He would serve as a backup guard and later be placed on injured reserve. Newton would leave Dallas in 1999 and go on to play for the Carolina Panthers. He was one of the teams major factors that helped Emmitt Smith obliterate the all-time rushing record, with Smith himself acknowledging how important Newton was to his success. During the Cowboys golden era in the 1990’s the league considered Nate Newton among the NFL’s premier guards and he held that regard for an entire decade with John Madden highlighting Newton virtually every chance he could. Newton’s rivalry with NFL defensive legend Reggie White would be some of the most memorable moments during his career. He would make consecutive Pro Bowls in the 90’s with a total of six appearances, only Larry Allen would have more with 10. Newton was one of the key figures on the offensive line that would later be nicknamed “The Great Wall of Dallas”. Newton moved to left guard and suddenly the offensive line was set to make history. Newton’s time in Dallas was very nearly cut short when he put on too much weight and lost to Jimmy Johnson in a foot race.įor the next few seasons Newton would play right tackle for the Cowboys until the arrival of Erik Williams. As soon as he joined the team he was given the nickname “The Kitchen” referencing the fact he was bigger than William “The Fridge” Perry. In 1986 the USFL became insolvent and Newton found himself on the market it was here he would begin his journey with the Dallas Cowboys. He would later return to Tampa Bay and play there for two seasons as one of the teams starting tackles. In 1994 he was inducted in Florida A&M’s Sports Hall of Fame.Īt first Newton went to go play in the USFL for Tampa Bay, but signed as a UDFA for Washington in 1983. He would earn All-Mid Eastern Athletic Conference honors while playing right tackle. He made the transition to being a full-time offensive lineman during his junior year and completely owned the position. He started playing major reps for the Rattlers during his sophomore season and became a two-way player by taking snaps as both a defensive and offensive lineman. He played fullback but grew to big for the position and had to be moved to the defensive line. Nate Newton had plenty of offers from high profile colleges, but when the time came for him to decide he chose to stay local and enroll at Florida A&M. : #NFL100 Greatest Characters on /eJv7jfBTRJ- NFL October 12, 2019 He said it was his daily battles and workouts with Haley that made him a five-time Pro Bowler.“He was one of the great guys in the locker room." Newton also said the mental part of the game separates the greats from average players. Newton considered himself average until Charles Haley invited him to work after practice to improve his game and stamina. “What Deion has is the ability to give you the experience of what the next level will be like if you have the talent,” Newton said. He said that is the advantage Deion Sanders has in preparing his Jackson State players. Newton said it was not that he did not have the aptitude to learn the playbook as fast as players at Power Five schools, but he simply did not have the experiences of seeing more complex offenses and defenses. “But what I did have was a competitive spirit.” “At Florida A&M we didn’t run multiple offenses and defenses like they do in the pros,” he said. Newton described his development at Florida A&M and how he became an All-Pro NFL Guard. “They’re not only fighting for scholarships from their high school peers, but from college transfers as well,” he said. Newton said grades are now more important than ever. Now, with the transfer portal, you will lose anywhere from 12-15 scholarships from guys moving around every year, that’s only leaving 10-12 scholarships for high school students each year.” “Each college used to average 25 scholarships to just high school students every year. “Kids have to be more dedicated than ever,” he said. Newton also offered his thoughts on the current dynamics of the transfer portal.
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