'Noles in the NFL Draft: The 1980s
The 1980s saw yet another increase in the number of Seminoles drafted into the professional ranks. Head Coach Bobby Bowden's dynasty was underway, and he saw 36 players get selected by NFL teams in the decade, including one who would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Here's a breakdown by the years
1980
Round 8, Pick 196 by the Cincinnati Bengals-- Mark Lyles, Running Back: Did not play professionally.
Round 9, Pick 246 by the Dallas Cowboys-- Jackie Flowers, Wide Receiver: The former 2nd-Team All-American was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being waived by the Cowboys. He later had stints with 4 USFL teams before calling it a career.
Round 10, Pick 264 by the Oakland Raiders-- Walter Carter, Defensive Tackle: The four-year letterman ended up not playing in Oakland, but did play one season professionally in Tampa Bay.
Round 12, Pick 320 by the New England Patriots-- Jimmy Jordan, Quarterback: Jordan was released by the Patriots, but did play 3 years for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, throwing for 2,583 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1985.
1981
Round 1, Pick 25 by the Atlanta Falcons-- Bobby Butler, Cornerback: Butler played 12 seasons in Atlanta before retiring, and snagged 27 interceptions over 169 career games. His son, Brice, went on to play in the NFL after a collegiate career at San Diego State University.
Round 5, Pick 125 by the Denver Broncos-- Ken Lanier, Tackle: A reliable offensive lineman, Lanier played 13 seasons for the Broncos, and one for the Los Angeles Raiders. During his career, he started 167 of the 179 games he played.
Round 6, Pick 160 by the Cleveland Browns-- Ron Simmons, Defensive Tackle: This College Football Hall of Famer finished 9th in Heisman voting in 1979 but didn't have the same success at the professional level. After not seeing action for the Browns, Simmons played one season in the CFL for the Ottawa Rough Riders, before finishing his football career in the USFL by playing 3 seasons for the Tampa Bay Bandits. After football, he went on to have a very successful professional wrestling career, that included becoming the first African-American to hold the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, and eventually saw him get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
Round 8, Pick 218 by the Dallas Cowboys-- Paul Piurowski, Linebacker: This FSU Hall of Fame member's NFL career didn't pan out, but he did play 2 seasons with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL and was named 2nd-Team All-League in his first year.
Round 12, Pick 324 by the Houston Oilers-- Bill Capece, Kicker: Capece never played for Houston, but did play in 3 seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he made 43 field goals and 67 extra points in his career.
1982
Round 2, Pick 34 by the Baltimore Colts-- Rohn Stark, Punter: Stark had a 16-year NFL career, in which he only had 7 punts blocked. His career included 4 Pro Bowls and an All-Pro selection, and he carried a 43.4 yard average on his punts. Stark also holds the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to play for the Baltimore Colts and against the Baltimore Ravens. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Round 6, Pick 164 by the Miami Dolphins-- Ron Hester, Linebacker: Hester recorded one sack in his lone NFL season.
Round 11, Pick 304 by the Dallas Cowboys-- Michael Whiting, Running Back: Whiting never played in the NFL, but did play for the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL until the league folded.
1983
No selections.
1984
Round 1, Pick 12 by the Green Bay Packers-- Alphonso Carreker, Defensive End: Carreker played 8 seasons professionally, with the Packers and the Denver Broncos. In 94 games, he had 24 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and an interception. He also started in Super Bowl XXIV for the Broncos and recorded a sack.
Round 4, Pick 108 by the Pittsburgh Steelers-- Weegie Thompson, Wide Receiver: In Weegie's 6-year stint with the Steelers, he made 79 catches for 1,377 yards and 11 touchdowns.
1985
Round 1, Pick 23 by the Los Angeles Raiders-- Jessie Hester, Wide Receiver: Hester turned his first-round selection into a 10-year NFL career, and hauled in 373 passes for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns. He saw action for the Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams.
Round 2, Pick 35 by the Cleveland Browns-- Greg Allen, Running Back: This FSU Hall of Fame member, whose rushing record stood until Warrick Dunn broke it in 1996, couldn't capture the same success at the next level. Allen played 2 seasons professionally; one in Cleveland, and one in Tampa Bay.
Round 4, Pick 95 by the New Orleans Saints-- Billy Allen, Defensive Back
Round 8, Pick 222 by the Denver Broncos-- Eric Riley, Defensive Back
Round 8, Supplemental Pick by the San Francisco 49ers-- Roosevelt Snipes, Running Back
Allen, Riley, and Snipes did not play professionally.
1986
Round 5, Pick 120 for the Minnesota Vikings-- Hassan Jones, Wide Receiver: Jones played 8 seasons in the pros for the Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught 229 passes for 3,824 yards and 24 touchdowns before retiring in 1993.
Round 9, Pick 242 by the Dallas Cowboys-- John Ionata, Tackle
Round 10, Pick 276 by the New England Patriots-- Cletis Jones, Running Back
Round 11, Pick 296 by the Dallas Cowboys-- Garth Jax: Jax was a 10-year pro who recorded 172 tackles and 3 sacks while playing with the Cowboys and the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals.
Round 12, Pick 318 by the Minnesota Vikings-- Jesse Solomon, Linebacker: Solomon played in the NFL until 1994, and spent time with the Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and the Miami Dolphins. He had 10 sacks and 8 interceptions for his career.
Round 12, Pick 326 by the Indianapolis Colts-- Isaac Williams, Defensive Tackle
Ionata, Cletis Jones, and Williams did not play professionally.
1987
Round 7, Pick 187 by the New York Jets-- Gerald Nichols, Defensive Tackle: Nichols was the sole selection for the Seminoles in the Spring of '87, selected in the 7th-round and staying in the league for 7 years. He accumulated 12.5 sacks in the professional ranks for the Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins.
1988
Round 2, Pick 32 by the Detroit Lions-- Pat Carter, Tight End: Carter played 10 seasons for 4 teams (Lions, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, Houston Oilers, and Arizona Cardinals), and had 107 catches for 1,117 yards and 9 scores. After his playing career, he coached tight ends for the team that drafted him, the Lions, in 2006.
Round 9, Pick 237 by the Minnesota Vikings-- Paul McGowan, Linebacker: McGowan was released by the Vikings during training camp, and had a similar fate with the Cleveland Browns the following season. He played two seasons in the World Football League for the Birmingham Fire before finding his most success as a pro in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators from 1993-1997.
Round 10, Pick 262 by the Buffalo Bills-- Martin Mayhew, Cornerback: Mayhew had an 8-year professional career, seeing time with the Bills, Washington Redskins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He holds a stat line of 618 tackles, 21 interceptions, and 5 forced fumbles, and was a starter in Super Bowl XXVI, which his Redskins won. Mayhew has found a great deal of success in the league post-retirement, and is currently the Vice President of Player Personnel for the San Francisco 49ers.
Round 11, Pick 282 by the Kansas City Chiefs-- Danny McManus, Quarterback: After a season as a reserve for the Chiefs, McManus spent the next year searching for the right job, before landing in the CFL in 1990, where he would go down as a legend. He had a lengthy 16-year career, and played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the Calgary Stampeders. The CFL Hall of Famer won multiple awards in the CFL, 3 Grey Cup titles, and is 4th all-time in CFL passing yards with 53,255. He currently serves as the Assistant General Manager for Winnipeg.
1989
Round 1, Pick 5 by the Atlanta Falcons-- Deion Sanders, Cornerback: Famous for telling the Giants, who had the 10th selection in the draft, that he wouldn't be around by the time they were on the board, "Primetime" is widely regarded as the best cornerback to ever grace the gridiron. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, "Neon Deion" is a 2-time Super Bowl champ, 8-time Pro Bowler, 9-time First-Team All-Pro, and 1-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He picked off 53 passes in his career, returning 9 for touchdowns. He also caught 60 passes for 784 yards and 3 touchdowns, returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards and 3 touchdowns, and returned 212 punts for 2,199 yards and 6 touchdowns, proving to be one of the most versatile players in history. "Prime" also had a 9-year baseball career, to further his case as an athletic enigma. He passed some of his athleticism down to his sons; Deion Jr. played collegiately at SMU, Shilo is a sophomore defensive back for Will Muschamp at South Carolina, and Shedeur is a class of 2021 quarterback with interest from FSU, among many others.
Round 1, Pick 9 by the Miami Dolphins-- Sammie Smith, Running Back: After leading the Dolphins in rushing his first two seasons, Smith would see just one more year with the team, and then one season with the Denver Broncos. He finished his career with 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Round 4, Pick 99 by the Indianapolis Colts-- Pat Tomberlin, Guard: Tomberlin played in the NFL in 1990 for the Colts, and in 1993 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Round 7, Pick 183 by the San Diego Chargers-- Marion Butts, Running Back: Butts had a 7-year NFL career that included 2 Pro Bowl selections, 5,185 rushing yards, and 43 touchdowns. Along with the Chargers, he also played for the New England Patriots and Houston Oilers.
Round 11, Pick 287 by the San Diego Chargers-- Victor Floyd, Running Back: A remarkable feat for Coach Bowden here, as he had two running backs taken in the same draft, by the same team. Although Floyd didn't quite have the NFL success as his teammate Butts, lasting only one season in San Diego, he would play in the World League of American Football for the Sacramento Surge and the New York/New Jersey Knights, and later in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators.
Round 12, Pick 310 by the Green Bay Packers-- Stan Shiver, Defensive Back: Did not play professionally.
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