Tom Pridemore
Encyclopedia
Larry Thomas Pridemore is a former safety from West Virginia who played eight seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons
and a legislator.
Hall of Fame in 2001, holds school records that include: most career interception return yards (398 - 26.5 yards per return), most single game interception return yards, and most career interceptions (15). He also holds a WVU school record which doubles as an NCAA record as the Longest interception returned for a touchdown (102 yards vs Penn State). As a sophomore, Pridemore led the Mountaineers to a Peach Bowl victory against the NC State Wolfpack
.
. He ranks fourth on the all-time list for most interceptions in a season at 7, and holds the Falcon's club record for most interception return yards in a single season (271). In 1981 Pridemore picked off a Joe Montana
pass from a yard deep in Atlanta's own end-zone and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown. This duplication of Pridemore's previous college and NCAA record will probably also stand for quite some time, if not forever in Atlanta. While playing for the Falcons, Pridemore served one term in the West Virginia House of Delegates
. He is the only NFL player to hold this legislative office while playing professional football.
. Pridemore is a prominent businessman in the greater Atlanta area, and has personal ventures in residential real-estate and timber properties.
Pridemore now has two sons who play football at the Collegiate level. Matt, the eldest, enrolled at Duke University as a wide receiver in 2007, and TJ, who plays fullback for the University Florida, enrolled in 2008.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and a legislator.
College
Pridemore, who was inducted into the West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
Hall of Fame in 2001, holds school records that include: most career interception return yards (398 - 26.5 yards per return), most single game interception return yards, and most career interceptions (15). He also holds a WVU school record which doubles as an NCAA record as the Longest interception returned for a touchdown (102 yards vs Penn State). As a sophomore, Pridemore led the Mountaineers to a Peach Bowl victory against the NC State Wolfpack
NC State Wolfpack
The athletic teams of the North Carolina State University, known as the Wolfpack, compete in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles...
.
NFL
After being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1978, Pridemore saw his first start in the third game of his rookie year and never looked back. Pridemore was Atlanta's starting free safety for the next eight years, and earned the reputation as one of the meanest, hardest-hitting safeties in the game. With 21 career interceptions (returned for 368 total yards), Pridemore ranks sixth on Atlanta's all-time pick list behind Deion SandersDeion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
. He ranks fourth on the all-time list for most interceptions in a season at 7, and holds the Falcon's club record for most interception return yards in a single season (271). In 1981 Pridemore picked off a Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
pass from a yard deep in Atlanta's own end-zone and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown. This duplication of Pridemore's previous college and NCAA record will probably also stand for quite some time, if not forever in Atlanta. While playing for the Falcons, Pridemore served one term in the West Virginia House of Delegates
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.-Historical:-Current:-District organization:...
. He is the only NFL player to hold this legislative office while playing professional football.
Current
After his tenure with the Falcons, Pridemore settled in Atlanta with his wife Leigh and four children, and went on to found Pride Utility Construction Company with long-time friend and teammate Scott CaseScott Case
Jeffrey Scott Case is a former American football player in the National Football League who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2nd round of the 1984 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 178-lb defensive back from the University of Oklahoma, Case played professionally for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1995 for...
. Pridemore is a prominent businessman in the greater Atlanta area, and has personal ventures in residential real-estate and timber properties.
Pridemore now has two sons who play football at the Collegiate level. Matt, the eldest, enrolled at Duke University as a wide receiver in 2007, and TJ, who plays fullback for the University Florida, enrolled in 2008.