Andre Tippett

Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots.

He was part of a defense that allowed only 129 points, the lowest total since 1965 and 9th-best in school history and allowed only 86.9 rushing yards a game, which still stands as the school record.

He first attended college and played football at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls in 1978.

He is married to Rhonda Tippett (née Kenney) with three daughters, Janea Tippett, Asia Barnes, and Madison, and one son, Coby.

A former Baptist, Tippett converted to Judaism.

He currently lives in Sharon, Massachusetts, and is a Pop Warner football coach.

Tippett has also studied martial arts for over three decades.

He holds a seventh degree blackbelt in Uechi-ryu karate, and is certified under the Okinawa Karate-do Association based in Okinawa, Japan.

He currently serves as the executive director of Community Affairs for the New England Patriots.

His son Coby played football for the University of Rhode Island as a kick returner and defensive back, He was invited to Rookie Mini Camp with the New England Patriots, and recently played for the Arlington Renegades and Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.

Tippett was an All-American defensive end and a three-year letterman at the University of Iowa.

He was also a two-time All-Big Ten selection (1980 and 1981).

He holds the Iowa record for tackles for lost yardage in a season (20 tackles for 153 yards in 1980).

Tippett is a member of the NFL's 1980s all-decade team and was selected to five Pro Bowls in his career, earning the nod in five straight seasons from 1984 to 1988.

He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American in 1981.

In 1981, he helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first winning season, their first Big Ten title, and first Rose Bowl in two decades.

The 1981 Iowa defense allowed 253 total yards a game, the fewest since 1959, making it the 4th-best defense in school history in terms of total yards.

Against Northwestern on October 3, 1981, the Hawkeye defense allowed 78 total yards which stands as 6th-best in defensive performances in team history.

Tippett was a two-time first-team all-Big Ten, and a team captain in 1981.

A second-round pick in the 1982 NFL draft, Tippett was selected to five Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro twice in his career.

He played in the Hula Bowl and the Japan Bowl in 1982, after his senior year at Iowa.

Tippett was selected by the New England Patriots in the 2nd round of the 1982 NFL draft.

After not recording a sack as a rookie in 1982, Tippett finished either first or second on the team in sacks in each of his final 10 seasons.

He led the team in sacks six times and finished second on the team four times.

From 1984 to 1985, Tippett recorded the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history, totaling 35.0 sacks during the two seasons.

His 18.5 sacks in 1984 are the third most by any linebacker in a single season, while his 16.5 sacks in 1985 are tied for the sixth most by any linebacker in NFL history.

Tippett holds the Patriots' franchise record with 100.0 career sacks.

He also owns the top three single-season sack performances in Patriots history (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987).

He was voted a DE on Iowa's all-time football team in 1989 as is a member of the University of Iowa's Varsity Hall of Fame.

Upon induction to the Varsity Hall of Fame, Tippett remarked, "For me, this is a 'Wow' . . . It is really, really special to be voted by your peers and the people who saw you play. I'm going in with some of the greatest people to ever play sports at the University of Iowa. This is one of the greatest honors I have ever had. This is a special feeling because during the three years I was there, I developed a great bond with the players and coaches."

L. T.'s in a class all by himself.

I'll put L. T. first, then Tippett, and Bennett behind him.

He ranked seventh on the all-time sacks list, and third among linebackers, at the time of his retirement following the 1993 season.

Over his career, Tippett recorded 100 sacks in 151 games, an average of 0.662 sacks per game.

The mark currently ranks fourth in NFL history among linebackers.

Since 2007, he has been the Patriots' executive director of community affairs.

He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Tippett was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

He attended Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey.