| No. 58 | |
| Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: February 16, 1965 | |
| Place of birth: Tallahassee, Florida | |
| High School: Tallahassee (FL) Leon | |
| Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | Weight: 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Florida | |
| NFL Draft: 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21 | |
| Debuted in 1988 for the Cleveland Browns | |
| Last played in 1989 for the Cleveland Browns | |
| Career history | |
| * Cleveland Browns ( 1988– 1989) | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
* First-team All-SEC (1986, 1987)
| |
| Career NFL statistics as of 1989 | |
| Games played | 31 |
| Games started | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Clifford Tyrone Charlton (born February 16, 1965) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the late 1980s. Charlton played college football for the University of Florida, and received All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
Early years[]
Charlton was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1965.[1] He attended Leon High School in Tallahassee,[2] where he was a standout high school football player for the Leon Lions.
College career[]
Charlton received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played linebacker for coach Galen Hall's Florida Gators football team from 1984 to 1987.[3] He was a member of the Gators' best-in-the-Southeastern Conference (SEC) football teams that posted identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records in 1984 and 1985.[3] He was also a first-team All-SEC selection in 1986 and 1987, and a first-team All-American and team captain in 1987.[3] Charlton's fifteen forced fumbles, forty-nine career tackles for a loss and twenty-five quarterback sacks still rank first, fifth and fourth, respectively, on the Gators' all-time career records lists.[3]
Charlton graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1988.
Professional career[]
Charlton was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft with the twenty-first overall pick,[4] and he played in thirty-one games for the Browns during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.[5] As a first round pick, the Browns had high expectations for Charlton. However, he suffered a severe knee injury that tore the MCL and ACL ligaments of his knee and prematurely ended his professional career.
See also[]
- 1987 College Football All-America Team
- Florida Gators
- Florida Gators football, 1980–89
- History of the Cleveland Browns
- List of Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks
- List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni
References[]
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Clifford Charlton. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ↑ databaseFootball.com, Players, Clifford Charlton. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88, 92, 96, 98, 124, 153–154, 180 (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- ↑ Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1988 National Football League Draft. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ↑ National Football League, Historical Players, Clifford Charlton. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
Bibliography[]
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
| ||||||||
| ||||||||