Clifford Charlton
Encyclopedia
Clifford Tyrone Charlton (born February 16, 1965) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a linebacker
in the National Football League
(NFL) for two seasons in the late 1980s. Charlton played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns
of the NFL.
in 1965. He attended Leon High School
in Tallahassee, where he was a standout high school football
player for the Leon Lions.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, and played linebacker for coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
team from 1984 to 1987. He was a member of the Gators' best-in-the-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) football teams that posted identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records in 1984 and 1985. He was also a first-team All-SEC selection in 1986 and 1987, and a first-team All-American and team captain
in 1987. Charlton's fifteen forced fumbles, forty-nine career tackle
s for a loss and twenty-five quarterback sack
s still rank first, fifth and fourth, respectively, on the Gators' all-time career records lists.
Charlton graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in psychology
in 1988.
with the twenty-first overall pick, and he played in thirty-one games for the Browns during the and seasons. As a first round pick, the Browns had high expectations for Charlton. However, he suffered a severe knee injury that tore the MCL
and ACL
ligaments of his knee and prematurely ended his professional career.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the National Football League
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...
(NFL) for two seasons in the late 1980s. Charlton played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for 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...
of the NFL.
Early years
Charlton was born in Tallahassee, FloridaTallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
in 1965. He attended Leon High School
Leon High School
Leon High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math...
in Tallahassee, where he was a standout high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player for the Leon Lions.
College career
Charlton received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, and played linebacker for coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1984 to 1987. He was a member of the Gators' best-in-the-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) football teams that posted identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records in 1984 and 1985. He was also a first-team All-SEC selection in 1986 and 1987, and a first-team All-American and team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in 1987. Charlton's fifteen forced fumbles, forty-nine career tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s for a loss and twenty-five quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s still rank first, fifth and fourth, respectively, on the Gators' all-time career records lists.
Charlton graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
in 1988.
Professional career
Charlton was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 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 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
with the twenty-first overall pick, and he played in thirty-one games for the Browns during the and seasons. As a first round pick, the Browns had high expectations for Charlton. However, he suffered a severe knee injury that tore the MCL
MCL
- Medicine :* Mantle cell lymphoma* Mast cell leukemia* Maximum comfortable levels of auditory stimuli* Medial collateral ligament* Medical Center Leeuwarden* Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans* Midclavicular line* Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis...
and ACL
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...
ligaments of his knee and prematurely ended his professional career.
See also
- 1987 College Football All-America Team1987 College Football All-America TeamThe 1987 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- History of the Cleveland BrownsHistory of the Cleveland BrownsThis article details the history of the Cleveland Browns American Football Club.-1946–1949: The AAFC years:The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1944 by owner Arthur 'Mickey' McBride and head coach Paul Brown and started play in 1946...
- List of Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni