Bryce Paup Explained

Current Team:Northern Iowa Panthers
Position:Assistant head coach & defensive line coach
Birth Date:29 February 1968
Birth Place:Jefferson, Iowa, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:250
Draftyear:1990
Draftround:6
Draftpick:159
High School:Scranton (Scranton, Iowa)
College:Northern Iowa
Teams:
Pastcoaching:
Statlabel1:Tackles
Statvalue1:545
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:75.0
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statvalue3:15
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue4:6
Statlabel5:Interceptions
Statvalue5:6
Highlights:

Bryce Eric Paup (born February 29, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings.

Early life

Paup grew up on a farm in Scranton, Iowa, where he played football at Scranton High School.

He played collegiately at the University of Northern Iowa, and was selected by the Packers in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL draft.[1]

Professional career

In the first game of the 1991 season, Paup was involved in a tackle that sidelined Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, ending Cunningham's season. The tackle was below the waist and right at Cunningham's knee which ruined Cunningham's 1991 season. His aggressive physical style led Packers fans to refer to his tackle as “Paup Smear”.

In 1995, his first season with the Buffalo Bills, Paup was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total of the 1990s.[2] Paup has been considered one of the top 50 players in Bills history.[3] NFL Total Access listed him as one of the Top 10 free agents of all time.[4]

Paup was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

NFL career statistics

Legend
NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD FF FR
GB5 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
GB12 1 28 7.5 0 0 0 3 0
GB16 10 43 6.5 0 0 0 1 2
GB15 14 74 11.0 1 8 0 2 0
GB16 16 79 47 32 7.5 3 47 1 2 2
BUF16 16 89 70 19 17.5 2 0 0 3 1
BUF12 11 48 38 10 6.0 0 0 0 2 0
BUF16 16 78 58 20 9.5 0 0 0 2 1
JAX16 16 68 55 13 6.5 0 0 0 0 0
JAX15 14 30 24 6 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
MIN10 0 7 6 1 2.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 148 113 545 298 101 75.0 6 55 1 15 6

Coaching career

On March 19, 2007, Paup was introduced as the head football coach at Green Bay Southwest High School.[5] He compiled a 22–14 regular season record in his first four seasons, and in 2009 secured the second playoff victory in school history. Prior to accepting the job, he was an assistant volunteer football coach for the De Pere High School Redbirds of De Pere, Wisconsin for three years, working primarily with the linemen and linebackers.

On March 5, 2013, Paup resigned from Green Bay Southwest and began his first season as the defensive line coach at the University of Northern Iowa.[6]

January 14, 2017, Paup was named University of Minnesota's defensive line coach. After one season with the Gophers, Paup left the Minnesota coaching staff, reportedly to pursue a coaching opportunity in the NFL.[7]

In August 2018, he returned to the University of Northern Iowa defensive line coach.[8]

Personal life

Paup lives in Cedar Falls, IA, with his wife Denise. They have six children: Alex, Nathan, Rachel, Hailey, and twins Paige and Lauren.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1990 NFL Draft Listing . 2023-05-26 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  2. Web site: Player Season Finder Query Results - Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. Web site: Jun . Kurupt . Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 42: LB Bryce Paup . Buffalo Rumblings . June 11, 2009 . April 18, 2017.
  4. News: Video: Top 10 free agents all-time. NFL Total Access.
  5. Web site: High school sports in Northeastern Wisconsin: Bryce Paup named coach of the week by former employer | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette . www.greenbaypressgazette.com . 26 January 2022 . https://archive.today/20120731180413/http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/10/bryce-paup-named-coach-of-week-by.html . 31 July 2012 . dead.
  6. Web site: Bryce Paup reportedly coming back to UNI to coach. wcfcourier.com. March 5, 2013. March 28, 2015.
  7. Web site: West in, Paup reportedly out as Gophers football coaching changes continue. Star Tribune. February 7, 2018 . March 31, 2018.
  8. Web site: UNI football: Relationships, expertise driving force in Bryce Paup's return to Panthers. .
  9. Web site: Bryce Paup Bio . unipanthers.com . May 7, 2013 . March 26, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120301/http://www.unipanthers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=207574262 . April 2, 2015 .