John Earl Armstrong (born July 7, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL) in 1987.
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| Position: | Defensive back | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | July 7, 1963 Calhoun City, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| College: | Richmond | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1986 / round: 11 / pick: 286 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Armstrong played multiple positions for the Bruce High School football team, as well as basketball and track and field, before going on to Northwest Mississippi Community College.[1] There he earned junior college All-American status as the team won a national junior college championship.[2][3][1]
After two years, he joined the football team of the University of Richmond, where he majored in physical education.[2][4] He became a starting cornerback during his senior year in 1985 and ranked among the top punt and kickoff returners in the country.[3]
In the 1986 NFL draft, Armstrong was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 11th round.[5][6] He was released from the team on August 19.[7] Armstrong signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1987 and played with the team in the preseason, but was placed on waivers on August 31.[8][9]
He rejoined the team as a non-roster replacement player during the 1987 National Football League Players Association strike. On September 23, he was interrogated and harassed at a hotel by striking Bills players, including Greg Bell, Joe Devlin, Sean McNanie and Fred Smerlas, for playing as a strikebreaker.[10] He appeared in three games for Buffalo, starting two.[11] He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1988, but was cut in August before the season began.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ a b Baker, Lee (November 4, 1985). "John Armstrong". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 37. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b O'Connor, John (October 26, 1985). "Happy returns". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 27. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b O'Connor, John (October 26, 1985). "Armstrong leads in returns". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 32. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "University of Richmond Player of the Week". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 26, 1985. p. 52. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "Team-by-team draft picks". South Bend Tribune. April 30, 1986. p. 12. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The Associated Press (August 20, 1986). "Vikings cut 6, waive 10". Winona Daily News. p. 9. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Roberts, Rich (August 23, 1987). "Ed Luther Has Long Second Half". Los Angeles Times. p. 76. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Transactions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 1, 1987. p. 27. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pitoniak, Scott (September 24, 1987). "Confrontation spices strike". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 33. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Armstrong statistics at Pro-Football-Reference". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ "Falcons Cuts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 30, 1988. p. 65. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Falcons". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 30, 1988. p. 70. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.