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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1957-03-17)March 17, 1957 (age 68) Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Pompano Beach (FL) | ||||||||
| College | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1979: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Richard Barry Krauss (born March 17, 1957) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for 12 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL).
Krauss was born and reared inPompano Beach, Florida;[1] he was a star football player atPompano Beach High School from 1972 to 1975.[2] Voted as Sun Sentinel's "All-Time Broward County Linebacker", Voted to the State of Florida's "Top 100 Football All-Star Team", Most Valuable Player of the MENAC Bowl: 1975. Voted as Sun Sentinel's Player of the Year: 1975.
Highly recruited out of high school, he played college football at theUniversity of Alabama for the legendary coachPaul "Bear" Bryant and was a key member ofAlabama's 1978 National Championship football team. At the1979 Sugar Bowl in one of the most famous plays in college football history, Krauss stoppedPenn State running backMike Guman short of the goal line late in the 4th quarter to help the Crimson Tide to theNational Championship.[3] Krauss was selected MVP of the game for his efforts.[1]
Alabama's All-Century Team: 1970's, Atlanta Touchdown Club's Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year: 1976, All-American 1977–78, All-SEC 1977–78, Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player: 1976, Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player: 1979 (only defensive player to win MVP in first 75 years of Sugar Bowl History), Defensive Player of the Week Honor: CBS Broadcast of NCAA/Chevrolet Scholarship Program – LSU vs Alabama: 1978, Birmingham Monday Morning QB Club's Defensive Player of the Year: 1978, Inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: 2007.
Krauss was the first-round draft choice (6th overall pick) in 1979 for theBaltimore Colts.[4] He played ten years in the NFL with the Colts and played his final two seasons with theMiami Dolphins.[3][4] In 12 seasons, he played in 152 games, amassed over 1,000 tackles and had 8 sacks and 6 interceptions.
Today he is a professionalbroadcaster andmotivational speaker based inCarmel, Indiana.[1] In 2007, he was inducted into theAlabama Sports Hall of Fame.[2]