_(cropped).jpg) Armstrong withNebraska in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | (1993-11-08)November 8, 1993 (age 31) Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Cibolo (TX) Steele |
| College: | Nebraska |
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Undrafted: | 2017 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Tommy Armstrong Jr. (born November 8, 1993) is a formerAmerican footballquarterback. He playedcollege football as aquarterback forNebraska and had a successful professional career inindoor American football.
Armstrong was born inGulfport, Mississippi.[1] Due to the effects ofHurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005, Armstrong evacuated toSan Antonio, Texas to live with his younger brother and father.
Armstrong attendedSteele High School inCibolo, Texas, a suburb 15 miles northeast of San Antonio.[2] As a senior, he passed for 1,945 yards with 29touchdowns with twointerceptions and rushed for 1,281 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was a four-star recruit byScout.com.[3] He committed to theUniversity of Nebraska to playcollege football.[4][5]
Armstrong redshirted his first year at Nebraska in 2012. He started his redshirt freshman year in 2013 as the backup toTaylor Martinez. Armstrong would end up starting eight games due to injuries to Martinez.[6] Although he started those games, he mostly split time with Ron Kellogg. For the season, he completed 68 of 131 passes for 966 yards, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 202 yards with two touchdowns.[7] Armstrong started all 13 games as a sophomore in 2014. He completed 184 of 345 passes for 2,695 yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and also rushed for 705 yards with six touchdowns.[8] Armstrong returned as the starter his junior year in 2015. He completed 202 of 402 passes for 3,030 yards, 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 400 yards and seven touchdowns. He returned as the starter for his senior season in 2016, starting 11 of the 13 games and missing two games with injuries. He completed 151 of 294 passes for 2,180 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 604 yards and eight touchdowns.[9]
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | — |  Redshirted | ||||||||||
| 2013 | 9 | 7 | 7–1 | 68 | 131 | 51.9 | 996 | 9 | 8 | 124.3 | 67 | 202 | 3.0 | 2 |
| 2014 | 13 | 13 | 9–4 | 184 | 345 | 53.3 | 2,695 | 22 | 12 | 133.0 | 145 | 705 | 4.9 | 6 |
| 2015 | 12 | 12 | 6–6 | 222 | 402 | 55.2 | 3,030 | 22 | 16 | 128.6 | 98 | 400 | 4.1 | 7 |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 8–3 | 151 | 294 | 51.4 | 2,180 | 14 | 8 | 123.9 | 113 | 512 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Totals | 45 | 43 | 30–13 | 625 | 1,172 | 53.3 | 8,871 | 67 | 44 | 128.3 | 423 | 1,819 | 4.3 | 23 |
As adual-threat quarterback, Armstrong sought to join theNational Football League (NFL) by changing positions. Prior to theNFL Draft, Armstrong converted positions towide receiver. Armstrong was not invited to theNFL Combine and, despite attracting interest during Nebraska's pro day,[10] was not drafted in the2017 NFL draft. Armstrong was subsequently given a tryout with theMinnesota Vikings as arunning back, but was later asked to sign as asafety, a defensive position and one he had not played since high school.[11] Armstrong was not signed by Minnesota following his early May tryout but later signed with the Vikings as a safety on May 30, 2017.[12] He was waived by the Vikings on June 16, 2017.[13]
In May 2018, Armstrong signed withYour Call Football.
On September 9, 2018, Armstrong announced via hisTwitter account that he had signed with theSalt Lake Stallions of theAlliance of American Football for the 2019 season. However, he went unselected in the2019 AAF QB Draft.
On January 2, 2019, it was announced that Armstrong had signed with theNebraska Danger, anIndoor Football League team based in Grand Island, Nebraska.[14] Armstrong's first game was a victory, in which he threw 8 completions on 12 attempts for 158 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 23 yards and another score on three attempts. Armstrong was named the IFL Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in his professional debut.[15][16] Armstrong played in all 14 regular season games for the Danger, leading them to a playoff berth, finishing with a 7–7 record in 5th place. Armstrong completed 150 out of 251 passes, for 1,799 yards and 37 touchdowns against nine interceptions, was the league leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, with 137 attempts for 720 yards and 26 scores (both single season team records), and served as the holder for field goals and extra points.[17] On June 21, 2019, Armstrong led the Danger to a 45-40 playoff win over the Green Bay Blizzard before suffering a 62–45 defeat at the hands of theArizona Rattlers. During the playoffs, Armstrong completed 23 of 35 passes for 189 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions, while also rushing for 63 yards and four more scores. Armstrong was named the Indoor Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2019.[18]
On October 17, 2019, Armstrong signed with the Sioux Falls Storm.
For the 2023 season, Armstrong signed with the Omaha Beef. He would lead the Beef to their second league title in three seasons and their first perfect season in franchise history. On November 10, 2023, Armstrong re-signed with the Beef for their first season in theNational Arena League (NAL).[19] During the2024 NAL season, Armstrong again lead the Beef to an undefeated championship season, being named NAL Player of the Year.[20]
Armstrong announced his retirement from football on August 7, 2024, citing impending surgeries.[21][22]
In 2022, Armstrong became the offensive coordinator atLincoln North Star High School.[23]