Phil Costa

Phillip John "Phil" Costa (born 24 July 1949) is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 until 2011, representing the electorate of Wollondilly. He served as Minister for Water and Minister for Corrective Services.

Early life

Costa was born on 24 July 1949 at Guildford, New South Wales. Prior to his election he was a primary school teacher and principal of public schools in the Oaks and Buxton. He was named the Citizen of the Year in Wollondilly Shire in 1984.

Politics

Costa was first elected to Wollondilly Shire Council in 1985; he continued serving on the Council until 2008. He served as Deputy Mayor from 1999 to 2005 before being elected as Mayor from 2006 to 2007, immediately prior to the 2007 state election.

Costa initially planned to stand as an independent candidate in the 2007 state election but was persuaded by Premier Morris Iemma to stand instead for the Australian Labor Party. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly on 24 March 2007 with 53% of the vote. From June 2007 to September 2008, he was a member of the State Parliament's Standing Committee on Parliamentary Privilege and Ethics and Chair of the Standing Committee on Broadband in Rural and Regional Communities.

Phil Costa (American football)

Phil Costa (born July 11, 1987) is a former American football center and guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. Costa retired at age 26 on April 21, 2014.

Early years

Costa played high school football at Holy Cross High School, where he was a starting guard who played in every game during his three seasons on the team. He played college football at Maryland where he was a two year starter, playing mostly guard until his senior season when he started at center.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Costa was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft. He began as the fourth string center, with Kyle Kosier and Travis Bright ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster. As a rookie he earned his first career start at left guard in place of the injured Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland, in the seventh game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.