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| No. 95 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1965-05-26)May 26, 1965 (age 60) Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 228 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Peach County(Fort Valley, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College | Fort Valley State | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1987: 6th round, 150th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Gregory Lenard Lloyd Sr. (born May 26, 1965) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily with thePittsburgh Steelers. He was named to fivePro Bowls and threeAll-Pro teams.
Lloyd attendedFort Valley State University, where he was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection, a three-time team Defensive MVP, and as a senior, he was the SIAC Player of the Year, and a first-team Sheridan All-American selection. He was also a member ofKappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Lloyd did not receive an invitation to theNFL Scouting Combine, but did play in theHeritage Bowl. Pittsburgh Steelers' scouts viewed a videotape of Lloyd in the historically black college All-Star Game and were impressed by his ability to play sideline-to-sideline as he exhibited a bit of a mean streak. Steelers' scout,Tom Donahoe, flew toAtlanta and drove2+1⁄2 hours toFort Valley State to work out Lloyd and was further impressed.[1]
ThePittsburgh Steelers selected Lloyd in the sixth round (150th overall) of the1987 NFL draft.[2] Lloyd was the 28th linebacker drafted in 1987 by then Steelers coachChuck Noll.
On July 28, 1987, it was reported that Lloyd had suffered a sprained left knee in training camp, which sidelined him for his entire rookie season in1987 and most of the1988 season. He was a starter during the1989 season as an outsidelinebacker and he excelled. He became the emotional and fiery leader of the Steelers defense after the retirement of inside linebackerDavid Little. Lloyd teamed with cornerbackRod Woodson, whom he got drafted with, to give the Steelers two of the most dynamic and dominating defensive players in the game.
Lloyd once again missed the entire1996 season due to another knee injury. He then returned as a starter in the1997 season but missed several games due to a staph infection. He was named to fivePro Bowls and three NFL All-Pro teams during this time. Lloyd left the Steelers in1998 and played for theCarolina Panthers before retiring. A true leader and student of the game, Lloyd continued to impact the Steelers defense while injured from the sideline by teaching young linebackersChad Brown andJason Gildon the finer points of Steelers linebacking tradition.
In 2020, the Steelers inducted him into theirHall of Honor.[3]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 1988 | PIT | 9 | 4 | 33 | – | – | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1989 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 92 | – | – | 7.0 | 3 | 49 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1990 | PIT | 15 | 14 | 62 | – | – | 4.5 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 76 | – | – | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 1992 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 96 | – | – | 6.5 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 1993 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 111 | – | – | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1994 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 87 | 69 | 18 | 10.0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1995 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 116 | 88 | 28 | 6.5 | 3 | 85 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1996 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 52 | 30 | 22 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 1998 | CAR | 16 | 14 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 1.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 147 | 139 | 791 | 237 | 84 | 54.5 | 11 | 189 | 0 | 35 | 16 | |
Lloyd was born in Miami, Florida, and was raised by his mother there until the age of two. In 1967, Lloyd's mother drove him and five of his eight siblings toFort Valley, Georgia, and left them with his Aunt Bertha Mae. He has never met his father and was raised in a two-bedroom apartment along with nine other children. Lloyd grew up in poverty and had two outfits to wear throughout the week. He began playing football at the age of six and played fullback and linebacker in high school.[1]
Lloyd has a black belt inTae Kwon Do, which he currently teaches.[4] He is also well known for using an expletive in a nationally televised interview withNBC'sJim Gray after Pittsburgh defeated theIndianapolis Colts in the1995 AFC Championship.
Lloyd's sonGreg Lloyd Jr. was a linebacker for theUniversity of Connecticut football team, and wore #95 like his father.[5]