Clemson Has 19 On NFL Opening Day Rosters

Sept. 10, 1999

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson has 19 former players on NFL opening day rosters heading into the first week of the regular season (September 12). The list includes two players off of last year’s team, Rahim Abdullah and Antwan Edwards. A third player, O.J. Childress, is on the practice squad for the New York Giants.

The list below does not include three players on various injured lists. Raymond Priester is on injured reserve with the New York Giants, Jason Gamble is on injured reserve with the Tennessee Titans, and Adrian Dingle is on the injured list with the San Diego Chargers.

Terry Allen, one of the top running backs in the league in the 1990s, is in his 10th NFL season and he has the most NFL experience among former Clemson players in the NFL.

The new Cleveland Browns have the most former Tigers with three. Rahim Abdullah, Jim Bundren and Chris Gardocki are all on the Browns roster. That team has former Clemson wide receiver Dwight Clark as its general manager, while former Clemson All-America wide receiver Jerry Butler is the team’s wide receivers coach.

Seventeen of the former players are defensive players, an example of Clemson’s defensive prowess in recent years. The list includes six linebackers, Levon Kirkland, Ed McDaniel, Rahim Abdullah, Anthony Simmons, Patrick Sapp and Mike Barber. O.J. Childress is a seventh former linebacker, Childress is on the practice squad for the Giants.

Tigers in the National Football League

Name                Pos   NFL Team           YrsRahim Abdullah      OLB Cleveland Browns      RTerry Allen         RB  New England Patriots  9Mike Barber         LB  Indianapolis Colts    4Lorenzo Bromell     DE  Miami Dolphins        1Brentson Buckner    DE  San Francisco 49ers   5Jim Bundren         C   Cleveland Browns      1#O.J. Childress     LB  New York Giants       RBrian Dawkins       DB  Philadelphia Eagles   3$Adrian Dingle      DE  San Diego Chargers    RAntwan Edwards      CB  Green Bay Packers     RLeomont Evans       DB  Washington Redskins   3$Jason Gamble       C   Tennessee Titans      RChris Gardocki      P   Cleveland Browns      8Tony Horne          WR  St. Louis Rams        1Levon Kirkland      LB  Pittsburgh Steelers   7Dexter McCleon      DB  St. Louis Rams        2Ed McDaniel         LB  Minnesota Vikings     7Chester McGlockton  DT  Kansas City Chiefs    7  $Raymond Priester   RB  New York Giants       1Trevor Pryce        DT  Denver Broncos        2Patrick Sapp        LB  Arizona Cardinals     3Anthony Simmons     LB  Seattle Seahawks      1James Trapp         SS  Baltimore Ravens      6

#Practice Squad.$ injured reserve.