Phil Villapiano
| No. 41 | |
| Date of birth | February 26, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Long Branch, New Jersey |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| College | Bowling Green State |
| NFL draft | 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1971–1979 | Oakland Raiders |
| 1980–1983 | Buffalo Bills |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
Super Bowl champion (XI) | |
| Pro Bowls | 4 |
| Career stats | |
| |
Philip James Villapiano (born February 26, 1949) is a former American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the NFL.
Early life
Villapiano played college football at Bowling Green State University, and high school football at both Asbury Park High School and Ocean Township High School in Monmouth County, New Jersey.[1][2] While at Bowling Green, he was the Mid-America Conference Player of the Year.
Career
He was AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971, All-NFL in 1975 and 1976, and All-AFC from 1972-1976. Phil also played in four Pro Bowls and was a member of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI winning team. One of the fastest linebackers of his era, Phil specialized in making big plays - none bigger than his momentum changing goal-line tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, where he forced the fumble that was recovered by Willie Hall.
Personal life
Phil has three children; Andrea, Phil, and Michael. Michael is a quarterback at Brown University. His wife, Susan, died of breast cancer on November 22, 2016.
Phil has been in the International Logistics business for more than thirty years, starting during off seasons while playing with the Raiders. Currently, Phil provides logistics solutions for domestic and international companies as Vice President of Sales for Odyssey Logistics & Technology, a global logistics leader, based in Danbury, Connecticut. Phil works closely with WIN - Web Integrated Network, which is a free Transportation Management System. You can find him autographing footballs while promoting WIN at trade-shows all over the country, year long. Just WIN baby.
Following Hurricane Sandy, Phil and his friends founded The Foundation to Save the Jersey Shore, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to raise funds and direct resources to assist homeowners and businesses in Monmouth and Ocean Counties at the Jersey Shore (www.savethejerseyshore.org and www.facebook.com/helpsjs). As a National Vice President with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Phil founded the annual Phil Villapiano Field of Hope Gala which raised over $3 million over 16 years for research being done at ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) to find a cure for ALS. In 2002, he received “The Jimmy V Don’t Ever Give Up Award” from the Jimmy Valvano Foundation for the inspiration he gives to others.
References
- ↑ Phil Villapiano, database Football. Accessed December 15, 2007.
- ↑ Harvin, Al. "An Offseason Game; New Jersey Sports", The New York Times, January 12, 1973. Accessed November 16, 2008. "Some of the other Jersey residents on the team, according to Davis, are Bob Tucker, the New York Giants' tight end from Lincroft; Phil Villapiano, Oakland Raider linebacker from Ocean Township, and Ron Johnson, Giant running back, now a resident of Fort Lee."