Phil Darns

Phillip G. Darns (born July 27, 1959) is a former American football defensive end who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Mississippi Valley State and was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 1982. Darns also spent time with the Detroit Lions in the NFL and the New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League (USFL).

Phil Darns

No. 75
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1959-07-27) July 27, 1959 (age 65) Tampa, Florida
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tampa Bay Tech (FL)
College:	Mississippi Valley State
Undrafted:	1982
Career history
As a player:
New York Jets (1982)* New Jersey Generals (1983)* Detroit Lions (1983–1984) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984–1985)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Tampa Catholic High School (1991) Assistant coach Blake High School (2002) Assistant coach
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life and education

Darns was born on July 27, 1959, in Tampa, Florida. He attended Tampa Bay Technical High School and played college football at Mississippi Valley State in 1981.^[1]

Professional career

Darns was signed out of college by the New York Jets in 1982.^[2] He was released at the final roster cuts in August.^[3]

In October, Darns was signed by the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) for their 1983 season.^[4] He was released in February 1983.^[5]

Darns was later signed back into the NFL by the Detroit Lions, but was injured and was placed on injured reserve, where he spent the whole 1983 season.^[6][7] He was released by the Lions on August 27, 1984.^[8]

In November, Darns was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[2] He played in two games with the Buccaneers, a week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and a week 14 loss against the Green Bay Packers.^[9] He wore number 75 with the team.^[10] Darns was placed on injured reserve after his two appearances.^[11]

In 1986, Darns attended a Tampa Bay Bandits tryout camp.^[12]

Later life

In 1991, Darns was an assistant coach at Tampa Catholic High School.^[13] In 2002, he was reported as being a coach at Blake High School in Tampa.^[14]

Darns later became a firefighter.^[15]

References

1. "Phil Darns Stats". Pro Football Archives.
2. Schieber, Dave (November 7, 1984). "Bucs waive Manor, sign 2 from Tampa". Tampa Bay Times. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Jets waive 10". The Central New Jersey Home News. August 31, 1982. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "New Jersey". The Charlotte Observer. October 30, 1982. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "New Jersey Generals". The Miami Herald. February 21, 1983. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Football". Battle Creek Enquirer. August 24, 1983. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Sylvester, Curt (December 17, 1983). "That darn Darns". Detroit Free Press. p. 31, 35 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Lions". Arizona Daily Star. August 28, 1984. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Phil Darns Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
10. "Phil Darns Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
11. "Phil Darns". Buc Power.
12. Pugliese, Nick (March 15, 1986). "Bandits' tryout camp scheduled for today". The Tampa Tribune. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Clark, Cammy (October 1, 1991). "It's no con – Crusaders' coaches are former pros". Tampa Bay Times. p. 23, 28 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Lee, Rozela A. (October 14, 2002). "The Bucs Stopped Here". The Tampa Tribune. p. 31, 35 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Warrener, Andy (February 8, 2012). "Pro Football Came Before Firefighting for This First-Responder". Patch.