Jessie Tuggle
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
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| Date of birth: | April 4, 1965 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Griffin, Georgia | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Valdosta State | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1987 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Jessie Lloyd Tuggle, Jr.[1] (born April 4, 1965) is a former professional American football linebacker who played for the Atlanta Falcons his entire career from 1987 to 2000. He graduated from Valdosta State College in Valdosta, Georgia. He appeared in the Pro Bowl five times, and played in Super Bowl XXXIII. His nickname is "The Hammer," because of the impact of his tackles.
Professional career
In his 14 seasons, he recorded 1640 tackles (164 assisted), 21 sacks, 6 interceptions, which he returned for 106 yards and a touchdown, 10 forced fumbles and 37 pass deflections. He also recovered 10 fumbles, returning them for 155 yards and an NFL record 5 touchdowns.[2]
Tuggle also holds the record for most tackles from 1990 to 1999 with 1,293.[3]
In 2007 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Personal
His son, Justin Tuggle, played at Kansas State and is currently signed to the Cleveland Browns. His other son, Grady Jarrett played college football at Clemson University and was selected in the 5th round of the 2015 NFL draft by his father's former team, the Atlanta Falcons.