Don Pumphrey, Jr. is a Tallahassee, Florida-based criminal defense attorney, former state prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and former NFL player.[1] [2]
Pumphrey was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida in 1963. He attended Lincoln High School and graduated in 1982. He proceeded to enroll at Valdosta State University to pursue a degree in Business Administration, where he also played football.
After a standout career playing left tackle for Valdosta State University, Pumphrey was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bandits in the third round of the 1986 USFL draft.[3]
After the USFL suspended its 1986 season, Pumphrey tried out[4] for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987.[5] Pumphrey started all three replacement games for the Buccaneers during the NFL Players Association strike and was released before the 1988 season.[6]
Pumphrey returned to Tallahassee to complete his bachelor's degree at Florida State University. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in Criminology from Florida State University in 1989. He then entered the Florida Marine Patrol Academy, where he was required to live while receiving intensive training under the Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission.
After graduating and being sworn in as a state police officer by then-Florida Governor Bob Martinez, Pumphrey worked in both Miami Dade and Broward County. in addition to off-duty details with DEA and Customs.
After service as a full-time state police officer, Pumphrey took a reserve status and clerked in a large law firm before attending the Stetson University College of Law, where he excelled in trial skills and trial advocacy. Pumphrey graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1996 and accepted a position at the State Attorney's Office. While working as a young prosecutor, Pumphrey was approached and accepted a position coaching the trial team at Stetson College of Law. He was cited in a Stetson Law Review article on the last 100 years of trial advocacy at the College of Law authored by William Eleazar.
Pumphrey excelled as a young prosecutor, averaging 25 jury trials a year with a high success rate. He was subsequently promoted to supervisor of a prosecutorial division, one of seven selected from an office of more than 120 attorneys at that time. He then spent several years working for the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office.[7] He also competed in and finished the Ironman Triathlon.
Pumphrey works with physical therapist Kim Ortloff to treat his body for injuries from his NFL days and keep himself in shape for triathlons.
In 1999, Pumphrey decided to return to his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida and open his own criminal defense legal practice. Since then, Pumphrey has become one of the area's leading attorneys handling both misdemeanor and felony cases.
In 2007, Pumphrey represented Richard Kelley Hart who was accused of murder in relation to the death of his wife.[8] Murder charges were dropped and Hart was freed later that year.
In 2009, Pumphrey made national headlines when he represented escaped inmate Charlie Free, who escaped from a Florida prison over 30 years prior and had been living a double life.[9] Free was ultimately freed based on unanimous decision from the Florida Parole Commission.[10] [11]
Pumphrey is an active member of the NORML Legal Committee,[12] the National College for DUI Defense, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association,[13] and the NFL Alumni Association.