Tim Golden (American football)

Timothy George Golden (born November 15, 1959) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons during the mid-1980s. Golden played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

Early years
Golden was born in the small town of Pahokee, Florida. He attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, and played high school football for the Boyd Anderson Cobras.

College career
Golden received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played defensive end for coach Doug Dickey and coach Charley Pell's Florida Gators football teams from 1978 to 1980. As a junior in 1979, he lived through the worst season in the history of the Florida football program, when the Gators posted an 0–10–1 record. The following season, Golden was part of the biggest one-year turn-around in Division I football history, when the 1980 Gators finished 8–4 after defeating the Maryland Terrapins in the Tangerine Bowl. He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and an honorable mention All-American in 1980.

Golden graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting in 1981.

Professional career
Golden was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1982, and he played for the Patriots for three seasons from 1982 to 1984, primarily as a backup. He appeared in forty games for the Patriots, and played his final two games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985.