Tully Banta-Cain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tully Banta-Cain

Banta-Cain with the New England Patriots in 2009
No. 48, 95
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1980-08-28) August 28, 1980 (age 44) Mountain View, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	Sunnyvale (CA) Fremont
College:	California
NFL Draft:	2003 / Round: 7 / Pick: 239
Career history
New England Patriots (2003–2006) San Francisco 49ers (2007–2008) New England Patriots (2009–2010)
Career highlights and awards
2× Super Bowl champion (XXXVIII, XXXIX) First-team All-Pac-10 (2002)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 249 Sacks: 27.5 Forced fumbles: 4 Pass deflections: 5 Interceptions: 1 Defensive touchdowns: 1
Player stats at PFR

Tully Cameron Banta-Cain (born August 28, 1980) is a former American football player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The New England Patriots chose him in the 2003 NFL draft. He also played college football at the University of California.

Tully Banta-Cain was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. Both wins happened during his first time playing for the Patriots. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers.

Early Life and High School Football

Tully Banta-Cain has a mixed background. His family is of African-American and Scottish/Irish descent. He is also related to some famous athletes. His cousins are Rodney Rogers, a former NBA player, and Jeffrey Leonard, a former MLB player.

Tully went to Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, California. There, he was a star player in football. As a junior, he was named the League's Defensive Player of the Year. In his senior year, he earned All-League honors as an outside linebacker. He also ran for over 1,000 yards as a running back.

College Football Career

Tully Banta-Cain played college football at the University of California, Berkeley. He became a strong defensive player there. By the end of his college career, he had 112 tackles. He also recorded 26.5 sacks, which is when a player tackles the opposing quarterback. He holds the school record for most sacks in a single game, with 4.5.

He started playing in 1999 after a "redshirt" year in 1998. In 2001, he started every game as a defensive end. He had 8 sacks and 33 tackles that year. In 2002, his senior year, he was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. He was also chosen as the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player. That season, he had 39 tackles and 13 sacks. His 26.5 career sacks placed him third in the school's history.

Professional Football Journey

Playing for the New England Patriots (First Time)

The New England Patriots picked Tully Banta-Cain in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL draft. This was the 239th pick overall. In his first year, 2003, he played in nine games. He made 11 tackles and had one sack.

In 2004, he played in all 16 games. He finished the season with 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He also made his first career interception against the Buffalo Bills. He was part of the team that won Super Bowl XXXVIII that year. The next season, 2005, he had 9 tackles and 0.5 sacks. He was again part of a Super Bowl-winning team, Super Bowl XXXIX. In his last year with the Patriots during this first period, 2006, he played in all 16 games. He started five of those games. He ended the season with 43 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks.

Time with the San Francisco 49ers

Banta-Cain with the 49ers in 2008

On March 3, 2007, Tully Banta-Cain signed with the San Francisco 49ers. In his first season with them, he started four games in a row. He then hurt his ankle but kept playing. He finished the year with a career-high 61 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

He scored a game-winning touchdown on November 25, 2007. This happened in a game against the Arizona Cardinals. He recovered a fumble in the endzone during overtime. This win ended an eight-game losing streak for the 49ers. He started ten games that year. In 2008, he played in 12 games. He led the team with 20 special teams tackles. The 49ers released him on February 10, 2009.

Return to the New England Patriots

Just eight days after leaving the 49ers, Banta-Cain rejoined the Patriots. This happened on February 18, 2009. He started 10 of the 16 games he played in 2009. He recorded 55 tackles and a new career-high of 10 sacks.

He officially signed a new three-year contract with the Patriots on March 5, 2010. In Week 2 of the 2010 season, he started against the New York Jets. He had eight tackles and one sack in that game. However, he was penalized for unnecessary roughness. He was then replaced by another player for the next game. Banta-Cain went on to start 6 games out of 15 played. He finished the season with 45 tackles and five sacks.

On July 29, 2011, the New England Patriots released Tully Banta-Cain.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs