| No. 54, 53 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1954-03-20)March 20, 1954 (age 70) Borger, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Bellevue (Nebraska) | ||||||
| College: | Nebraska | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976:3rd round, 84th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Richard Kyes "Rik"Bonness (born March 20, 1954) is an American former professionalfootball player who waslinebacker for four seasons in theNational Football League (NFL) with theOakland Raiders andTampa Bay Buccaneers. He playedcollege football as acenter for theNebraska Cornhuskers, earning consensusAll-American honors in 1975.
Born inBorger, Texas, Bonness played high school football atBellevue High School inBellevue, Nebraska, a suburb south ofOmaha. He graduated in 1972 and then received a scholarship to theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln inLincoln, thetwo-time defendingnational champions under head coachBob Devaney. Bonness and played center for the Conrnhuskers on the offensive line under new head coachTom Osborne.
Following his senior season in1975, Bonness was a consensus first-teamAll-American, having received first-team honors fromAssociated Press (AP),United Press International (UPI),Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF),American Football Coaches Association (AFCA),Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), andFootball News.[1]
TheOakland Raiders chose Bonness in thethird round of the1976 NFL draft (84th overall). He played linebacker as a pro and appeared in 59 games across four seasons for the Raiders (1976),Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1977–1979) andNew York Giants (1980). He saw no regular season action in 1980.[2]
During his rookie season, the Raiders wonSuper Bowl XI in January 1977.