Anthony Muñoz: Difference between revisions

* [[NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team]]

* [[NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team]]

* [[Bart Starr Award]] (1990)

* [[AFCA National Championship Trophy|National champion]] ([[1978 USC Trojans football team|1978]])

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Muñoz went to [[Chaffey High School]] in [[Ontario, California]]. He played college football at the [[University of Southern California]] from 1976 to 1979. He also played baseball there, pitching for USC's national championship team in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usclegends.org/anthony-munoz.php |title=USC Legends Anthony Muñoz |access-date=July 20, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629053637/http://www.usclegends.org/anthony-munoz.php |archive-date=June 29, 2006 }}</ref> The [[USC Trojans football|Trojans]] won a bowl game in all four of Muñoz's seasons, including three victories in the [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]]. However, injuries had cut Muñoz's freshman and junior seasons short, forcing him to miss the team's Rose Bowl wins in both years.

 

In the opening game of his senior year, Muñoz suffered torn knee [[ligament]]s and had to miss all of the remaining regular season games, though he did return for USC's 17–16 [[1980 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]] win over the previously undefeated [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State University]] on [[New Year's Day]] in 1980. Muñoz could have requested a medical redshirt, enabling him to play as a 5th year senior in 1980, or simply focused on getting ready for the upcoming NFL draft, but he insisted on coming back for the Rose Bowl. "I can’t imagine missing that experience with my guys," Muñoz explained.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/27/anthony-munozs-return-sparked-uscs-1980-rose-bowl-victory-over-ohio-state/|title=Anthony Muñoz's return sparked USC's 1980 Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State|website=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|date=December 28, 2017}}</ref> USC running back [[Charles White (American football)|Charles White]] rushed for a Rose Bowl record 247 yards in the game, including six carries on an 83-yard drive to score the game winning touchdown with 1:32 left, mostly running to left weak side behind Muñoz. "He played the whole ball game, he didn’t get hurt and we won," USC coach [[John Robinson (American football coach)|John Robinson]] said of Muñoz after the game. "To me, that’s a perfect game. That’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen happen."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/27/anthony-munozs-return-sparked-uscs-1980-rose-bowl-victory-over-ohio-state/|title=Anthony Muñoz's return sparked USC's 1980 Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State|website=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|date=December 28, 2017}}</ref>

 

===Cincinnati Bengals===

Muñoz was the third overall pick in the [[1980 NFL draft]] by the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]. His selection was viewed as a major risk by many pundits since knee problems limited the 6&nbsp;ft. 6 in., 280-pound Muñoz to just a combined 16 games in his final two college seasons.

 

==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041202132316/http://www.munozfoundation.org/ The Anthony Muñoz Foundation]

* {{profootballhof|id=158|name=Anthony Muñoz}}

[[Category:Chaffey High School alumni]]

[[Category:American baseball players of Mexican descent]]