Godfrey Myles
Encyclopedia
Godfrey Clarence Myles was an American college and professional football
player who played linebacker
in National Football League
(NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. Myles played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys
of the NFL, winning three Super Bowl
championships with the Cowboys.
in 1968. He attended Miami Carol City High School
in Miami Gardens, and played high school football
for the Carol City Chiefs.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Galen Hall
and coach Steve Spurrier
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1987 to 1990. He was a team captain
and a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection at safety in his senior season in 1990, after being a Sporting News honorable mention All-American at linebacker as a junior in 1989.
, and he played for coach Jimmy Johnson
and coach Barry Switzer
's Cowboys from to . He was mainly used as a backup linebacker and special teams player. During his six-season NFL career with the Cowboys, the team won three Super Bowls (XXVII
, XXVIII
, XXX
), and Myles recorded 135 tackles and two interceptions. Myles started in eleven games during the season, but injured his anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) during Super Bowl XXX. He returned to the Cowboys for his final season in , but his playing time was reduced and he never started again.
Myles signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent
in April 1997, but they waived him on August 20, 1997, before the start of the 1997 regular season.
, and expired when his family decided to remove life support after he had been declared brain dead on June 9, 2011.
Myles died in the early morning of June 10, 2011; he was 42 years old.
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 played 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 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 six seasons during the 1990s. Myles 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 Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the NFL, winning three 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...
championships with the Cowboys.
Early years
Myles was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in 1968. He attended Miami Carol City High School
Miami Carol City High School
Miami Carol City Senior High School is a secondary school located at 3422 N.W. 187th Streetin Miami Gardens, Florida, United States; its principal is Nelson Izquierdo. The school is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. The school serves students from area of Miami...
in Miami Gardens, and played 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....
for the Carol City Chiefs.
College career
Myles 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...
, where he played 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...
and coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
'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...
teams from 1987 to 1990. He was a 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...
and a first-team All-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) selection at safety in his senior season in 1990, after being a Sporting News honorable mention All-American at linebacker as a junior in 1989.
Professional career
The Dallas Cowboys selected Myles in the third round (sixty-second pick overall) in the 1991 NFL Draft1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 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 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
, and he played for coach Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
and coach Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
's Cowboys from to . He was mainly used as a backup linebacker and special teams player. During his six-season NFL career with the Cowboys, the team won three Super Bowls (XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
, XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football...
, XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
), and Myles recorded 135 tackles and two interceptions. Myles started in eleven games during the season, but injured his anterior cruciate ligament
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...
(ACL) during Super Bowl XXX. He returned to the Cowboys for his final season in , but his playing time was reduced and he never started again.
Myles signed with the Denver Broncos as 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....
in April 1997, but they waived him on August 20, 1997, before the start of the 1997 regular season.
Death
It was initially reported that Myles suffered a massive heart attack on June 8, 2011, and that he died in Miami. It was subsequently reported that Myles had, in fact, suffered a massive strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, and expired when his family decided to remove life support after he had been declared brain dead on June 9, 2011.
Myles died in the early morning of June 10, 2011; he was 42 years old.
See also
- 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
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Dallas Cowboys players
- List of Florida Gators football players