Alonzo Ephraim

Alonzo Brandon Ephraim (born November 8, 1981) is a former American football and arena football offensive lineman. He played college football at Alabama.

Alonzo Ephraim
No. 58
Position:Offensive lineman
Personal information
Born: (1981-11-08) November 8, 1981
Birmingham, Alabama
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:312 lb (142 kg)
Career information
High school:Birmingham (AL) Wenonah
College:Alabama
Undrafted:2003
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games Played:43
Games Started:5
Player stats at NFL.com
Career Arena statistics
Tackles:2
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Ephraim was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003. In his career, he has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. In 2006, while with the Browns, he was suspended four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy,[1] after which he was waived by the Browns.

On July 27, 2007, Ephraim signed with the All American Football League to play for Team Alabama when the league began play.[2]

High school career

Ephraim attended Wenonah High School,[3] where he played center on offense and defensive end on defense.[4] He was also the starting center on the school's basketball team.[4] He was on the baseball and track teams as well.[4] In 1998, as a senior he was selected as the Class 6A Offensive Lineman of the Year.[5] He was a Super 12 (All-State) team Honorable Mention, along with future college teammates Dante Ellington and Saleem Rasheed.[5] When he graduated he had a 3.2 GPA.[4]

College career

Ephraim received interest from schools such as Alabama, Michigan, UCLA, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Nebraska.[4] In the end, he chose Alabama. As a true freshman, he appeared in just two games, for a total of 29 plays.[3] He then played as a back-up for every game as a sophomore.[3] He became a starter as a junior, and had 708 plays that season, the most among Alabama offensive linemen. He also recorded 118 knock-down blocks.[3] He was a second-team All-America selection his senior year. He was also an All-SEC selection as a junior. As a senior, he was one of seven Alabama players selected as All-SEC.[6] As a senior, he was named to the Rimington Trophy watchlist.[7]

Professional career

National Football League

Ephraim went unselected in the 2003 NFL Draft. However, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles[8] and played in 16 games as a rookie. In 2004, he played in 13 games with two starts at right guard for the Eagles. He was released on April 28, 2005.[9] On August 2, 2005, he signed with the Miami Dolphins.[9] In his lone season with the Dolphins, he played in 13 games, with three starts. In 2006, he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Cleveland Browns but was suspended for four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.[1] He was waived after he completed his suspension.[10] Over his four-year NFL career, he played in a total of 43 games.[2]

Arena Football League

On April 24, 2008, Ephraim signed with the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League and played in three games as a rookie.

All American Football League

At the All American Football League's national try-outs held on July 27, 2007, Ephraim, along with fellow Alabama alumni Reggie Myles and Marcus Spencer, signed with the league to play for Team Alabama.[2] However, the league postponed their inaugural season until 2009.

See also

Notes
  1. "Browns center Ephraim suspended four games". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  2. "ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES SIGNING OF FORMER ALABAMA PLAYERS DURING LEAGUE'S NATIONAL TRY-OUT AT BIRMINGHAM'S LEGION FIELD". All-American Football League.com. PRNewswire. July 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  3. "#58 Alonzo Ephraim - Alabama Roster". Scout.com. BamaMag.com. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  4. "Alonzo Ephraim Update". Rivals.com. BamaOnline News Plus. May 16, 1998. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  5. "1998 Awards - Other Awards". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  6. "Seven Bama Players Named to AP All-SEC Teams". RollTide.com. University of Alabama. December 12, 2002. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  7. "Alabama Football Game Notes: North Texas". RollTide.com. University of Alabama. September 10, 2002. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  8. White, Larry (April 28, 2003). "Nine Tiders sign free agent contracts". Scout.com. University of Alabama. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  9. "Camp Dolphins Day 8: Team Signs Alonzo Ephraim And Waives Derek Curry". MiamiDolphins.com. Miami Dolphins. August 2, 2005. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  10. "Ephraim let go by Browns". CBC.ca. CBC Sports. October 2, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
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