Kyle Clifton Explained

Ronald Kyle Clifton (born August 23, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 13 seasons with the for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, he was selected by the Jets in the third round of the 1984 NFL draft with the 64th overall pick.^{[1] [2]}

He led the NFL in solo tackles with 160 in 1985, 174 in 1986 and 162 in 1988. Additionally, he was in the top 10 of NFL solo tacklers in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. He announced his retirement on February 14, 1997.^[3] At the time of his retirement, he was the second-leading tackler in NFL history and remains the Jets' all-time leading tackler. Clifton made 1,484 tackles over the course of his professional career ranking him 10th overall in combined tackles since 1987.^[4] Clifton attended high school in Bridgeport, Texas.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions			Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	TD	FF	FR
	NYJ	16	9	113	–	–	0.0	1	0	0	0	1
	NYJ	16	16	160	–	–	0.0	3	10	0	2	2
	NYJ	16	16	174	–	–	0.0	2	8	0	1	1
	NYJ	12	8	51	–	–	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	NYJ	16	15	162	–	–	0.0	0	0	0	0	2
	NYJ	16	16	162	–	–	2.0	0	0	0	2	1
	NYJ	16	16	199	–	–	0.5	3	49	0	1	1
	NYJ	16	16	146	–	–	1.0	1	3	0	2	0
	NYJ	16	16	138	–	–	1.0	1	1	0	3	4
	NYJ	16	16	143	–	–	1.0	1	3	0	2	2
	NYJ	16	5	32	19	13	0.0	0	0	0	0	1
	NYJ	16	0	4	1	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	NYJ	16	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Career		204	149	1,484	20	16	5.5	12	74	0	13	15

Notes and References

1. News: Eskenazi, Gerald . In His 13th Season, Clifton Knows the Angles . . July 30, 1996 . October 10, 2019.
2. Web site: 1984 NFL Draft Listing . 2023-10-10 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
3. News: Mallozzi, Vincent M. . Clifton, a Career Jet, Retires . . February 15, 1997 . October 10, 2019.
4. Web site: NFL Tackles Combined Career Leaders (since 1987). November 6, 2020. Pro-Football-Reference.com.