.jpg) Baumhower playing for the Dolphins in 1979 | |||||||||||
| No. 73 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1955-08-04)August 4, 1955 (age 70) Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 261 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Palm Beach Gardens(Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) | ||||||||||
| College | Alabama | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1977: 2nd round, 40th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Robert Glenn Baumhower (born August 4, 1955) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle for theMiami Dolphins in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theAlabama Crimson Tide under coachBear Bryant from 1973 to 1976 and professionally for Miami under coachDon Shula. He later became a restaurateur.
Baumhower attended North Palm Beach Gardens High School in Florida for two seasons before playing at Tuscaloosa High School his senior year.[3]
Playing as a defensive tackle in college at theUniversity of Alabama under coachBear Bryant, Baumhower helped lead theCrimson Tide to two 11–1 records as well as a 31–4 overall record. He was part of the1974 team which lost toNotre Dame in theOrange Bowl,[4] the1975 team which defeatedPenn State in theSugar Bowl,[5] and the1976 team which won theLiberty Bowl overUCLA.[6] Baumhower was a first-teamAll-Southeastern Conference selection in both 1975 and 1976.[7][8] After the 1976 season, he was invited to play in theSenior Bowl college all-star game.[9]
Baumhower was drafted by the Dolphins with the 40th overall pick (second round) in the 1977NFL draft, behind the first round pick, another defensive lineman from theSoutheastern Conference,A. J. Duhe ofLSU; earning a spot on the 1977 All-Rookie team. Baumhower and Duhe would share the 1977 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.[10] He was selected five times to thePro Bowl in the NFL.
Baumhower and Duhe, who eventually was moved to inside linebacker, formed the heart of the Dolphins' "Killer B's"[11] defense of the late 1970s through mid-1980s, coached by defensive coordinatorBill Arnsparger. Baumhower was flanked on the line by endsDoug Betters andKim Bokamper, while other stars of the unit included outside linebackerBob Brudzinski and defensive backsLyle Blackwood andGlenn Blackwood. The unit was ranked first in the NFL in total defense in 1982, when Miami reachedSuper Bowl XVII.
The 1983 season may have been Baumhower's best as he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (Pro Football Weekly), first-team All-Pro (Associated Press), first-team All-AFC (United Press International) and a starter in the Pro Bowl game. He was a first-team All-NFL selection in 1981 and 1983 and first-team All-AFC in 1979, 1981 and 1983.
Baumhower would retire after the 1986 season. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[12]
On December 14, 2008, Baumhower was inducted intoThe Miami Dolphin Honor Roll during a ceremony atDolphin Stadium (nowHard Rock Stadium).
| Year | Age | Team | Position | No. | Games | Started | INTs | FF | Fmb | FR | Def. Yds | Def. TD | Sk | AV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 22 | MIA | NT | 73 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1978 | 23 | MIA | NT | 73 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 1979 | 24 | MIA | NT | 73 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 1980 | 25 | MIA | NT | 73 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1981 | 26 | MIA | NT | 73 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 1982 | 27 | MIA | NT | 73 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 15 |
| 1983 | 28 | MIA | NT | 73 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 18 |
| 1984 | 29 | MIA | NT | 73 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 2.0 | 13 |
| 1986 | 31 | MIA | NT | 73 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Career | 130 | 129 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 60 | 2 | 14.5 | 96 |
Baumhower is also the owner and CEO of Aloha Hospitality, which owns and operates restaurants throughoutAlabama including the fine dining establishment Dauphin's inMobile[14] as well as his namesake Baumhower's Victory Grille.[15][16]
