Travares Tillman

Travares Arastius Tillman (born October 8, 1977 in Lyons, Georgia) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Georgia Tech football team.

Early years
Tillman attended Toombs County High School in Lyons, Georgia, and he was a standout in football, basketball, and golf. In football, he was a standout wide receiver, and as a senior, he was a Class A All-State selection and the Class 3-A Defensive Player of the Year.

College years
Tillman attended Georgia Tech for four years, where he excelled in football. He was a two-time All-ACC second team selection and finished his marvelous career with seven interceptions, 236 tackles, a sack, and two fumble recoveries.

Professional Years
CAREERTRANSACTIONS: Signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent from Carolina on March 4, 2005. . . Originally drafted by Buffalo in the second round (58th overall) in

2000 . . . Was waived by the Bills on September 1,

2000 . . . Signed with Houston on January 14, 2003 ...Was waived by the Texans on September 17, 2003 and then claimed by Carolina a day later.

2006–Played in 14 games, including seven starts ... Was inactive for two contests ...Recorded 42 tackles and three passes defensed ...Added four tackles and a forced fumble on special teams ...Opened the first seven contests at strong safety before giving way to Yeremiah Bell, starting with contest at Chicago (11/5) . . . Had a season-high nine tackles at New England (10/8), a figure which also equaled a career best ...Had two special teams stops and a forced fumble in 13-10 win over Kansas City (11/12) ...Was inactive for Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit (11/23) with a left hand injury sustained vs.Minnesota (11/19) ...Underwent surgery on November 21 to reduce and stabilize a fourth metacarpal fracture of his left hand ...Also was inactive for finale at Indianapolis (12/30) with a hamstring injury. 2005–Played in all 16 games, including 10 starts, in his first year with the Dolphins. . . Registered 54 tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed. . . Added five tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams ...Three interceptions marked the second-highest figure on the team, trailing only the four amassed by Lance Schulters, and were two more than he had totaled in his previous four NFL campaigns ...Began the season as a reserve . . . Moved into starting lineup at strong safety for game at New Orleans (10/30) following season-ending pectoral injury to Tebucky Jones. . . In 27-24 win over Carolina (9/25), recovered a Steve Smith fumbled punt at the Panthers’ 16, leading to an 18-yard TD pass from Gus Frerotte to Randy McMichael two plays later ...Tied a career high with nine tackles vs.Atlanta (11/6) ...All three of his interceptions on the year came in consecutive weeks;vs. New England (11/13), at Cleveland (11/20) and at Oakland (11/27) ...First interception as a Dolphin occurred when he picked off a Tom Brady pass in the Patriots game and returned it a career-long 22 yards ...In addition to his interception of a Charlie Frye pass in the Browns game, matched his career-high figure of nine tackles, which also was a team high that day . . . That three-game interception streak is tied with many others for the third-longest in franchise history and was the longest since Patrick Surtain had one in games 2-4 of 2003 . . .Underwent surgery on June 14, 2005 to debride a medial meniscal tear and articular cartilage damage ...The surgery was performed by Dr.George Caldwell at Broward General Medical Center in Ft.Lauderdale ... CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH AN INTERCEPTION:Tillman tallied his three interceptions in 2005 in consecutive weeks, including games vs.New England (11/13), at Cleveland (11/20) and at Oakland (11/27) ...He picked off a Tom Brady pass in the third quarter of the Patriots game for a 22-yard return, a Charlie Frye attempt in the fourth quarter of the Browns contest for a 16-yard return and a Kerry Collins pass on the final play of the first half in the Raiders game in which there was no return ...The streak is tied for the third-longest in Dolphins history: PLAYER YEAR (GAMES) NO. 1. Dick Westmoreland 1967 (9-13) 5 2. Willie West 1966 (6-9) 4 3. TRAVARES TILLMAN 2005 (9-11) 3 Many others 3 LONGEST INTERCEPTION STREAKS IN DOLPHINS HISTORY

2004–Played in six games with the Panthers, including a start at free safety vs. San Diego (10/24) ...Sustained a broken right arm in the Chargers game ...Was inactive for each of the next two weeks before being placed on injured reserve on November 9 ...Finished the season with five tackles on defense and a pair of stops on special teams.

2003–Began the season with Houston ...Was inactive for each of the first two games before being waived by the Texans on September 17 ...Was claimed by the Panthers on September 18 and went on to play in seven regular season games, all in a reserve role ...Registered four tackles on special teams ...Also saw action in a reserve role in Divisional Playoff game at St. Louis (1/10/04) ...Was inactive for each of the Panthers’three remaining postseason contests.

2002–Was out of football after being released by the Bills on September 1.

2001–Started six of the 12 games in which he played at free safety with Buffalo ...Tallied 47 tackles, an interception, five passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble ...Was inactive for three of the final four games with a chest injury ...First career interception came off a Mark Brunell pass at Jacksonville (10/18) in the game’s final minute to preserve the Bills’ 12-10 win. . . Established a career high with nine tackles vs. Miami (11/25), when he also recovered an Oronde Gadsden fumble (forced by Nate Clements) in the end zone to thwart a Dolphins scoring drive ...Forced a fumble at San Francisco (12/2).

2000–Played in 15 games, including four starts, in his rookie season with the Bills. . . Recorded 26 tackles and a pass defensed. . . First NFL start came at free safety vs. Miami (12/3) as he responded with six tackles.

Personal
Travares is the third of four children, born to Vera Pearl Tillman of Lyons, Georgia. He has two brothers, Desi Cornelius Mobley and Raphael Lycal Tillman and one sister Rashuna Tillman. Travares is married to the former Kikikilikiana Kirchner, a celebrity wardrobe stylist. The couple have one son Atticus Troy Tillman, January 23, 2007 and one daughter Harper Lily Tillman, October 9, 2009. Travares went back to Georgia Tech to earn his Bachelors degree in Management. He graduated on December 18, 2010.