptions, two returned kickoffs and one returned punt for touchdowns. As a freshman, Hill had forty-five tackles, six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and fifteen breakups. He was a significant contributor to the Dodge City Community College secondary that was ranked first in the nation among junior colleges, and also returned fourteen punts for eighty-nine yards and scored two touchdowns.
Hill also ran track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
at Dodge City Community College and ranked fifth nationally in the 200 meter dash his sophomore year.
Professional career
Before the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
, Hill was not invited to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...
. At the University of Florida's Pro Day, Hill posted a 40 yard dash
40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...
time of 4.32 seconds and a 37.5-inch vertical leap, which rated among the top ten performances at the 2005 combine.
The Tennessee Titans selected Hill in the seventh round (218th pick overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft, and he subsequently played for the Titans for four seasons from to . After competing for a roster spot among a group of talented, young defensive backs in the Titans training camp, Hill took over the starting position midway through the 2005 NFL season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
and started the remaining ten games of the year. Hill showcased his play-making abilities by leading the team with three interceptions and tied for most interceptions among NFL rookie defensive backs. Hill scored his first career touchdown on a 52-yard interception that he returned for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. During the 2005 season, Hill started ten of the fifteen games in which he played, ending the season as the Titans interception leader with three, including one for a touchdown, and had forty-eight tackles. During the 2006 season, Hill started fourteen of fifteen games he played, ending the season with a career-high fifty-six total tackles and two interceptions.
In 2007, Hill started just two games after losing his starting job. In 2008, his role as a backup cornerback was reduced as he was passed over by Chris Carr and Eric King for nickel and dime back duties. After two seasons of declining playing time, Hill was released by the Titans.
Omaha Nighthawks
Hill was signed by the Omaha NighthawksOmaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD...
of the United Football League on June 29, 2011.
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...
- History of the Tennessee TitansHistory of the Tennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
- List of Florida Gators football players