Trace Armstrong Raymond Lester Armstrong , III ( born October 5 , 1965 ) , nicknamed Trace Armstrong , is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League ( NFL ) for fifteen seasons from the late 1980s to the early 2000s . Armstrong played college football for Arizona State University and the University of Florida , and was recognized as an All - American . A first - round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the Chicago Bears , the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders of the NFL . Armstrong was formerly the president of the NFL players ' union , and he currently works as a sports agent . Early life . Armstrong was born in Bethesda , Maryland in 1965 . He attended John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham , Alabama , where he played high school football and lettered three years as an outside linebacker and defensive end for the John Carroll Cavaliers . Armstrong was an all - state selection and was named one of " The Birmingham News " ' top twelve players in Alabama as a high school senior . College career . Armstrong accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Arizona State University in Tempe , Arizona , where he began his college career as a defensive tackle for the Arizona State Sun Devils football team . He red - shirt ed in 1984 , and as a freshman in 1985 he played in ten games with three starts , totaling thirty - two tackles ( two for a loss ) . As a sophomore in 1986 , he was a back - up with two starts on the 10 – 1 – 1 Sun Devils that finished fourth in the Associated Press football poll and defeated the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl . Armstrong recovered a key fumble in the Sun Devils ' defeat of the USC Trojans that sealed the Devils ' Rose Bowl bid . Armstrong finished the 1986 season with twenty - six tackles ( one for a loss — a quarterback sack ) , one forced fumble and one fumble recovery . As a junior starter in 1987 , Armstrong had a key role in the defeat of the Oregon State Beavers , when he sacked Erik Wilhelm in the end zone for a safety that began a 11 – 0 surge by the Sun Devils in sealing a 30 – 21 win . The 1987 Sun Devils finished # 20 in the final AP poll after defeating Air Force in the 1987 Freedom Bowl . Armstrong ended the 1987 season with fifty - one tackles ( ten for a loss including a team - leading seven sacks ) . He was an honorable mention All - America by both the AP and UPI . Trace was denied a final year of eligibility by the NCAA due to an " academic mix - up , " which he could only recoup if he transferred to another school . However , he was granted immediate eligibility after the NCAA waived its transfer rule in an unusual academic status case from high school which allowed the transfer . As a result , Armstrong transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , and played final college season for coach Galen Hall ' s Florida Gators football team in 1988 . He was recognized as a first - team All - Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) selection and a first - team All - American at defensive tackle . He set a new Gators single - season record for most tackles for a loss with nineteen , including seven sacks . In all , Armstrong made fifty - nine tackles with forty - one of those solo . Armstrong finished his college career on the sidelines in the Gators ' 14 – 10 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini in the All American Bowl on December 29 , 1988 . Armstrong underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his left knee two weeks before the bowl game and could not play . Armstrong ended his college career with 169 tackles , including thirty - two tackles for losses and fifteen quarterback sacks . He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor ' s degree in liberal arts in 1989 , and returned to earn a master ' s degree in business administration in 2006 . As part of a fan poll conducted by " The Gainesville Sun " in 2006 , he was voted to the Florida Gators 100th Anniversary Team as a defensive lineman together with other Gators like Jack Youngblood , Wilber Marshall and Kevin Carter . He was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " in 2000 . Professional career . Chicago Bears . The Chicago Bears selected Armstrong in the first round ( 11th overall pick ) of the 1989 NFL Draft , and he played for the Bears for six seasons from to . He signed with the Bears on August 18 , 1989 ; his total package was a reported $ 2 . 2 million over four years . After the Bears ' 47 – 27 victory at Detroit on September 27 , 1989 , Armstrong perhaps made his first NFL mark . After reporting late to training camp because of a contract dispute , and then struggling through the first two games of the season , Armstrong finally found his niche at left defensive end against the Lions , making five solo tackles , defending a pass and getting his first pro sack by dumping Lions quarterback Bob Gagliano . Armstrong finished his rookie season with five sacks and was voted All - Rookie . His teammates voted him the winner of the Brian Piccolo Award for " courage , loyalty , teamwork , dedication , and sense of humor . " The following season , 1990 , Armstrong notched ten sacks , the first of five seasons he reached double - digits . He was NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September 1990 , in which he totaled twenty - five tackles , five sacks , two forced fumbles , one fumble recovery , and one pass defended . In 1991 he recorded only 1 . 5 sacks , in part because although he was the starting left defensive end he moved to defensive tackle in the Bears " nickel defense , " perhaps cutting down on his pass - rush opportunities . He was slated to play that spot again in 1992 , however , the development of Alonzo Spellman allowed Armstrong to play end in all situations . As a result , his sack total was a 6 . 5 . On March 16 , 1993 , Armstrong re - signed a three - year $ 3 million deal with the Bears which was reported to make him one of the five highest - paid players on the team . In 1993 , Armstrong notched 11 . 5 sacks and forced three fumbles . He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for three tackles , one forced fumble , two fumble recoveries , and two sacks in a Thanksgiving Day win over Detroit . He also had six tackles and two sacks at Philadelphia on October 10 , 1993 , and then career - best 2 . 5 sacks at Kansas City on November 21 , 1993 . In 1994 , his last in Chicago , he had 7 . 5 sacks . In the playoffs that season , against the Minnesota Vikings , January 1 , 1995 , Armstrong recorded both of the Bears ' sacks in a 35 – 18 win over the Vikings for which he was awarded the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award . Miami Dolphins . On April 4 , 1995 , the Dolphins traded a second and third - round draft pick for Armstrong . He was acquired to fill a role as a designated pass rusher , a player who comes into the game in likely passing downs in an effort to give the team ' s pass rush a boost . This is a role Armstrong filled the rest of his career ; however , in five seasons , injuries to the starting ends forced Armstrong into a starting role . On October 12 , 1995 , Armstrong signed a five - year $ 8 . 9 million contract extension with the Dolphins . In 1996 Armstrong started nine games and recorded twelve sacks . He remained the starter in 1997 and returned to the " designated rusher " role in 1998 . He was named as the NFL ' s Defensive Player of the Week for postseason games played January 8 – 9 , 2000 . In the Dolphins 20 – 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday , January 9 , 2000 , Armstrong helped a defense which limited Seattle to 32 total yards in the second half . He registered five tackles , three sacks and one quarterback hurry on the day . He led the AFC in quarterback sacks ( 16 . 5 ) in 2000 with the Miami Dolphins while recording 7 forced fumbles , also a career - high . He also made the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career . He did this despite not starting a single game , making his the first so - called designated pass rusher to go to the Pro Bowl since Fred Dean was voted to the 1983 post - season all - star game . Oakland Raiders . Armstrong signed a free - agent contract with the Raiders in 2001 . The Raiders offered him a six - year deal worth approximately $ 18 . 5 million . However , the first two years were to pay approximately $ 8 million , including a $ 5 million signing bonus . In his three years with the Raiders , Armstrong earned $ 9 million . Armstrong sustained an Achilles tendon injury on September 30 , 2001 , causing him to miss the final thirteen games of the 2001 season . In 2002 and 2003 , Armstrong was pressed into a starting role due to injuries of the so - called " run down defense " of the Raiders . He started eight games at right defensive end in 2002 after Tony Bryant was hurt , and he started seven games at left defensive end when Lorenzo Bromell was injured in 2003 . Trace suffered his own injuries in 2002 and 2003 . In 2003 it was a groin injury that put him in the injured - reserve list and in 2003 , he injured a shoulder in November which ended his 2003 season after ten games . While in Oakland , he was the twentieth player in NFL history to record 100 career quarterback sacks , and finished his career with a total of 106 . 5 . ( When he retired , he was sixteenth in the all - time sack leader list . ) Following the 2003 season , he was released from the Oakland Raiders after failing a physical due to several substantial injuries incurred while in Oakland and retired from the NFL afterwards . According to NFLPA records , in his fifteen NFL seasons Armstrong earned approximately $ 23 million in salary and bonuses . NFL Players Association . While playing in the NFL , Armstrong served as the president of the NFL Players Association ( NFLPA ) for eight years ( 1996 – 2003 ) . In 2009 , Armstrong stood for election to become the full - time executive director of the NFLPA , a position left vacant by the death of Gene Upshaw . Although he was considered a favorite for the job , he lost the election to Washington , D . C . - based attorney DeMaurice Smith . Life after the NFL . Armstrong currently serves as the agent for former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer , Michigan Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke , Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy , and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer , among others . He is also the agent for several broadcasters such as Peter Gammons , Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter . Armstrong currently lives in his former college hometown , Gainesville , Florida , with his wife Tami and three sons . His eldest son , Jared Armstrong , is currently a quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles football team .