Bruce Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Bruce Charles Armstrong (born September 7, 1965) is a former offensive tackle in the National Football League
from 1987 to 2000, playing all fourteen seasons with the New England Patriots
. He was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) in the 1987 draft out of University of Louisville
, where he was a four-year varisity athlete and was named the "Most Outstanding Lineman" following his senior season. http://uoflsports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/armstrong_bruce00.html He was elected to play in six Pro Bowl
s, in 1990
, 1991
, 1994
, 1995
, 1996
, 1997
. The only offensive linemen to play in more Pro Bowls as a Patriot are Hall-of-Famer
John Hannah and Jon Morris
. Armstrong is one of only 11 Patriots to have been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and one of only seven players to have his number retired. Of 220 possible non-strike games, Armstrong started in 212 (including the last 118 of his career consecutively), making him the single player with the most starts of any Patriot. The only games he missed were in the second half of the 1992, after tearing the medial collateral ligament
and both his anterior
and posterior cruciate ligament
s in his right knee against the Buffalo Bills
in November of that year. Though it was feared that the injury would be a career-ending one, Armstrong rebounded and was back the next season. Armstrong and his wife, Melinda Yvette Armstrong, recently bought and now operates a salon in Alpharetta, Georgia
, they have two children —: Candace Lynne (4/12/84) and Nicholas Charles (5/8/95).
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...
from 1987 to 2000, playing all fourteen seasons with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) in the 1987 draft out of University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, where he was a four-year varisity athlete and was named the "Most Outstanding Lineman" following his senior season. http://uoflsports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/armstrong_bruce00.html He was elected to play in six Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
s, in 1990
1990 Pro Bowl
The 1990 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 4, 1990 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was NFC 27, AFC 21. There were 50,445 people in attendance. Jerry Gray of the Los Angeles Rams was the game's MVP. The referee was Johnny Grier....
, 1991
1991 Pro Bowl
The 1991 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 3, 1991 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 23, NFC 21. There were 50,345 people in attendance. Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP. The referee was Gordon McCarter....
, 1994
1994 Pro Bowl
The 1994 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 6, 1994 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was NFC 17, AFC 3. Andre Rison of the Atlanta Falcons was the game's MVP...
, 1995
1995 Pro Bowl
The 1995 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 5, 1995, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 41, NFC 13. Marshall Faulk of the Indianapolis Colts was the game's MVP. The coaches were Dallas’ Barry Switzer and Bill Cowher of the Steelers. The game was viewed by 49,121 at...
, 1996
1996 Pro Bowl
The 1996 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 4, 1996 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was NFC 20, AFC 13. Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers was the game's MVP after he had 2 clutch catches, including the final one which won the game. He finished with six catches for 82...
, 1997
1997 Pro Bowl
The 1997 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 1997 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was AFC 26, NFC 23. Mark Brunell of the Jacksonville Jaguars was the game's MVP. In the game, Brunell threw for 236 yards...
. The only offensive linemen to play in more Pro Bowls as a Patriot are Hall-of-Famer
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...
John Hannah and Jon Morris
Jon Morris
Jon Morris is a former American college and professional football player. At Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. After Gonzaga he played center and linebacker for three seasons at the College of the Holy Cross...
. Armstrong is one of only 11 Patriots to have been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and one of only seven players to have his number retired. Of 220 possible non-strike games, Armstrong started in 212 (including the last 118 of his career consecutively), making him the single player with the most starts of any Patriot. The only games he missed were in the second half of the 1992, after tearing the medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
and both his anterior
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and posterior cruciate ligament
Posterior cruciate ligament
The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...
s in his right knee against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in November of that year. Though it was feared that the injury would be a career-ending one, Armstrong rebounded and was back the next season. Armstrong and his wife, Melinda Yvette Armstrong, recently bought and now operates a salon in Alpharetta, Georgia
Alpharetta, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,854 people, 13,911 households, and 8,916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.6 people per square mile . There were 14,670 housing units at an average density of 686.7 per square mile...
, they have two children —: Candace Lynne (4/12/84) and Nicholas Charles (5/8/95).