Randy Crowder

{{Short description|American football player (1952–2025)}} {{Infobox NFL biography |name=Randy Crowder |number=74, 71 |position=Defensive tackle, defensive end |birth_date={{birth date|1952|7|30}} |birth_place=Sharon, Pennsylvania, U.S. |death_date= {{circa|{{death date and age|2025|5|21|1952|7|30}}}}  |death_place= |height_ft=6 |weight_lb=242 |height_in=2 |high_school=Farrell Area {{avoid wrap|(Farrell, Pennsylvania)}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Farrell's Crowder logs big score for linemen|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/141389130/?match=1&terms=%22randy%20crowder%22|access-date=2024-01-08|website=The Pittsburgh Press|language=en-US}}</ref> |college=Penn State |draftyear=1974 |draftround=6 |draftpick=136 |pastteams=* Miami Dolphins ({{NFL Year|1974|1976}}) * Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|1978|1980}}) |highlights= * First-team All-American (1973) * First-team All-East (1973) |statlabel1=Sacks |statvalue1=19.0 |statlabel2=Fumble recoveries |statvalue2=3 |pfr=CrowRa20 }}

'''Randolph Channing Crowder Sr.''' (July 30, 1952 – May 20 2025) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1973. Crowder was selected by the Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft.

== Early life and college == Crowder attended Farrell High School, starring in football, basketball, and track. He received All-American honors in football and all-state recognition in basketball.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/penn-state-football-1973-media-guide-c/page/40/mode/2up |title=Penn State Football 1973 Media Guide |date=1973}}</ref> Farrell won the state championship Crowder's senior year and while many colleges wanted him to play basketball he opted to play college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/buccaneers-1982-media-guide-tampa-bay-c/page/40/mode/2up?q=crowder |title=Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1982 Media Guide |date=1982}}</ref>

Crowder began college playing tight end,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Miami Dolphins |url=https://archive.org/details/miamidolphins1974mediaguide/page/n31/mode/2up?q=crowder |title=Miami Dolphins 1974 media guide |date=1974}}</ref> but then was converted to defense, where he thrived recording 173 tackles over his last two seasons.<ref name=":1" /> As a senior co-captain, playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti, Crowder helped Penn State to a 12-0 record and a 16-9 victory overLSU in the Orange Bowl, earning first-team All-American honors. Crowder played in the 1974 Hula Bowl.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/penn-state-football-1987-media-guide-c/page/168/mode/2up?q=crowder |title=Penn State Football 1987 Media Guide |date=1987}}</ref>

== Pro career == Crowder was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft. Nine other of his Penn State teammates were selected.

As a rookie, Crowder played sporadically, but in 1975 he started 11 games and notched 7.5 sacks, while leading Miami linemen with 95 tackles (53 unassisted).<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/dolphins-1976-media-guide-miami/page/n19/mode/2up?q=crowder |title=Dolphins 1976 Media Guide |date=1976}}</ref> Legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula said Crowder "might be the quickest tackle in the league."<ref name=":4" /> Crowder started all 14 games in 1976, his last in Miami.

Following a season out of the league due to legal issues, Crowder was signed as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Frias |first1=Carlos |title='With notoriety coms the target on your chest' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31998953/randy_crowder/ |accessdate=28 May 2019 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=October 31, 2004 |location=Florida, West Palm Beach |page=1 B|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref> in August 1978. He saw action in 14 games in 1978 while he played himself back into shape.<ref name=":1" /> The next season, Crowder moved into the starting lineup for the last eight games of the season as Tampa finished with a 10-6 record atop the NFC Central, granting the franchise its first playoff appearance. In the Divisional Playoff, Crowder recovered a Wilbert Montgomery fumble on the Philadelphia Eagles' four-yard line, setting up a crucial touchdown as Tampa prevailed 24-17. In the NFC Championship, Crowder and the Tampa defense held the Los Angeles Rams to nine points, but the Tampa offense failed to score, keeping the Buccaneers out of the Super Bowl.<ref name=":1" />

Crowder began the 1980 season as a starter, but in the second game of the season, a rematch with the Rams, Crowder injured his knee. Crowder rehabilitated the injury for two seasons, but was injured his achilles during training camp in 1982,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1982-07-25 |title=SPORTS PEOPLE; Crowder Hurts Ankle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/25/sports/sports-people-crowder-hurts-ankle.html |access-date=2025-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ending his NFL career.

== Arrest == On May 4, 1977, Crowder and his Dolphins teammate Don Reese, were arrested after trying to sell {{convert|1|lb|kg|spell=in}} of cocaine to an undercover policeman.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-05-05 |title=Dolphins' Reese, Crowder Arrested on Drug Charges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/05/archives/dolphins-reese-crowder-arrested-on-drug-charges.html |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On August 10, they both pleaded no contest and were each sentenced to a year in jail.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-08-11 |title=Reese, Crowder Given Jail Terms of One Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/11/archives/reese-crowder-given-jail-terms-of-one-year.html |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Following their releases, each resumed their pro football careers.

== Coaching career == After retiring from the NFL, Crowder joined his college coach Joe Paterno's staff as the defensive line coach at Penn State University for two years before moving into private business in the Tampa area.<ref name=":3" />

==Personal life and death== Randy had three children,<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrests, aftermath jolt league |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31999435/randy_crowder/ |accessdate=28 May 2019 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=October 31, 2004 |location=Florida, West Palm Beach |page=11 B|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref> one of whom is former Dolphins linebacker and sports radio host Channing Crowder.<ref name=":0" /> He later went by the nickname "Sugar Bear."<ref name=":2" />

On May 21, 2025, the Dolphins announced Crowder's death at the age of 72.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mackey |first=Ryan |date=2025-05-21 |title=Former Dolphins defensive lineman Randy Crowder dies at 72 |url=https://www.local10.com/sports/2025/05/21/former-dolphins-defensive-lineman-randy-crowder-dies-at-72/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=WPLG |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name| 3380198}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, Randy}} Category:1952 births Category:2025 deaths Category:American football defensive linemen Category:Miami Dolphins players Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Category:Players of American football from Mercer County, Pennsylvania Category:Sportspeople from Sharon, Pennsylvania Category:20th-century American sportsmen