Richard Tardits (born July 30, 1965), is a former American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), and a former rugby union footballer for the United States national rugby union team. He held the record for most sacks in a career at the University of Georgia,[2] until surpassed by David Pollack in 2004, and he was referred to as 'Le Sack' by fans because of his French birth.
| Birth name | Richard Tardits | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 30, 1965 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Football career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US college | Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1989 / round: 5 / pick: 123 (By the Phoenix Cardinals) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989*[1] | Phoenix Cardinals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | New England Patriots | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career stats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career
editTardits was born in Bayonne, France. He was former player on the French junior national rugby team and a participant in the Running of the Bulls at Pamplona, he was a walk-on for the Georgia Bulldogs.[3] During his NFL playing days, he sponsored a semipro football team in his French hometown of Biarritz.[4]
During his NFL career, he also helped the Mystic River Rugby Club reach the national finals. He later represented the United States in rugby.
NFL career
edit- 1989: 5th round Draft pick (123rd overall)[5]
- 1990: 2 G, 1 GS
- 1991: 16 G, 1FR
- 1992: 9 G
Career Totals: 27 Games, 1 Game Start, 1 Fumble Recovery
Rugby Career (USA Eagles)
edit- 1999 (1 1 Game)
Rugby World Cup Qualifiers
- 1994–1996 (3 Games, 1 Try)
Pacific Rim Championship
- 1996–1997 (3 Games)
- 1997–1998 (1 Game)
- 1998–1999 (5 Games)
Pan-American Championship
- 1996–1997 (1 Game)
Friendlies
- 02/10/1993 v Australia
- 12/03/1994 v Bermuda (1 Try)
- 21/05/1994 v Canada
- 05/11/1994 v Ireland
- 06/01/1996 v Ireland (1 Try)
- 11/01/1997 v Wales
- 12/04/1998 v Spain (Sub)
- 25/07/1998 v Fiji (Sub)
Other Club Affiliations:
References
edit- ^ "Richard Tardits". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Wahl, Grant (September 6, 1999). "Huge Splash Across The Pond". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014.
- ^ Hersch, Hank (October 24, 1988). "Vive Le Sac!". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014.
- ^ King, Peter (October 24, 1988). "The NFL". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014.
- ^ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
 | This University of Georgia–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This biographical article relating to an American football linebacker born in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
   | This biographical article relating to French rugby union is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |