Miami Dolphins need to get some “Swag” back; They need Alonzo Highsmith as a GM
Alonzo Highsmith is a very solid talent evaluator, and is exactly what the Miami Dolphins need. He is a Florida boy, with a “Swagger” about him that really could change an organization. The Miami Dolphins have lacked a positive vibe for several years. Highsmith played at the “U” and knows the Miami area very well. He was first named as a college scout by then-Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf on Feb. 1, 1999, Highsmith originally had entered the professional ranks as the third overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft by the then-Houston Oilers, behind only college teammate Vinny Testaverde (Tampa Bay) and Cornelius Bennett (Indianapolis).
The 48-year-old Highsmith began his pro career by playing three seasons in Houston (1987-89), starting 40 straight games with the Oilers. Following offseason knee surgery, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 1990 campaign.
He was with Dallas for 1½ seasons before being waived by the Cowboys on Oct. 4, 1991. Claimed by Tampa Bay, Highsmith spent the remainder of his pro career with the Buccaneers. Due to a series of knee injuries, he retired from the NFL at the end of the 1992 season.
Highsmith’s NFL totals include 65 games played, 283 rushing attempts for 1,195 yards (4.2 avg.) and seven touchdowns. He also made 42 receptions for 428 yards (10.2 avg.) and three TDs during the course of his pro career. After the conclusion of Highsmith’s NFL career in 1992, he turned his sights to boxing. As a professional boxer, he competed as a heavyweight across the country, compiling a 27-1-1 career record over a four-year period.
Earlier a four-time letterman (1983-86) for the University of Miami (Fla.), Highsmith was a member of the 1983 Hurricanes squad that captured the collegiate national championship with a 31-30 triumph over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. As a sophomore in 1984, he led Miami in rushing with 906 yards on 146 carries (6.2 avg.), and repeated that feat during his senior season, gaining 442 yards on 105 attempts (4.2 avg.). Highsmith graduated in 1987 with a degree in business administration.
Highsmith was the 1982 Florida high school Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, where he was a teammate of former Alabama head coach and current Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Alonzo spent four years as a professional heavyweight boxer after retiring from the NFL.An NFL player for six seasons, Alonzo Highsmith enters his 15th year with the Green Bay Packers’ personnel department. He was promoted to senior personnel executive in May 2012 after 13 years on the Packers’ college scouting staff, where he maintained primary responsibility for the Southwest region.
Tell me this is not what the Dolphins need? Someone that wants to be there, that has roots there, and will take his hometown team serious. That is exactly what the Dolphins need right about now.
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