David Lofton
Encyclopedia
David Lofton is an American football
safety who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
at Stanford
.
Lofton has also been a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
, Toronto Argonauts
and New York Sentinels. He is the son of former NFL wide receiver
and Hall of Famer
James Lofton
.
. He was named one of the top prep players in the state of Texas during his senior year at Plano West Senior High School
.
as an Urban Studies academic major
and was a National Achievement Scholar finalist and National Merit Scholarship Program
semifinalist.
He began play for the Stanford Cardinal football
team in 2002 as a true freshman quarterback
and did not play. In the spring of 2003, he converted to the wide receiver
position but saw limited playing time though he did catch two balls for 10 yards in the season finale.
In 2004, he changed positions again, this time to the safety position, where he saw time as a reserve free safety and special teams player.
Lofton played in all 11 games of the 2005 Cardinals season including five weeks as the starting free safety, finishing the year with 35 total tackles and one tackle-for-loss. He started six games and played the first seven of the 2006 season before suffering a season-ending injury that caused him to miss the final five games. He finished the year seventh on the team with 47 total tackles.
and signed as a undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins
on May 27, 2007, attended training camp
, and was released on July 29.
of the Canadian Football League
as a free agent on September 12 and dressed for four games (four starts) of the 2007 CFL season
making 17 defensive tackles, 1 special teams tackle, and 1 quarterback sack
. He was released following the season.
signed Lofton as a free agent on September 23 of the 2008 Toronto Argonauts season
and placed him on the practice squad for week 13 before deferring his contract on September 29. He was re-signed on March 25, 2009. He was released on May 12, 2009.
in 2009. He signed with the team on August 27.
wide receiver
James Lofton
. James Lofton coached five seasons in San Diego with then-offensive coordinator Cam Cameron
, who originally signed David Lofton out of college in 2007. The elder Lofton also attended Stanford, from 1974 to 1977. David Lofton gave his father's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 2003.
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...
safety who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He 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...
at Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
.
Lofton has also been a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
, Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and New York Sentinels. He is the son of former NFL wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and 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...
James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
.
Early years
Lofton was born in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. He was named one of the top prep players in the state of Texas during his senior year at Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...
.
College career
Lofton attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
as an Urban Studies academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
and was a National Achievement Scholar finalist and National Merit Scholarship Program
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
semifinalist.
He began play for the Stanford Cardinal football
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
team in 2002 as a true freshman quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and did not play. In the spring of 2003, he converted to the wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
position but saw limited playing time though he did catch two balls for 10 yards in the season finale.
In 2004, he changed positions again, this time to the safety position, where he saw time as a reserve free safety and special teams player.
Lofton played in all 11 games of the 2005 Cardinals season including five weeks as the starting free safety, finishing the year with 35 total tackles and one tackle-for-loss. He started six games and played the first seven of the 2006 season before suffering a season-ending injury that caused him to miss the final five games. He finished the year seventh on the team with 47 total tackles.
Miami Dolphins
Lofton went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
and signed as a undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on May 27, 2007, attended training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
, and was released on July 29.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Lofton then signed with the Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
as a free agent on September 12 and dressed for four games (four starts) of the 2007 CFL season
2007 CFL season
The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 50th season of the league, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on...
making 17 defensive tackles, 1 special teams tackle, and 1 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...
. He was released following the season.
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto ArgonautsToronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
signed Lofton as a free agent on September 23 of the 2008 Toronto Argonauts season
2008 Toronto Argonauts season
The 2008 Toronto Argonauts season was the 51st season for the team in the Canadian Football League and 136th season overall. The Argonauts attempted to win their 16th Grey Cup, but they failed to make the playoffs ending the season on a nine game losing streak....
and placed him on the practice squad for week 13 before deferring his contract on September 29. He was re-signed on March 25, 2009. He was released on May 12, 2009.
New York Sentinels
Lofton was drafted by the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in the UFL Premiere Season DraftUFL Premiere Season Draft
The UFL "Premiere" Season Draft was the inaugural draft of the United Football League. The results of the draft were announced via press release on June 19, 2009....
in 2009. He signed with the team on August 27.
Personal
Lofton is the son of former NFL Hall of FamePro 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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
. James Lofton coached five seasons in San Diego with then-offensive coordinator Cam Cameron
Cam Cameron
-External links:...
, who originally signed David Lofton out of college in 2007. The elder Lofton also attended Stanford, from 1974 to 1977. David Lofton gave his father's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 2003.