Brad Van Pelt

Infobox NFLretired


|caption=
position=Linebacker
number=10
birthdate=birth date and age|1951|4|5
Owosso, Michigan
debutyear=1973
finalyear=1986
draftyear=1973
draftround=2
draftpick=40
college=Michigan State
teams=
* New York Giants (1973-1983)
* Los Angeles Raiders (1984-1985)
* Cleveland Browns (1986)
stat1label=Sacks
stat1value=24.5
stat2label=Interceptions
stat2value=20
stat3label=Games played
stat3value=184
nfl=VAN695888
highlights=
* 5x Pro Bowl selection (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
* 1972 Maxwell Award
HOF=
CollegeHOF=70067

Brad Alan Van Pelt (born April 5, 1951 in Owosso, Michigan) is a former American football linebacker who played fourteen seasons the National Football League. He played for the New York Giants from 1973 to 1983, the Los Angeles Raiders from 1984 to 1985, and the Cleveland Browns in 1986. He was selected to the Pro Bowl five times from 1976 to 1980. He is the father of former Denver Broncos and Houston Texans quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt.

College career

Van Pelt attended high school at Owosso High School where in 1969 he was named all state as a quarterback. [ [http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/vanpelt.html Brad VanPelt Shiawassee County, Michigan] Reterived June 26, 2006] He played college football at Michigan State University where he was a two time All-American, in 1971 unanimous in 1972, where he also won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best player, the first time a defensive back won the award and he was named Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year and Columbus Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year. [ [http://www.footballfoundation.com/news.php?id=76 Brad Van Pelt To Be Honored At On-Campus Salute] Reterived June 26, 2006] In his college career, he had fourteen interceptions returning two of them for touchdowns. He followed his senior season playing in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, and the College All-Star Game. Van Pelt was also a noted basketball player and baseball player.

Professional career

As a member of the Giants, Van Pelt was a member of the Crunch Bunch, a team of fierce linebackers composed of Van Pelt, Brian Kelley, Lawrence Taylor, and Harry Carson. The group is widely considered one of the best defensive combos in NFL history. He was also named player of decade for the 1970s by the Giants.

During his 11-year career with the club, the Giants posted a winning record only once, in 1981, when New York reached the playoffs for the only time in a 20-year stretch between 1964 and 1983. Van Pelt also has the unusual distinction of playing for the club in four of the club's home stadiums: Yankee Stadium, the Yale Bowl, Shea Stadium, and Giants Stadium. He also played for five Giants head coaches: Alex Webster, Bill Arnsparger, John McVay, Ray Perkins, and Bill Parcells.

Ironically, Van Pelt left the Giants after Parcells selected another Michigan State standout, Carl Banks, in the first round of the 1984 draft to fill the left outside linebacker slot opposite Taylor.

Van Pelt wore number 10 with the Giants, even though the NFL instituted a numbering system for the 1973 NFL season, which limited linebackers entering the league to numbers 50 through 59. Van Pelt wore number 91 with the Raiders and Browns.

In 2001, he was enshrined in to the College Football Hall of Fame, in a class with Steve Young. In 2005, he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

ee also

*History of the New York Giants (1979-1993)

References