Tony Fiammetta

Placido Anthony "Tony" Fiammetta (born August 22, 1986) is an American football player for the Carolina Panthers. He was selected by the Panthers with the 28th pick in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft (128th overall). He formerly played college football as a fullback in the Big East Conference for the Syracuse Orange at Syracuse University.

Early years
Fiammetta was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii to parents Vince and Esther Fiammetta. He was raised in Walkersville, Maryland where he attended Walkersville High School. There, he played both football and lacrosse all four years, and wrestled for one year. As a senior, he played in just one game before breaking his leg. In that game he recorded 144 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. During his high school career, he recorded 499 yards and 12 touchdowns on 60 carries.

SuperPrep named Fiammetta the 25th-ranked prospect in the Mid-Atlantic. PrepStar named him a 2003 All-East Region player. He was recruited by and attended Syracuse.

College career
Fiammetta sat out the 2004 season as a redshirt. In 2005, he played in ten games, mostly in a special teams role, but recorded no statistics. In 2006, he saw action in all 12 games and attempted eight carries for 15 yards. In 2007, he played in 11 games including 8 starts and made three carries for eight yards and 12 receptions for 75 yards.

In 2008, Fiammetta played in ten games and accumulated 66 yards on just five carries. He also recorded 16 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown. In his final season game, he rushed 58 yards on one attempt against the Big East championship team, Cincinnati. Pro Football Weekly named Fiammetta the first-team All-American fullback. He was also invited to and participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl.

2009 NFL Draft
The NFL Draft Countdown website predicted Fiammetta being selected in one of the middle rounds in the 2009 NFL Draft. They described him as an excellent blocker, but with limited ball-carrying experience. NFL Draft Scout rated had him as the number-one fullback out of 87 prospective draft picks. He had the most bench reps at the combine by a back with 30 and posted impressive overall numbers for his position.

Carolina Panthers
Many scouting experts were right in their prediction on Tony's draft poition, Fiammetta was drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He is expected to come in and compete at the fullback position. With the release of Brad Hoover Fiammetta will likely be the starting fullback for Carolina during the 2010 season.