Toler Makes NFL History at Saint Paul's
Lawrenceville, VA: April 27, 2009- Saint Paul's College defensive back Gregory Toler was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Toler is the first Saint Paul's player to be drafted into the NFL.
"I am blessed and excited to be starting my professional football
career with the Cardinals," stated Toler, the 2nd defensive back to
be drafted out of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Toler is also the
second player to be drafted from an HBCU and the only player to be
drafted from the CIAA Conference this year.
Toler, a 5ft 11in Washington, D.C. recruit, originally did not have hopes in playing pro ball after missing his chance to earn an athletic scholarship due to poor grades. It was not until Mark Martin, Head Coach for the D.C. explosion, recruited Toler to play on his semipro football team that Toler's luck began to change.
Kevin Grisby, Defensive Coordinator at Saint Paul's, approached Toler soon after with the opportunity he was looking for, a chance to be a college athlete.
"After talking with Toler, I saw he was willing to commit to our football program and his academics here at the College," stated Grisby, a former defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Toler earned first- team All-CIAA and All-CIAA Rookie honors his first year playing left cornerback at the College.
In his last season as senior, Toler led the Conference with 6 pass interceptions, ranked second in NCAA Division II with 19 passes defended and a career-high of 51 tackles, 37 solo. He runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash.
Toler will earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice on May 10, a day that has been a long time coming.
