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Tom Tupa

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Tom Tupa
No. 19, 7, 9
Position:Quarterback/punter
Personal information
Born:(1966-02-06)February 6, 1966(age 58)
Cleveland, Ohio,U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Brecksville–Broadview Heights
(Broadview Heights, Ohio)
College:Ohio State
NFL draft:1988/ Round: 3 / Pick: 68
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts:873
Punting yards:37,862
Punting average:43.4
TD-INT:12–25
Passing yards:3,430
Passer rating:60.5

Thomas Joseph Tupa Jr.(born February 6, 1966) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was apunterandquarterbackin theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theOhio State Buckeyes.He was selected in the third round of the1988 NFL draftto thePhoenix Cardinals.He also played for theIndianapolis Colts,Cleveland Browns,New England Patriots,New York Jets,Tampa Bay Buccaneers,andWashington Redskins.

Early life

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As a child, Tupa participated in the NFL'sPunt, Pass, and Kickcontest, and was a semi-finalist three times, winning once. Tupa played mostly quarterback atBrecksville–Broadview Heights High School;he led his team to the state championship while alsoletteringinbasketball(where he averaged 20.8 points per game) andbaseball(where he was apitcherandshortstop).[1]While in high school, Tupa played on the same basketball team as former NBA head coachEric Musselmanand former NBA forwardScott Roth.

College career

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After sitting three seasons behindMike Tomczakand Jim Karsatos, Tupa took over the starting quarterback job atOhio State Universityin 1987, throwing for 2,252 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.[2]He was selected as an All-American punter in the same season,[3]as well as All-Big 10. Tupa was a four-time football letterman and was also selected to play in the 1988 Hula Bowl all-star game.[4]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft4+1⁄2in
(1.94 m) 		220 lb
(100 kg) 		10+1⁄4in
(0.26 m)		 4.83 s 1.68 s 2.82 s 4.31 s 28.0 in
(0.71 m)		 8 ft 9 in
(2.67 m)		 13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[5]

Phoenix Cardinals

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Tupa was drafted in the third round (68th overall) of the1988 NFL draftby thePhoenix Cardinalsof theNational Football League(NFL).[6]His second season with the team saw an expanded role after. He started two games at quarterback, while registering six punts for 46.7 yards per punt.[7]After spending the entire1990 seasonas strictly a holder on kicks, he was the primary quarterback for the Cardinals the following year, playing in 11 games and throwing six touchdowns to 13 interceptions.[8]

Indianapolis Colts

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Tupa joined theIndianapolis Coltsin1992,as the backup for quarterbacksJack TrudeauandJeff George.

1992 also marked the last time Tupa was used regularly as a quarterback; after that he almost exclusively punted, with only emergency occasions or trick plays making use of his throwing skills.

Cleveland Browns

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Tupa did not play in the1993 NFL season,having been cut by theCleveland Brownsright before the season and later re-signed as a backup in November[9]following an injury to starting quarterbackVinny Testaverdeand the release of backupBernie Kosar.He was retained by the Browns the following year and stayed with them for two seasons as their starting punter. With the Browns, Tupa scored the firsttwo-point conversionin NFL history, running in a faked extra point kick attempt for the Browns in a game against theCincinnati Bengalsin the first week of the1994 season.He scored a total of three such conversions that season, earning him the nickname "Two Point Tupa."[10]

New England Patriots

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Tupa joined theNew England Patriotsin1996and played for them for three years. During his Patriots tenure, he played inSuper Bowl XXXI,in which the Patriots lost to theGreen Bay Packers.[11]He would be named the Patriots' All-1990s Team.

New York Jets

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In1999,Tupa signed with theNew York Jets.It was during this season that Tupa received his first invitation to thePro Bowl.He also made his first pass attempt since 1996, and went 6-of-10 for 165 yards and two touchdowns during the Jets' week one matchup against his former team, thePatriots.Tupa was put in at quarterback in the first quarter afterVinny Testaverdetorehisachilles tendon,[12]as under NFL rules at the time, using an emergency QB before the fourth quarter meant that the starting and backup QBs could not play for the remainder of the game. Despite his success, once the third quarter ended, Tupa was moved back to punting and the Jets switched to emergency QBRick Mirer,who ended up going 4-of-11 for 28 yards and two interceptions, the second of which set up a game-winning field goal from the Patriots'Adam Vinatieri.The Jets lost the game to the Patriots 30-28, and ended up missing the playoffs that season by one game, finishing with an 8-8 record. Tupa remained with the Jets through the2001 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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2002saw Tupa sign with theTampa Bay Buccaneers,where he was their punter on their road toSuper Bowl XXXVII,where they defeated theOakland Raiders.[13]

Washington Redskins

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Before the start of the2004 NFL season,Tupa signed with theWashington Redskins.In 2004, he was named as a Pro Bowl second alternate. He spent 2005 on the injured reserve list, and did not appear in a game.

The final pass of Tupa's career was thrown in an overtime loss in the 2002 season-opener against theNew Orleans Saintsduring a punt attempt from the Buccaneers' five-yard line. Pressure from a Saints defender forced Tupa to abort the punt attempt and throw a desperation pass with his non-throwing arm which was intercepted by a Saints defender and returned for atouchdown,ending the game.

Retirement

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Tupa announced his retirement from football in the spring of 2006.[14]In February 2006, he was appointed as the recreation director ofBrecksville, Ohio.[15]

Personal life

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Tupa was the offensive coordinator at his high school alma mater,Brecksville–Broadview Heights High School,where he called the plays for both his sons.[16]He was also Brecksville's recreation director from 2006 until his retirement on May 7, 2021.[17][18]

His son Tom Tupa III (high school class of 2013) was a quarterback forMiami UniversityinOxford, Ohio.[19]His son Tim Tupa (high school class of 2014) played wide receiver for theBowling Green State University.[20] His son Tyler Tupa (high school class of 2016) formerly played wide receiver forOhio University.His daughter Emma Tupa (high school class of 2018) formerly played volleyball forOhio University.

He is a first cousin of former Colorado Democratic State Senator and Majority Caucus LeaderRon Tupa.

References

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  1. ^"Tom Tupa | Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame".August 15, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on December 23, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  2. ^"Ohio State Football Has Sad History with Sports Agent Issue".Archived fromthe originalon November 29, 2010.RetrievedOctober 9,2010.
  3. ^"Ohio State Buckeyes All-Americans, Awards, Captains, MVPS".Archivedfrom the original on September 27, 2010.RetrievedOctober 9,2010.
  4. ^http://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/fls/17300/pdf/fb/guide/10spring-spread/10_p132to175.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=17300[permanent dead link]
  5. ^"Tom Tupa, Combine Results, P - Ohio State".nflcombineresults.com.RetrievedMarch 20,2023.
  6. ^"1988 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  7. ^"Tom Tupa 1989 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  8. ^"Tom Tupa 1991 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 23,2023.
  9. ^Archived copy(PDF),archived(PDF)from the original on December 6, 2021,retrievedApril 27,2020{{citation}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^NFL (October 13, 2017),That Time a Punter Played QB for the Jets and Threw 2 TD's | NFL Highlights,archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2017,retrievedOctober 14,2017
  11. ^"Super Bowl XXXI - New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers - January 26th, 1997".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  12. ^Cox, Zack (October 14, 2017)."Tom Tupa's Touchdowns: Remembering One Of Patriots-Jets Rivalry's Wildest Games".NESN.com.RetrievedSeptember 23,2023.
  13. ^"Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders - January 26th, 2003".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 23,2023.
  14. ^Bournival, Brad (June 5, 2012)."OSU Time And Change: Tom Tupa".ESPN.com.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  15. ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 25, 2006.RetrievedAugust 20,2006.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^"Passing on the family tradition: Tupa name takes to the field again".September 2, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2012.RetrievedOctober 9,2010.
  17. ^"Still Right at Home in Brecksville".May 5, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on July 17, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 8,2015.
  18. ^"Message from Mayor Hruby - April 23 2021"(PDF).RetrievedMay 9,2023.
  19. ^"Tom Tupa".MURedhawks.com.Archivedfrom the original on February 21, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 5,2014.
  20. ^Kuzydym, Stephanie (January 28, 2015)."Former Brecksville QB/WR Tim Tupa transfers to Bowling Green from Naval Academy".cleveland.com.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 8,2015.
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