I was watching #79 , "Tuba" Rubin, DT for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL playoffs yesterday and was thinking of the good defensive unit that he played with under Dan McCarney. Curvey and Dobbins were on that unit, possibly Ellis Hobbs. In any event, Rubin has been in the NFL for ten years and played on some good Seattle teams....he has had a very good, long professional career. Has any other Cyclone had a ten year career in the NFL and particularly as productive since Rubin is still playing at a high level?
Rubin-Atlanta Falcons
- Thread starter swiacy
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Blair
12 seasons all with the Vikings
Career highlights and awards
12 seasons all with the Vikings
Career highlights and awards
Keith Sims graduated in 1990 from Iowa State. Really nice guy. His info from Wikipedia below.
Keith Sims
No. 69, 63
Position: Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: June 17, 1967 (age 50)
Baltimore, Maryland
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 318 lb (144 kg)
Career information
College: Iowa State
NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 142
Games started: 133
Keith Sims
No. 69, 63
Position: Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: June 17, 1967 (age 50)
Baltimore, Maryland
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 318 lb (144 kg)
Career information
College: Iowa State
NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 142
Games started: 133
Hobbs' last year was 2004. Dobbins, 2005.
Rubin had one season with Curvey (2006) on Mac's last team, and one season under Chiz.
Leonard Johnson is still active with the Bills - his 6th season. He'll be playing today vs. Jacksonville.
Don’t forget James Reed from the 2000 team. Played a couple of contracts iirc.
You can’t understate the importance of a good DL in football.
You can’t understate the importance of a good DL in football.
From wiki is this list. Some played longer than I thought.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Iowa_State_Cyclones_to_play_in_the_NFL
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Iowa_State_Cyclones_to_play_in_the_NFL
This is a nice resource. It appears to include anybody that at least attended an NFL training camp. There were more Duncan/Criner/Walden era (no bowl games during that time) than I might have guessed. Part of that, I assume, was there was more opportunity due to the existence of the USFL in addition to the NFL during the early/mid 1980s.
I was glad to read about Karl Nelson, who played under both Earle Bruce and Donnie Duncan. Keith Sims might have had the best NFL career of any ISU offensive lineman, but Karl might have set that bar higher if his career had not been cut short. His career with the NY Giants was brief, and I remember that the won the Super Bowl ring. I also remember that he missed a year due to Hodgkin's disease (to this day I am convinced that he, along with many other, became ill due to the vicinity of the old Meadowlands sports complex to toxic waste dumps, but that is another chapter), and came back for a year following that. What I didn't know, and relieved to find out given the nature of the illness, was he has had a long career in the financial industry, living in northern New Jersey.
Gene was in school while I was in grad school. I would see him on campus during the week with his foot in a boot, then he would play and kick butt on saturday. Seemed like he was always dinged up, but kept showing up with his lunch bucket ready for work!
You have to look back a ways for this one:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Doran
11+ years (Lions then Cowboys), made one Pro Bowl (1960), and won 2 NFL championships (1952 and 1953, where he caught the game winning pass). Career: 24 TDs, 212 catches, and 3,667 yards. Skimming the list, he'd probably be the Cyclones' most prolific pro receiver. Played mostly as a DE with the Lions, but did play both ways. Converted fully to TE in the Cowboys' inaugural season but was traded and then injured near the beginning of the 1962 season to end his career (probably could have come back fine, but wanted to enough wear left on his body to finish out life as a farmer).
Also a pretty swell great-uncle
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Doran
11+ years (Lions then Cowboys), made one Pro Bowl (1960), and won 2 NFL championships (1952 and 1953, where he caught the game winning pass). Career: 24 TDs, 212 catches, and 3,667 yards. Skimming the list, he'd probably be the Cyclones' most prolific pro receiver. Played mostly as a DE with the Lions, but did play both ways. Converted fully to TE in the Cowboys' inaugural season but was traded and then injured near the beginning of the 1962 season to end his career (probably could have come back fine, but wanted to enough wear left on his body to finish out life as a farmer).
Also a pretty swell great-uncle
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