Anthony Muñoz
Encyclopedia
Michael Anthony Muñoz is a Pro Football Hall of Fame
offensive tackle who played most of his career for the National Football League's
Cincinnati Bengals
. After missing much of the 1992
season battling knee and shoulder injuries, Muñoz attempted to play a 14th season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, but he was released before the season started and decided to retire shortly after.
. Muñoz played college football at the University of Southern California
. He also played baseball there, pitching for USC’s national championship team in 1977.
National Football League draft
by the Cincinnati Bengals
. His selection was viewed as a major risk by many pundits since knee problems limited the 6 ft. 6 in., 280-pound Muñoz to just a combined eight games in his junior and senior seasons, though he did return for USC's 17-16 Rose Bowl
win over Ohio State
on New Year's Day 1980. However, Muñoz became a starter in his rookie season and remained a fixture at left tackle for the Bengals for 13 seasons and is considered one of, if not the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. Despite his history of injuries, Muñoz missed just three games during his first 12 seasons. His rigorous workout routine included working out in the weight room he had installed in his home and running three to four miles every day.
In addition to his talents as a blocker, Anthony Muñoz was also a capable receiver, notching 7 receptions for 18 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns on tackle-eligible play
s, including one in 1984 from left-handed
rookie quarterback Boomer Esiason
against their upstate rival, the Cleveland Browns
in Cleveland
.
Anthony Muñoz played in Super Bowl
s XVI
and XXIII
, both narrow losses to the San Francisco 49ers
.
Muñoz was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1981
, 1987
, and 1988
was awarded the NFL Players Association Lineman of the Year honors in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 1989. The NFL Alumni Association voted Munoz the Offensive Lineman of the Year four times (1987, 1989–1991). At the time of his retirement, his Pro Bowl selections were tied with Tom Mack for the most ever by an offensive lineman in league history, and also set the Bengals franchise record as well. In 1994
, Muñoz was named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999
, he was ranked #17 on Sporting News list of the 100 greatest football players and was the highest-ranked offensive lineman. In 2010, was ranked #12 on the NFL Network
's The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players
list and again was the highest-ranked offensive lineman.
Borderline
as "Guatemalan" and 1983's
The Right Stuff (an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture
) as "Gonzalez".
From 1994 to 1995, Muñoz served as a color commentator
on Fox Sports
' NFL telecasts.
, Anthony Muñoz was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. He was the first Cincinnati Bengals player to be enshrined. Shortly after receiving the honor, Muñoz's hometown of Ontario
, California
renamed its Colony Park "Anthony Muñoz Hall of Fame Park". The renaming ceremony was held on June 26, 1998, and was attended by Muñoz, his family, city officials, and Ontario residents. The park, incidentally, is the place where Muñoz met his wife DeDe after a pickup softball game during his youth.
In 2002
, the Anthony Muñoz Foundation was created to consolidate Muñoz's charitable activities and encourages area individuals and businesses to "...impact area youth mentally, physically and spiritually".
In 2004
, Muñoz served on a panel to select the year's recipient of the Walter Payton
Award
.
, followed Anthony by playing offensive line. Michael played at Tennessee
where he was an All-American and went undrafted.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
offensive tackle who played most of his career for the National Football League's
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. After missing much of the 1992
1992 in sports
1992 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup* Men's overall season champion: Paul Accola, Switzerland* Women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria-American football:...
season battling knee and shoulder injuries, Muñoz attempted to play a 14th season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, but he was released before the season started and decided to retire shortly after.
Early life and college career
Anthony Muñoz went to Chaffey High SchoolChaffey High School
Chaffey High School is a public secondary school in Ontario, California. It is one of the eleven schools of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. The school rests on approximately , making it one of the largest high schools by area in California....
. Muñoz played college football at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He also played baseball there, pitching for USC’s national championship team in 1977.
NFL career
Muñoz was the third overall pick in the 19801980 in sports
1980 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall season champion: Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein...
National Football League draft
1980 NFL Draft
The 1980 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. His selection was viewed as a major risk by many pundits since knee problems limited the 6 ft. 6 in., 280-pound Muñoz to just a combined eight games in his junior and senior seasons, though he did return for USC's 17-16 Rose Bowl
1980 Rose Bowl
The 1980 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1980. It was the 66th Rose Bowl Game.The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 17-16...
win over Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
on New Year's Day 1980. However, Muñoz became a starter in his rookie season and remained a fixture at left tackle for the Bengals for 13 seasons and is considered one of, if not the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. Despite his history of injuries, Muñoz missed just three games during his first 12 seasons. His rigorous workout routine included working out in the weight room he had installed in his home and running three to four miles every day.
In addition to his talents as a blocker, Anthony Muñoz was also a capable receiver, notching 7 receptions for 18 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns on tackle-eligible play
Tackle-eligible play
In football, the tackle-eligible play is a forward-pass play in which coaches will attempt to create mismatches against a defense by inserting an offensive tackle , into an offensive formation as an eligible receiver, usually as a tight end or as a fullback...
s, including one in 1984 from left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
rookie quarterback Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
against their upstate rival, the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Anthony Muñoz played in Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
and XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
, both narrow losses to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
Muñoz was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1981
1981 in sports
1981 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, USA** Women's overall season champion: Marie-Theres Nadig, Switzerland-American football:...
, 1987
1987 in sports
1987 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland** Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland-American football:...
, and 1988
1988 in sports
1988 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland** Women's overall season champion: Michela Figini, Switzerland-American football:...
was awarded the NFL Players Association Lineman of the Year honors in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 1989. The NFL Alumni Association voted Munoz the Offensive Lineman of the Year four times (1987, 1989–1991). At the time of his retirement, his Pro Bowl selections were tied with Tom Mack for the most ever by an offensive lineman in league history, and also set the Bengals franchise record as well. In 1994
1994 in sports
1994 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* January 29 – death of Ulrike Maier , Austrian skier, who broke her neck when she crashed during a World Cup downhill race at Garmisch-Partenkirchen...
, Muñoz was named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999
1999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
, he was ranked #17 on Sporting News list of the 100 greatest football players and was the highest-ranked offensive lineman. In 2010, was ranked #12 on the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
's The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players
The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players
The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players was a ten-part television series presented by the NFL Network in 2010. The series was based on a list of the top 100 National Football League players of all time, as compiled by a "blue-ribbon" panel assembled by the NFL Network. The members of the panel were...
list and again was the highest-ranked offensive lineman.
Movies and television
Muñoz appeared in two motion pictures: 1980's1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
Borderline
Borderline (1980 film)
Borderline is a 1980 American drama film directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Charles Bronson, Ed Harris and Bruno Kirby.-Plot:The film follows a United States Border Patrol Agent in Charge, Jeb Maynard , who is forced to track down the killers of a young Mexican boy and his colleague and...
as "Guatemalan" and 1983's
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
The Right Stuff (an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
) as "Gonzalez".
From 1994 to 1995, Muñoz served as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
' NFL telecasts.
Honors and later activities
In 19981998 in sports
1998 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany-American football:...
, Anthony Muñoz was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. He was the first Cincinnati Bengals player to be enshrined. Shortly after receiving the honor, Muñoz's hometown of Ontario
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
renamed its Colony Park "Anthony Muñoz Hall of Fame Park". The renaming ceremony was held on June 26, 1998, and was attended by Muñoz, his family, city officials, and Ontario residents. The park, incidentally, is the place where Muñoz met his wife DeDe after a pickup softball game during his youth.
In 2002
2002 in sports
2002 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria-American football:...
, the Anthony Muñoz Foundation was created to consolidate Muñoz's charitable activities and encourages area individuals and businesses to "...impact area youth mentally, physically and spiritually".
In 2004
2004 in sports
2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14...
, Muñoz served on a panel to select the year's recipient of the Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
Award
Walter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
.
Personal Life
Munoz' son, Michael MuñozMichael Muñoz
Michael Anthony Muñoz, Jr. is a former American football offensive lineman. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz. Born in Mason, Ohio, Muñoz attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later University of Tennessee...
, followed Anthony by playing offensive line. Michael played at Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
where he was an All-American and went undrafted.
External links
- The Anthony Muñoz Foundation
- Anthony Muñoz Profile at USC Legends