- Tony Stewart (American football)
Infobox NFLactive
|width=
caption=
name=Tony Stewart
currentteam=Oakland Raiders
currentnumber=84
currentposition=Tight end
birthdate=birth date and age|1979|8|9
birthplace=Lohne, Germany
country=West Germany
heightft=6
heightin=5
weight=260
debutyear=2001
debutteam=Philadelphia Eagles
college=Penn State
draftyear=2001
draftround=5
draftpick=147
pastteams=
*Philadelphia Eagles (2001)
*Cincinnati Bengals (2002-2006)
*Oakland Raiders (2007-"present")
nfl=STE806949
pfr=
cbs=235160
espn=
siTony Alexander Stewart (born
August 9 ,1979 inLohne, Germany ) is anAmerican football tight end for theOakland Raiders of theNational Football League .Stewart was originally drafted by the
Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the2001 NFL Draft out of Penn State.High school and college career
Allentown's Central Catholic High School
Stewart played
high school football atAllentown Central Catholic High School inAllentown, Pennsylvania , where he earned first teamAll-America n honors and played in the East Penn Conference (now known as theLehigh Valley Conference ), one of the premier high school football leagues in the nation.Penn State University
Stewart was a two-year starter at Penn State. He finished with 59 receptions for 861 yards and 3
touchdown s. As a senior, he became the first tight end since 1979 to lead the Nittany Lions in receiving (38-451, 2 TDs). His 38 catches as a senior set a Penn State season record for a tight end. He earned honorable mention All-America honors from "Football News" as a senior, and earned a bid to the 2001Hula Bowl . He was also named second team All Big-Ten.He earned his
Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Parks Management from Pennsylvania State University in 2003.NFL career
Philadelphia Eagles
Drafted in 2001 by the
Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round (147th overall), Stewart made his NFL debut in the Eagles' game against theKansas City Chiefs onNovember 29 ,2001 , making 2 catches, including a 1-yard touchdown reception from Eagles'quarterback Donovan McNabb . With this touchdown, Stewart became the first Eagle sinceCharlie Garner in 1994 to score a touchdown in his first game. He finished hisrookie season with 5 catches for 52 yards.Cincinnati Bengals
2002 season
In 2002, he began the preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was placed on the inactive list for the Eagles' season opener against the
Tennessee Titans . He was subsequently assigned to thepractice squad and signed with theCincinnati Bengals on November 23, 2002. He made his playing debut with the Bengals on December 15, 2002 versus theJacksonville Jaguars .2003 to 2005 seasons
Stewart went on to have career highs in receptions (21) and yards (212) during the 2003 season. He played 16 games for the Bengals in 2004, making 10 catches and a touchdown. He also made his mark as a mainstay on
special teams , racking up 7 tackles and a forcedfumble that year. Stewart saw significant playing time on offense and special teams in 2005. However, later that season, a back injury broke his streak of 40 straight games played for the Bengals.2006 season
Stewart signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals during the 2006 offseason.
Oakland Raiders
2007 season
On March 9, 2007, Stewart signed a 2 year contract with the Oakland Raiders.
Personal
Stewart lived in
Germany until age 3 while his father, Malcolm, served in the U.S. Army. His mother, Gisela, is a native German and raised Stewart to be bilingual in English and German. He lives inCincinnati in the off-season with his wife, Kara, and sons, Alex and Logan.A nomination by Stewart led to his third-grade teacher winning the [http://www.jointheteam.com/programs/program.asp?p=33&c=1 National Football League's 2004 Teacher of the Year award] . Wanda Benkovic of Holy Spirit School in
Allentown, Pennsylvania won the award and received $5,000 plus a trip to thePro Bowl inHawaii . The school received $10,000 from the NFL. Stewart credited Benkovic with helping him weather a difficult transition in 1987, as he switched from public to parochial school. "She made me feel like number one in a class of 21," Stewart said.Trivia
*In 2003, Stewart met
Tony Stewart , theNASCAR driver of the same name. They were featured in pre-race ceremonies. Stewart was also grand marshal and gave the command to start the race. Stewart was a member of the Bengals at the time.External links
* [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/235160 Tony Stewart biography at NFL.com] .
* [http://www.bengals.com/team/player.asp?player_id=16 Tony Stewart biography at Cincinnati Bengals' Web Site] .
* [http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8108482 "NFL names its Teacher of the Year", NFL.com] .
* [http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2000/00allbigten.htm "The 2000 All-Big Ten Team" featuring Tony Stewart] .
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