Tim Golden (American football)
Encyclopedia
Timothy George "Tim" Golden (born November 15, 1959) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a linebacker
in the National Football League
(NFL) for four seasons in the mid-1980s. Golden played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the New England Patriots
and Philadelphia Eagles
of the NFL.
. He attended Boyd H. Anderson High School
in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
, and played high school football
for the Boyd Anderson Cobras.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played defensive end
for coach Doug Dickey
and coach Charley Pell
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1978 to 1980. As a junior in 1979, he lived through the worst season in the history of the Florida football program, when the Gators posted an 0–10–1 record. The following season, Golden was part of the biggest one-year turn-around in Division I football history, when the 1980 Gators finished 8–4 after defeating the Maryland Terrapins
in the Tangerine Bowl
. He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection and an honorable mention All-American in 1980.
Golden graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in broadcasting
in 1981.
as an undrafted free agent in 1982, and he played for the Patriots for three seasons from to . He played in forty games for the Patriots, and played his final two games for the Philadelphia Eagles in .
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 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...
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 in the mid-1980s. Golden 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 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...
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
Early years
Golden was born in the small town of 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...
. He attended Boyd H. Anderson High School
Boyd H. Anderson High School
Boyd H. Anderson High School is a high school in Broward County. Boyd H. Anderson serves Lauderdale Lakes, and parts of Tamarac, Oakland Park, Fort Lauderdale and Lauderhill.The school is named after the third County Judge of Broward County, Boyd H...
in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
Lauderdale Lakes is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 32,593. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 5,564,635 people....
, and 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 Boyd Anderson Cobras.
College career
Golden 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 defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for coach Doug Dickey
Doug Dickey
Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...
and 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...
'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 1978 to 1980. As a junior in 1979, he lived through the worst season in the history of the Florida football program, when the Gators posted an 0–10–1 record. The following season, Golden was part of the biggest one-year turn-around in Division I football history, when the 1980 Gators finished 8–4 after defeating the Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in the Tangerine Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
. He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection and an honorable mention All-American in 1980.
Golden graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
in 1981.
Professional career
Golden was signed by the New England PatriotsNew 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...
as an undrafted free agent in 1982, and he played for the Patriots for three seasons from to . He played in forty games for the Patriots, and played his final two games for the Philadelphia Eagles in .
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, 1970–1979
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of New England Patriots players
- List of Philadelphia Eagles players
- List of University of Florida alumni