Alonzo Ephraim

Alonzo Ephraim
No. 50, 76, 63, 58
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1981-11-08) November 8, 1981 (age 42)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:312 lb (142 kg)
Career information
High school:Wenonah
(Birmingham, Alabama)
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
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Career Arena League statistics
Total tackles:2
Stats at ArenaFan.com

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

Ephraim was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003. In 2006, while with the Cleveland 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]

Early life

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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

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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

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Philadelphia Eagles

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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]

Miami Dolphins

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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.

Cleveland Browns

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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]

New York Dragons

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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

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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

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Browns center Ephraim suspended four games". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 16, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c d "#58 Alonzo Ephraim - Alabama Roster". Scout.com. BamaMag.com. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Alonzo Ephraim Update". Rivals.com. BamaOnline News Plus. May 16, 1998. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Camp Dolphins Day 8: Team Signs Alonzo Ephraim And Waives Derek Curry". MiamiDolphins.com. Miami Dolphins. August 2, 2005. Retrieved October 20, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Ephraim let go by Browns". CBC.ca. CBC Sports. October 2, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
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