Todd William Lyght (born February 9, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, twice earning consensus All-American honors.
Lyght played in the NFL from 1991 to 2002, finishing with 37 interceptions and four touchdowns. His best year as a pro came during the 1999 season with the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, with whom he intercepted six passes for 112 yards and one touchdown and was named to the 1999 All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams. After his playing career, he became an assistant coach. He was a defensive backs coach for his alma mater Notre Dame.
Early life Lyght was born in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, which was then part of the US-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. His father was in the U.S. Army. Lyght attended Powers Catholic High School in Flint, Michigan, where he lettered twice as a wide receiver and cornerback. As a senior, he served as a team captain and caught 38 passes for 877 yards with nine touchdowns, and also intercepted 19 passes. Lyght also lettered three times in track and field. His high school coach, Todd Tucker, claimed that Lyght was cut from freshman football. This was stated during a Power's Catholic High School pep-rally in 1996.
College career Lyght played collegiate football for the University of Notre Dame, where he was a two-time consensus All-American (1989 and 1990). He was a three-year starter at cornerback and was voted as a team captain his senior season.
He had more playing time in 1987 than any other freshman, making 29 tackles, causing one fumble, breaking up two passes and making one interception. Lyght was named a starter for his sophomore season, and led team in tackles in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia. That victory capped an undefeated season for Notre Dame, leading to a #1 ranking in both the AP and coach's polls. As a result, the 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was named the consensus national champion.
As a junior in 1989, he intercepted eight passes (two shy of school record) and registered 47 total tackles (27 solo). He ranked eighth in final NCAA standings in 1989 for interceptions and was a finalist for 1989 Jim Thorpe Award. Lyght finished his college career with 161 tackles; caused one fumble; broke up 20.5 passes; had 11 interceptions for 55 return yards and one touchdown. He also played in 1991 Hula Bowl.
Professional career Pre-draft The overall consensus amongst NFL draft analysts and scouts considered Lyght as the top defensive back prospect and the unanimously projected Lyght to be selected within the first five draft picks in the 1991 NFL Draft. The majority of draft analysts projected the Atlanta Falcons would select Lyght third overall. Other mock drafts publicized projected the Cleveland Browns would select him with the second overall pick. NFL draft analysts with the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN had Lyght ranked as the top defensive back prospect in the draft. He received an invitation to attend the 1991 NFL Draft event and originally planned to attend with his teammate from Notre Dame Rocket Ismail who was the consensus No. 1 overall pick. The Dallas Cowboys traded for the first overall pick in order to secure the acquisition of Rocket Ishmael, but failed contract negotiations led to Ishmael signing with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams 1991 NFL draft The Los Angeles Rams selected Lyght in the first round (5th overall) of the 1991 NFL draft. NFL draft analysts and scouts projected Lyght would be selected second overall by the Cleveland Browns or third overall by the Atlanta Falcons. He was unanimously considered to be the top defensive back prospect in the 1991 NFL Draft and was predicted to be the first defensive back drafted.
Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns instead chose to select safety Eric Turner with the second overall pick. The majority of draft analysts projected the Atlanta Falcons would select Lyght third overall in order to pair him with Deion Sanders, but unexpectedly decided to select Nebraska cornerback Bruce Pickens instead. The Falcons traded Pickens after two underwhelming seasons as a backup, leading him being considered by many as possibly the worst first round pick in franchise history.
1991 season On August 16, 1991, the Los Angeles Rams signed Lyght to a five—year, $5.45 million rookie contract that included an initial signing bonus of $2.35 million following a training camp holdout.
He was inactive for the first two games (Weeks 1–2) of the season due to a hip injury. Upon joining the active roster, Lyght was named a backup and listed as the third cornerback on the depth chart behind starters Jerry Gray and Darryl Henley. On September 15, 1991, Lyght made his professional regular season debut as the Rams lost 14–24 to the Phoenix Cardinals. He missed another two games (Weeks 7–8) due to a sprained ankle. Entering Week 10, defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher promoted Lyght to the No. 2 starting cornerback, supplanting Jerry Gray. On November 25, 1991, Lyght recorded four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass Steve Bono threw to wide receiver Jerry Rice during a 33–10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 15, he set a season-high with eight solo tackles during a 14–31 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. He finished his rookie season with 39 combined tackles (32 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in 11 games and 8 starts. On December 19, 1991, the Rams fired head coach John Robinson after finishing with a 3–13 record.
1992 season The Los Angeles Rams selected cornerback Steve Israel in the second round (30th overall) of the 1992 NFL draft. Head coach Chuck Knox named Lyght the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season alongside Darryl Henley following the departure of Jerry Gray.
On September 13, 1992, Lyght set a season-high with ten combined tackles (nine solo), set a career-high with eight pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by Hugh Millen as the Rams defeated the New England Patriots 0–14. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 3, Lyght suffered a dislocated shoulder during a 10–26 loss at the Miami Dolphins. On September 22, 1992, the Rams officially placed Lyght on injured reserve due to his shoulder injury and he subsequently remained inactive for the next four games (Weeks 3–6). In Week 11, he made nine combined tackles (eight solo) and four pass deflections during a 27–23 victory at the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the 1992 NFL season with 67 combined tackles (61 solo), 22 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 12 games and 12 starts.
1993 season Head coach Chuck Knox retained Lyght as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Darryl Henley. Prior to Week 6, Lyght would start alongside Steve Israel for the rest of the season after Darryl Henley would be granted indefinite leave from the team, remaining inactive following charges of drug trafficking. On October 24, 1993, he set a season-high with 11 combined tackles (ten solo) and made one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass Rodney Peete threw to Herman Moore during a 13–16 loss to the Detroit Lions. In Week 11, Lyght made six solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass Bobby Hebert threw to wide receiver Michael Haynes during a 13–0 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. During pre-game warmups, Lyght sustained what he initially believed to be a bruised knee, but opted to play. On November 21, 1993, the Rams officially placed Lyght on injured reserve for the rest of the season due to his knee injury as he had to undergo surgery to repair cartilage damage. He finished the season with 43 combined tackles (40 solo), nine pass deflections, ana three interceptions in nine games and nine starts.
1994 season During training camp, the Rams re-signed Darryl Henley after releasing him following his indictment in a federal drug case for trafficking cocaine. Head coach Chuck Knox named Lyght and Steve Israel the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. Darryl Henley would begin starting in place of Steve Israel in Week 2 due to Israel dealing with knee tendinitis.
On September 4, 1994, Lyght started in the Los Angeles Rams' home-opener against the Arizona Cardinals and made seven combined tackles (six solo), a pass deflection, and returned a fumble linebacker Joe Kelly forced by fullback Larry Centers for 74–yards to score the first touchdown of his career as they won 12–14. In Week 10, he set a season-high with ten solo tackles and made one pass break-up during a 27–31 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. He started in all 16 games throughout the 1994 NFL season and recorded 90 combined tackles (78 solo), 13 pass deflections, one interception, a fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
1995 season On January 10, 1995, the Los Angeles Rams fired head coach Chuck Knox after a 4–12 record the previous season. The Rams' team president John Shaw also confirmed the team would possibly move. The following week, the Rams officially confirmed their immediate move from Los Angeles, California to St. Louis, Missouri. On February 11, 1995, the St. Louis Rams hired Rich Brooks to be their new head coach. Lyght returned to training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback under defensive coordinator Willie Shaw. Head coach Rich Brooks named Lyght the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Anthony Parker following the departures of Darryl Henley and Steve Israel.
On September 3, 1995, Lyght started in the Rams' season-opener at the Green Bay Packers and set a season-high with nine combined tackles (eight solo) and two pass deflections as they won 17–14. In Week 2, Lyght recorded seven combined tackles (five solo), one pass deflection, and had the first pick-six of his career after intercepting a pass attempt thrown by Jim Everett and returning it 29–yards for a touchdown during a 13–17 win against the New Orleans Saints. In Week 11, he recorded three solo tackles, tied his season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Kerry Collins as the Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers 17–28. He started in all 16 games and made 84 combined tackles (75 solo), 11 pass deflections, four interceptions, a forced fumble, and one touchdown.
1996 season On February 17, 1996, the St. Louis Rams designated Lyght with their transition tag, making him a restricted free agent and allowing them the opportunity to retain him by matching any contract offers made by any other teams. On April 12, 1996, the Jacksonville Jaguars submitted an offer sheet to sign Lyght with a five–year, $10.50 million contract that included $4.00 million guaranteed. The Rams were given seven days to match or purpose a better offer.
On April 15, 1996, the St. Louis Rams re-signed Lyght to a new five–year $10.70 million contract that included $4.00 million guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $2.31 million. He returned as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season alongside Anthony Parker.
On September 29, 1996, Lyght set a career-high with 17 combined tackles (13 solo) and had one pass break-up during a 28–31 overtime loss at the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 9, Lyght made four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception thrown by Vinny Testaverde for a 25–yard touchdown during a 31–37 loss at the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 16, he recorded six combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Bobby Hebert during a 34–27 victory at the Atlanta Falcons. On December 26, 1996, the St. Louis Rams fired head coach Rich Brooks after they ended the season with a 6–10 record. He started in all 16 games throughout the season and recorded 89 combined tackles (73 solo), 19 pass deflections, five interceptions, and one touchdown.