Ralph Ortega
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Havana, Cuba
 Ortega in 2006 | |||||||||||||
| No. 55, 54 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | July 6, 1953 Havana, Cuba | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Coral Gables Senior (Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.) | ||||||||||||
| College | Florida | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1975: 2nd round, 29th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Ralph Ortega (born July 6, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s and early 1980s. Ortega played college football for the Florida Gators, earning first-team All-American honors in 1974. A second-round pick in the 1975 NFL draft, he played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins.
Ortega was born in Havana, Cuba in 1953,[1] but moved to Miami, Florida with his family when he was a child. Ortega played high school football for legendary coach Nick Kotys at Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida,[2] and was a shot-put specialist on the track and field team. Two of his Coral Gables Cavaliers football teammates, defensive back Neal Colzie and fullback-linebacker Glenn Cameron, were first-round 1975 NFL draft picks of the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.[3]
In 2007, thirty-six years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Ortega as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.[3]
College career
Ortega accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played linebacker for head coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team from 1971 to 1974.[4] Memorably, in 1973, he helped the Gators beat the Auburn Tigers for the first time at Jordan–Hare Stadium in fourteen visits. Ortega's big play was a crushing tackle that caused a fumble by Auburn tailback Chris Linderman inside the Gators' five yard-line shortly before halftime. The Gators won 12–8, with Auburn's only points coming near the end of the game. The Gators' coach, Doug Dickey, was carried from the field by his players after the game. At the time, it was called "one of the greatest moments in Florida Gators football history."
Ortega finished his four-season college career with 357 tackles, twelve forced fumbles (eight recovered), and five interceptions.[4] He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1973 and 1974, a first-team All-American in 1974, an Academic All-American, and the team captain during his senior year.[4] He graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in management in 1976, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.[5][6] In a 2006 article series written for The Gainesville Sun, the Sun sports editors recognized him as No. 40 among the top 100 players of the first century of Florida Gators football.[7]
Professional career
Ortega enjoyed a six-year professional football career in the NFL.[8] He was chosen in the second round (twenty-ninth pick overall) of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.[9] He was a starting linebacker in 1977, and a key component of the renowned "Grits Blitz" Falcons defense, before being relegated to special teams in 1978. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a future third-round draft pick in 1979.[10] He finished his NFL career with the Dolphins in 1980.[8] During his six NFL seasons, Ortega played in eighty-one regular season games, intercepted five passes and recovered seven fumbles.[1]
