Sam Cowart

Samuel Cowart, III (February 26, 1975) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for Florida State University and was recognized as an All-American. A second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Cowart was a Pro Bowl selection in 2000.

Early years

Cowart was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, and played for the Mandarin Mustangs high school football team. As a senior football player, he was a Super Prep high school All-American selection and a USA Today All-America honorable mention, named the Jacksonville Defensive Player of the Year, and won first-team all-state honors, and helped lead the Mustangs to the district championship in the state playoffs.

College career

Cowart attended Florida State University, where he played for coach Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles football team from 1993 through 1997. He was a reserve linebacker on the Seminoles' 1993 national championship team. In 1995, he led FSU in tackles in with 115 (76 solo), finishing sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in that category. The same year, Cowart had three quarterback sacks and 13 tackles in the FSU-Florida game (at Florida) to earn ABC player of the game honors. Returning in 1997 after a knee injury that kept him out of the 1996 season, Cowart earned consensus first-team All-American recognition, leading the team with 116 tackles. He also set an FSU team record with three fumbles returned or recovered for touchdowns. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy and winner of the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award for the conference's "Most Courageous Player."