Antonio Armstrong

NFL player
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DateOfBirth=October 15, 1973
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Position=Linebacker
number=58
College=Texas A&M
DraftedYear=1995
DraftedRound=6/ Pick 201
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years=1995
teams=Miami Dolphins
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Antonio Donnell Armstrong (formerly Antonio Donnell Shorter) born October 15, 1973 in Houston, Texas, is a former linebacker for Texas A&M University who went on to play professionally for the NFL's Miami Dolphins and in the Canadian Football League.

High school and college

Armstrong starred at Kashmere High School and signed with nearby Texas A&M. As a junior at A&M, Armstrong earned Defensive Player of the Game honors after making eight tackles and three sacks in the 1994 Cotton Bowl against Notre Dame. Armstrong earned AP All-America honors his senior year (1994) after making 62 tackles, including 17 behind the line of scrimmage as a senior. He was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award that year, and was a two-time All-SWC selection.

NFL

Armstrong was drafted in the 6th round of the 1995 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but fractured his ankle on the third day of training camp and was released. In October of that year, he was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad and placed on the active roster a week later. He appeared in 4 games that season for the Dolphins but did not record a defensive statistic. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams the following year and remained on the practice squad for the 1996 season. He was invited to the Dallas Cowboys training camp in 1997, but did not make the team.

CFL

Armstrong signed with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1998 and made an immediate impact as a starter for two seasons with the team. In 2000, Armstrong was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was Winnipeg's defensive player of the year and an East Division All-star in 2000. Armstrong attempted to return to the NFL, but eventually re-signed with the Bombers in September 2001 and started the 2001 Grey Cup game. He held out for a larger contract in 2002 and was suspended from the team when he didn't show up for training camp.

External links

* [http://www.aggieathletics.com/index2.php?SID=MFB&pageID=1369 A&M All-Americans]
* [http://www.phins.com/news95/News_9510260830.html Dolphins sign Armstrong]
* [http://www.mxg.cc/pastprojects/bclions/download/g17-bc-sask.doc BC Lions]
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/transactions/2000/03/13/index.html BC Trade]