| No. 51 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1951-11-03)November 3, 1951 (age 74) Dinuba, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Del Mar(San Jose, California) | ||||||||
| College | California | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1973: 8th round, 192nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Loren James Toews (born November 3, 1951) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCalifornia Golden Bears.
Toews graduated fromDel Mar High School inSan Jose, California[1][2] and later theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he received his degree in biological sciences. In 1972, Toews was named the "most inspirational player" for theGolden Bears and given the Stub Allison Award,[3] named after California football coachLeonard B. "Stub" Allison.
That following year, in 1973 Toews was selected in the eighth round by thePittsburgh Steelers where he played as alinebacker for 11 seasons.[4] While playing for the Steelers, Toews attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Business and obtained hisMBA degree in 1981.
Toews was a four-timeSuper Bowl champion,[5] and starter inSuper Bowl XIII. InSuper Bowl IX he replaced an injuredAndy Russell for most of the second half, filling in admirably.[6] Toews moved to left inside linebacker in 1982 when the Steelers switched to the3–4 defense, while incumbent middle linebackerJack Lambert moved to right inside linebacker and retained the "Mike" role as the Steelers signal-caller on defense.
Toews retired from professional football at spring camp in 1984 having played in 57 consecutive games up to the last game of the previous season.[5]
Toews has a wife, Valerie and is also the father of three children: Aaron, Jocelyn and Cassandra. Aaron was a defenseman on theNortheastern University hockey team from 1996 to 1998.[7] Jocelyn owns an independent record label calledLujo Records.
Toews lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he and his younger brotherJeff (who also played in the NFL as an offensive lineman) buy and sell real estate.[8]