Tony Lilly
Encyclopedia
Robert Anthony "Tony" Lilly (born February 16, 1962) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a safety in the National Football League
(NFL) for four seasons during the 1980s. Lilly played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Denver Broncos
of the NFL.
in 1962. When he was 9 years old he represented the Washington, D.C.
area in the NFL's
Punt, Pass, and Kick
competition. In 1979, Lilly was one of five players from Northern Virginia
named to United Press International's
Virginia
All-State football team. He attended Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, Virginia
, and he was a standout player for the Woodbridge Vikings high school football
team. On October 2, 2004, Woodbridge High School retired the numbers of three former football players, including Lilly's number 18.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
's Florida Gators football
team from 1980 to 1983. He became a starter as a freshman when Tim Groves was injured late in the 1980 season, and remained a regular member of the Gators' starting lineup for his remaining three seasons. As a senior
in 1983, Lilly was honored as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection and a second-team All-American.
, and he played for the Broncos for four seasons from to . Lilly started
at safety for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII
. In his four-year NFL career, he played in fifty-eight game, started fifteen of them, and totaled nine interceptions and three fumble
recoveries.
located in Dumfries, Virginia
from 2005 to 2009. In 2006, Lilly coached the Panthers to an 11–2 record in his second season and capturing the Cardinal District and Northwest Regional championships in the state of Virginia. The only two losses that season were to eventual Virginia Division 6 state champion Osbourn High School
and Division 5 champion Phoebus High School
.
In 2007, Lilly guided the Panthers to a perfect 10–0 regular season on the way to the Virginia Division 5 state championship game held at the University of Virginia
's Scott Stadium
in Charlottesville
, before losing to Stone Bridge High School
in the final. His 2007 Potomac Panthers finished the season 13–1 overall.
On May 4, 2010, Lilly was named the head football coach of C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Virginia
, where he also serves as a special education teacher. In his first season as head coach, he directed the team to a 10-0 regular season, before losing in their first playoff game against Battlefield, the eventual Division 6 champion who they had defeated earlier in the season.
Lilly and his wife Lisa have one son, Ryan.
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 safety 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 during the 1980s. Lilly 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 Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
Early years
Lilly was born in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
in 1962. When he was 9 years old he represented the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area in the NFL's
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...
Punt, Pass, and Kick
Punt, Pass, and Kick
Punt, pass and kick is a skills competition offered by the National Football League and designed for youths aged 6 to 15.- Overview :PP&K began in 1961 and at one time, event highlights were shown by CBS Sports as part of its NFL coverage...
competition. In 1979, Lilly was one of five players from Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
named to United Press International's
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...
Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
All-State football team. He attended Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, Virginia
Woodbridge, Virginia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...
, and he was a standout player for the Woodbridge Vikings 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....
team. On October 2, 2004, Woodbridge High School retired the numbers of three former football players, including Lilly's number 18.
College career
Lilly 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...
'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 from 1980 to 1983. He became a starter as a freshman when Tim Groves was injured late in the 1980 season, and remained a regular member of the Gators' starting lineup for his remaining three seasons. As a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
in 1983, Lilly was honored as a first-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 a second-team All-American.
Professional career
The Denver Broncos drafted Lilly in the third round (seventy-eighth pick overall) in the 1984 NFL Draft1984 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...
, and he played for the Broncos for four seasons from to . Lilly 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...
at safety for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
. In his four-year NFL career, he played in fifty-eight game, started fifteen of them, and totaled nine interceptions and three fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recoveries.
Life after the NFL
Lilly was a special education instructor and the head football coach at Potomac Senior High SchoolPotomac High School (Virginia)
Potomac Senior High School is a public secondary school in unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States.Potomac Senior High School, which serves the nearby incorporated town of Dumfries was established in 1979. When the school first opened there were only freshmen and the students...
located in Dumfries, Virginia
Dumfries, Virginia
Dumfries is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dumfries is located at ....
from 2005 to 2009. In 2006, Lilly coached the Panthers to an 11–2 record in his second season and capturing the Cardinal District and Northwest Regional championships in the state of Virginia. The only two losses that season were to eventual Virginia Division 6 state champion Osbourn High School
Osbourn High School
Osbourn High School is a secondary school for grades 9–12 located in Manassas, Virginia, United States and the sole high school of the Manassas City Public Schools system.-History:...
and Division 5 champion Phoebus High School
Phoebus High School
Phoebus High School is a public high school located in Hampton, Virginia. Named after the nearby neighborhood and former township of Phoebus, it is the newest of the four high schools in the city. Considered unique for its excellent technology, and Video Media and Design...
.
In 2007, Lilly guided the Panthers to a perfect 10–0 regular season on the way to the Virginia Division 5 state championship game held at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
's Scott Stadium
Scott Stadium
Scott Stadium , located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia's Grounds, east of Hereford College and first-year dorms on Alderman Road but west of Brown College and the Lawn...
in Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, before losing to Stone Bridge High School
Stone Bridge High School
Stone Bridge High School is a public secondary school in Ashburn, a community in Loudoun County, Virginia.The school is part of Loudoun County Public Schools and is located on 43100 Hay Road...
in the final. His 2007 Potomac Panthers finished the season 13–1 overall.
On May 4, 2010, Lilly was named the head football coach of C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Virginia
Woodbridge, Virginia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...
, where he also serves as a special education teacher. In his first season as head coach, he directed the team to a 10-0 regular season, before losing in their first playoff game against Battlefield, the eventual Division 6 champion who they had defeated earlier in the season.
Lilly and his wife Lisa have one son, Ryan.
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
- History of the Denver BroncosHistory of the Denver BroncosThe history of the Denver Broncos American football club began when the team was chartered a member of the American Football League in 1960. The Broncos have played in the city of Denver, Colorado throughout their nearly 50 year history. The Broncos did not win any championships as members of the...
- List of Florida Gators football players