This page is dedicated to a man I greatly admire, Tommy Vardell. I've been a very big fan of Tommy's ever since he was at Stanford, and throughout his professional football career. Not only is he a tremendously gifted and talented athlete but, and more important, he is a caring and responsive man. Tommy Vardell exemplifies not only what a "role model" is, but what a role model should be, through his deeds and actions both on -- and off -- the playing field. With so many sports stars making headlines for all the wrong reasons these days, it's refreshing (and reassuring) to know that there are still professional athletes -- men like Tommy Vardell -- who are truly concerned about other people, genuinely care to make a difference, and do not take the responsibility (for whether an athlete likes it or not, it IS a responsibility) of being in the public eye lightly.

On February 4, 2000, Tommy retiremed from professional football. As a pro athlete, Tommy Vardell has been the prototype of a dedicated, unselfish, and complete team player. He has battled back from severe knee and ankle injuries which doubtlessly hampered his football career. Much more important than any achievement on any field of sport, however, Tommy has shown himself to be a man of solid values, fine attibutes, gentlemanly demeanor and stellar character; traits many "pro athletes" today, in all venues of sport, would do well to emulate.

Since his retirement, Tommy – along with former 49ers Brent Jones and Mark Harris – founded Northgate Capital, a multi-billion dollar financial corporation. Tommy is a Managing Director at the firm. Here's a link to Northgate Capital

Tommy spent 2 years as a Detroit Lion, primarily doing a lot of blocking in the backfield, protecting the quarterback and blocking for Sanders. His talents were certainly under-utilized by the Lions.

Even though Tommy didn't get the chance to carry the ball a lot during his time as a Detroit Lion, when he did get the call, he certainly made it count! During the 1998 season, Tommy scored three touchdowns in one game against the Chicago Bears. For 1998, he led the team in TD's (seven), scoring more than any other Lion rusher, including Barry Sanders.

Stanford & Vital Stats

Height : 6-2 Weight : 234 lbs. College: Stanford Drafted: Selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round (9th pick) in the 1992 NFL Draft.

For the Cardinal, Tommy rushed for 1,893 yards on 439 carries with 37 touchdowns and no fumbles in his college career.

In 1990, the Stanford Cardinal traveled to South Bend, Indiana to play the top-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Cardinal scored 17 points in the second quarter to help lift the team to a 36-31 victory over the Irish. It was then that (former) Stanford head coach Denny Green bestowed on Tommy the most appropriate nickname, "Touchdown Tommy." Vardell scored four touchdowns, all from the 1-yard line. (On a personal note, I was an avid "Irish" fan. This was the first time I ever saw Tommy play in a football game. From that time on, I became a Tommy Vardell fan. And, the more I learned about Tommy, the more I came to admire him.)

Considered an aggressive runner, with quick, slashing moves -- with the ability to lay down clutch blocks -- Tommy was also an exceptional receiver out of the backfield.

Tommy ranks second in Stanford's TD history, and third in rushing. Tommy set Stanford records for most yardage in a season (1,084), most TDs in a season (20), most points in a season (120), most rushing TDs in a season (20), most rushing TDs in a career (37), and most carries in a game (39). In 1991, he was selected as the GTE All-Academic All-American Player of the Year as a Senior and All-Pac-10 Academic. Tommy also received the Pop Warner Trophy for 1991, which is presented to the Top Senior Player on the West Coast.

On December 25, 1991, Tommy was named the Stanford Aloha Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP); he scored 2 touchdowns while gaining 104 yards--and left the game in the second-half with a broken collarbone.

Tommy's Stanford College Stats

YEAR      TEAM/LEAGUE      ATTEMPTS    TOTAL YDS     TD'S
1988      STANFORD/NCAA        12            37       0
1989      STANFORD/NCAA        60           252       3
       
1990      STANFORD/NCAA       120           457      17
1991      STANFORD/NCAA       226          1101      20
TOTALS                        418          1847      37     

Tommy graduated from Stanford with honors, and a degree in Industrial Engineering. He has endowed Stanford with a scholarship for football players who are studying engineering. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the First Round of the 1992 NHL Draft (9th Overall).

Thomas Arthur Vardell was born February 20, 1969, in El Cajon, California. He is active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, as well as various youth sports and literacy programs. Some of Tommy's interests include collecting antiques and oriental rugs. Tommy likes to read books on a wide variety of topics, and enjoys delving deeply into subjects that attract his interest.

Tommy, along with his lovely wife, Andrea, enjoys movies and classical music. He and his family reside in California.

Tommy's mom, Travis, is a former fashion model -- and one of the nicest ladies you'd ever want to meet! His father, Special Agent Ken Vardell, retired from the FBI. Tommy has an older brother, Teddy, who used to block for Tommy in high school, and was (and still is) known as "Tailgaitin' Teddy"! It was inaccurately reported (and perpetuated) by the media that Teddy is also an FBI agent; that information is not correct. Teddy did work at the FBI many years ago, as a radio dispatcher. He is a graduate of Colorado University and works in Communications in the Denver area.  I'd like to thank Teddy for taking the time to clarify this information, as I had originally included it erroneously.