Rocky Ayres Calmus (born August 1, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the early 2000s. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, earned consensus All-American honors twice, and was recognized as the nation's top college linebacker. The Tennessee Titans selected him in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft.
Early life
Calmus was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is one of several high school football players to reach the professional ranks from the highly successful football program at Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma. There, he was a star linebacker and running back on a team ranked third in nation and helped start a run to six consecutive Oklahoma Class 6A state championships.
College career
While attending the University of Oklahoma, Calmus played for coach John Blake and
Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 1998 to 2001. He was a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection (1999, 2000, 2001), and a two-time consensus first-team All-American (2000, 2001).
[ 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 24, 2012.] Calmus was recognized as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior, and won the
Butkus Award as the nation's premier college linebacker following his senior season in 2001. Calmus was a key defensive starter on the 2000 Sooners team that defeated the Florida State Seminoles 13–2 in the Orange Bowl to win the BCS National Championship.
Professional career
The Tennessee Titans selected Calmus in the third round (77th overall pick) of the 2002 NFL draft, and he played for the Titans from to .
Signed by the Indianapolis Colts for the season, he appeared in no regular season games for the team. Hampered by injuries throughout his professional career, he retired after the 2005 season.
As of 2010 he owned a landscaping business in Franklin, Tennessee.
[John E. Hoover, "OU's 2000 title teams reunites", Tulsa World, September 4, 2010.][ "Main Event: A decade later, OU's 2000 national champions take a bow", The Oklahoman, September 5, 2010.]
Personal
His uncle,
Dick Calmus, was a
baseball pitcher who was signed as a
bonus baby and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and
Chicago Cubs in the 1960s.
[Austin Murphy, "Big 12 battle: Oklahoma anticipating showdown with Nebraska", Sports Illustrated, October 20, 2000.]
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