| No. 44 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-02-20)February 20, 1969 (age 56) El Cajon, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Granite Hills(El Cajon) | ||||||||||||
| College | Stanford | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1992: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Thomas Arthur "Touchdown Tommy" Vardell (born February 20, 1969) is an American former professionalfootball player who was afullback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theStanford Cardinal and was selected by theCleveland Browns in the first round of the1992 NFL draft with the ninth overall pick.
Vardell was a star running back for theStanford Cardinal. In 1990, he was given the nickname "Touchdown Tommy" by thenStanfordhead coachDenny Green after scoring four touchdowns (all from the one yard line) againstNotre Dame.
For theCardinal, Vardell rushed for 1,843 yards, scored 37 touchdowns, and never recorded a fumble in his college career. He ranks second in Stanford football history for most rushing touchdowns in a season and third for career rushing touchdowns.[1] Vardell held the record for most rushing yards in a season by a Cardinal running back, with 1084 yards in 1991. His record was broken byToby Gerhart in 2008 and subsequentlyChristian McCaffrey in 2015.[2][1]
In 1990 as a junior, he carried the ball just 120 times for 441 yards but scored an impressive 14 touchdowns (one touchdown every nine carries). As a senior, he would carry the ball 226 times for 1,084 yards and score 22 touchdowns in only 11 games.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) | 238 lb (108 kg) | 31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
Vardell's performance for Stanford in 1991 resulted in him being one of the top draft picks in1992 NFL draft. He was selected by theCleveland Browns under then-head coachBill Belichick in the first round with the ninth overall pick.[3]
In his first two years with the Browns, Vardell rushed for 1,013 yards on 270 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. He would only play 10 games combined due to injuries in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. He signed as a free agent with theSan Francisco 49ers in 1996, moved on to theDetroit Lions in 1997 and 1998, and then finished his career back with the 49ers in 1999.
In his professional career, Vardell played in eight NFL seasons as the fullback for the Browns, Lions, and 49ers. He overcame a career threatening knee injury early in his career and retired in 1999 with 22 touchdowns.[4]
He was thestarting fullback whenBarry Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards in the 1997–1998 NFL season.
Rushing Stats[5]
| Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | CLE | 14 | 99 | 369 | 3.7 | 35 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | CLE | 16 | 171 | 644 | 3.8 | 54 | 3 | 37 | 2 | 1 |
| 1994 | CLE | 5 | 15 | 48 | 3.2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CLE | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | SF | 11 | 58 | 192 | 3.3 | 17 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | DET | 16 | 32 | 122 | 3.8 | 41 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1998 | DET | 14 | 18 | 37 | 2.1 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | SF | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 87 | 403 | 1,427 | 3.5 | 54 | 18 | 92 | 4 | 3 |
Receiving Stats[5]
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | CLE | 14 | 13 | 128 | 9.8 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | CLE | 16 | 19 | 151 | 7.9 | 28 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | CLE | 5 | 16 | 137 | 8.6 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CLE | 5 | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | SF | 11 | 28 | 179 | 6.4 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | DET | 16 | 16 | 218 | 13.6 | 37 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | DET | 14 | 14 | 143 | 10.2 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | SF | 6 | 7 | 36 | 5.1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 87 | 119 | 1,010 | 8.5 | 37 | 3 | 46 | 1 | 1 |
In 2000, upon retiring from football, Vardell and former teammates,Brent Jones, andMark Harris co-foundedNorthgate Capital, aventure capital andprivate equity investment firm with approximately $4.9 billion ofassets under management and offices inSan Francisco,Danville,Mexico City andLondon, and served as its managing director and founding partner.[6][7] He sold a majority stake in Northgate to Indian financial services companyReligare Enterprises in 2010 and continued to manage the firm as a partner. In 2016, after Religare and Northgate's management team sold 100% ownership of the firm to The Capital Partnership, an investment advisor with offices in London and Dubai, he became an advisor.[8][9]
Vardell is married to Andrea Marie Cummings, with whom he has two children, Colton and Grace. They reside in theBay Area.[10]
Vardell was a member of theSigma Nu fraternity at Stanford. In 1991 he was named Sigma Nu National Athlete of the Year.