Looking back…Spotlight on Al Toon

 

Date of Birth:April 30, 1963 (age 51), Newport News, Virginia

   Height: 6’4”   Weight: 200 lbs

Albert Lee Toon JR. played his entire career with the New York Jets. A track star in high school, he played football and ran track at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Al was the 1oth pick of the 1985 Draft. His career was cut short because he suffered from post concussion syndrome. Toon was notorious for running routes down the middle, where middle linebackers feasted on his body.

He was selected to three Pro Bowls; was a three-time All-Pro Selection, and was named AFC Player of the Year in 1986. He is in the Jets Ring of Honor.

My Take:

I have liked many Jets players, but Al Toon has remained my all time favorite. Had he been able to play as long as the previous #88, Richard Caster, another of my favorites, and Wesley Walker, Toon would have broken all of the Jets’ receiving records, and today we would remember him as an Hall of Famer.

Toon had sure hands; he caught anything that was thrown his way. Often he would run a route across the middle and leap up to make the grab, knowing all too well that he would be sandwiched by two linebackers. In those days, head-to-head contact was how middle linebackers made their money.