In the history of the NFL, there have been plenty of fathers and sons (and even grandfathers) who have played in the league.
Currently, Antoine Winfield Jr. is a Pro Bowl safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His father, Antoine Winfield Sr., played in the NFL for 14 years with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.
The one Vikings player on PFF's all-century team isn't Moss or Peterson or Jefferson or Allen. It's Antoine Winfield Sr., who might be one of the more underrated cornerbacks of all time.
More: https://t.co/FXBcES5FYx pic.twitter.com/57JzZI8R9N
— Bring Me The Sports (@BMTNSports) May 18, 2025
The elder Winfield was small for a cornerback, but he more than held his own covering receivers and packed a punch as a tackler.
By the time he retired in 2013, Winfield had almost 1,100 career tackles and 27 interceptions.
He was later named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings.
This is the story of Antoine Winfield Sr.
Dominating in Akron
Antoine Duane Winfield Sr. was born on June 24, 1977, in Akron, Ohio.
His path to the NFL began as a pee-wee ball player and then a do-everything athlete for Garfield High School in Akron, playing for Golden Rams head coach Bill McGee.
Although he was barely five and a half feet tall and weighed between 130 and 165 pounds while in high school, Winfield played tailback and safety equally well.
He was limited to a handful of games during his freshman year because of broken bones in his hand.
When Winfield returned healthy as a sophomore, he became a legend in Akron.
As a tailback, he ran and passed for touchdowns and laid down crushing blocks for his teammates.
“He was just a devastating blocker,” McGee said in 2022.
Winfield could be found on the field for special teams, and he returned more than a few kicks and punts for touchdowns.
On defense, he was a lethal safety who picked off passes and intimidated pass-catchers with thunderous hits.
Stories abound about the number of times fans would stand up and cheer when Winfield lowered the boom.
“Most people who knew him and saw him play would say he was probably the best tackler that they ever saw in high school,” said McGee.
Senior Year
Winfield was already a two-time first-team All-City selection as a sophomore and junior and was named to the All-Ohio Team also as a junior.
Turns out he was just getting warmed up.
During his senior year, Winfield ran the ball 150 times for 1,065 yards (a 7.1 yards-per-carry average) and almost 2,000 all-purpose yards on offense.
National High School Football Hall of Fame 2025 Inductee 26/33
Antoine Winfield Sr, DB
Akron Garfield HS, OH
Post HS career: The Ohio State University, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings pic.twitter.com/m6lIdtTq9O— Seth Bailey (@SethBailey04) January 23, 2025
In the secondary, number 24 blasted ball-carriers 48 times, intercepted three passes, broke up eight passes, and even blocked a punt.
Meanwhile, Garfield High went 10-1 and won the Akron city championship for the third time in Winfield’s four years as a Golden Ram.
Once again, he was named first-team All-City and All-Ohio.
Additionally, Winfield was picked as the Division I Defensive Player of the Year for Ohio and the Akron Beacon-Journal’s Player of the Year.
In 2022, Winfield was added to the Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ohio State
Ohio State University has a history of producing great defensive backs, including Jack Tatum, also known to fans as “The Assassin.”
When Winfield was deciding which college to attend, Shawn Springs was patrolling the secondary for the Buckeyes.
So, it didn’t take much convincing by then-head coach John Cooper to lure Winfield the two hours from his home in Akron to Columbus, Ohio, in 1995.
When he reported for fall camp that summer, the Buckeyes were loaded.
The roster included such names as Terry Glenn, Eddie George, Orlando Pace, Luke Fickell, Mike Vrabel, and the secondary had Winfield, Springs, and Ahmed Plummer.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was named All-America First Team by the FWAA. He becomes the program's seventh (third in 57 years) unanimous All-American. Winfield also joins his father, Antoine Winfield Sr., who achieved unanimous status at Ohio State in 1998.
📰: https://t.co/7luTrhzCvY pic.twitter.com/Ov2EkJ9vef
— Daniel House (@DanielHouseMN) December 19, 2019
While Ohio State was tearing through an 11-1 regular season, Winfield saw action in every game and made his mark against Purdue on October 21.
During the contest, the corner had 11 total tackles, including nine solo, and brought down Boilermakers quarterback John Reeves two yards short of scoring a touchdown.
His tackle helped preserve a 28-0 shutout win, the only shutout of the season.
Although the Buckeyes lost to Tennessee in the Florida Citrus Bowl to end the year 11-2, Winfield completed his freshman season with 56 combined tackles, five tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles (all three against Pitt on September 23).
All-American
In 1996, Winfield cracked the starting lineup for four games and tallied 47 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and one interception.
OSU went 11-1, including a 20-17 victory over Arizona State in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Not long after the Rose Bowl, Springs decided to leave college a year early and declared for the 1997 NFL Draft.
His decision opened the door for Winfield to become a full-time starter for the Buckeyes.
What came next was a clinic on how to play elite corner at the collegiate level.
Teach youths where All-Pro Bucs SAF Antoine Winfield Jr. came from
Antoine Winfield Sr. (5-8 5/8, 176) was a 2x All-American at Ohio State
🏉1 of 4 in the 2000s with 600+ Tkl, 65+ PD, 15+ Int, 10+ FF
🏉50 Greatest Vikings
🏉1000+ tkls, 27 INT, 14 FF
🏉14 seasons/3x Pro Bowl pic.twitter.com/8YtLYwd31b— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) May 25, 2026
As Ohio State went 10-3 and lost to Florida State in the Sugar Bowl in 1997, Winfield was everywhere all at once.
Even though he was only 5’9” and 180 pounds, he blew up ball carriers to the tune of 100 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble.
Winfield also picked off two passes and broke up a dozen total.
“In all my years of coaching, I have never had a cornerback play his position any better than Antoine in 1997,” Cooper said to the media.
The corner’s effort was so outstanding that Winfield’s teammates named him the team’s MVP, and he was also selected as a first-team All-Big Ten member and a first-team All-American.
Thorpe Winner
If 1997 was Winfield’s coming-out party, 1998 would be his coronation as one of the top defenders in the nation.
Before the season began, his teammates picked Winfield as their team captain.
He took the role seriously and helped take OSU for a ride.
The Buckeyes went 11-1 in the regular season, with the lone loss against Michigan State, and defeated Texas A&M 24-14 in the Sugar Bowl.
Winfield started 12 games and had 75 total tackles, including five for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Opposing QBs were hesitant to throw to his side of the field, resulting in zero interceptions that season.
The lack of picks didn’t matter to the college awards committee, which chose Winfield as the Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in the nation, the first Buckeye in school history to receive the award.
Before he played 14 seasons in the NFL, the 5'9" Antoine Winfield Sr was an All-American & 1998 Jim Thorpe Award Winner for THE @OhioStateFB#AntoineWinfieldSr #DBU #OhioStateBuckeyes #Throwback #CollegeFootball #CampusLegends #AllAmerican #DefensiveBack #FactualOpinionsPodcast pic.twitter.com/LEUQN4eiXY
— Factual Opinions Podcast (@PodcastFactual) July 15, 2023
He also received the Jack Tatum Award as the best DB in the country.
Furthermore, Winfield was again named first-team All-Big Ten and selected as a Unanimous All-American.
During his four years in Columbus, Winfield posted 278 combined tackles, 224 solo tackles (becoming the first non-linebacker in team history to net 200 solo tackles in a career), 22 tackles for a loss, five sacks, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three interceptions.
In 2014, he was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame.
First-Round Pick
Although he was a small corner and would be asked to cover taller receivers in the NFL, pro scouts loved Winfield’s ability to tackle with menace, yet with precision.
He also wasn’t afraid to cover any receiver, large or small, and could intimidate and lure even the best quarterbacks.
Those signal-callers who tested him usually regretted it.
With that information (and hours of film and scouting in hand), the Buffalo Bills took Winfield with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
#OTD in 1999 the Buffalo Bills take Antoine Winfield with their 1st round pick and Peerless Price their 2nd. pic.twitter.com/9UZzyAfg5h
— ThisDateInBuffaloSportsHistory (@BuffSportsHstry) April 17, 2020
By the end of his first training camp, the rookie declared to the media that he had the Bills’ defense down pat and that he was ready to go.
Buffalo’s secondary at the time included veterans Henry Jones and Kurt Shultz (both safeties) and Thomas Smith, a corner.
The competition mostly kept Winfield on the bench, and he started only two games, but still had 62 combined tackles, two interceptions, and six passes defended.
Following the Bills’ 10-6 regular season, the team played against the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round.
The Music City Miracle. (Jan. 8, 2000)
📺: #BUFvsTEN— Tonight 7pm ET on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/4tzdVFUMqq— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) October 13, 2020
During the third quarter of the contest, Winfield picked off a pass thrown by QB Steve McNair.
Late in the game, when it looked like the Bills would advance, the Titans used a trick play on special teams that resulted in the “Music City Miracle” and an improbable 22-16 win.
Moving On
Unfortunately, that would be the last time Winfield played in a postseason game with the Bills.
Following 11 starts for Winfield (and an 8-8 season for Buffalo) in 2000, head coach Wade Phillips was fired, and Gregg Williams took over.
In his three years at the helm, the Bills would only reach a high of eight wins before he was fired following the 2003 season.
Top 50 Fan Favorite Buffalo Bills players voted on by YOU, the fans!
#46—ANTOINE WINFIELD
Follow #50FavoriteBillsPlayers for all the results!#GoBills #BillsMafia #Bills pic.twitter.com/NYjVEhWkF5
— Put Steve Tasker in the Hall of Fame (@HOFSteveTasker) August 16, 2020
Meanwhile, during that same span, Winfield became a consistent starter and racked up tackles and defended passes.
During the ’03 season, the corner had a career-high 109 combined tackles, an interception, a sack, and 11 passes defended.
Then, somewhat surprisingly, he left the Bills as an unrestricted free agent.
Numerous teams were interested in Winfield, and he initially signed a six-year deal with the New York Jets for $30 million and a $10 million bonus.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told the story of how the #Jets nearly signed star DB Antoine Winfield Sr in free agency in 2004, but the #Vikings swooped in last second & stole him away:
‘It was one of the most memorable free agent flips in history.’ 😭
🎙️ Flight Deck Pod #JetUp #SKOL… pic.twitter.com/hamp5ERkjN
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) March 6, 2026
He then backed out of the deal and instead signed with the Minnesota Vikings for six years, $34.8 million, and a $10.8 million bonus.
A Leader in Minnesota
Winfield joined the Vikings in 2004 and joined a secondary that included safeties Brian Russell and Corey Chavous, and head coach Mike Tice started him at corner with Brian Williams.
.@OddsNEndsPod tomorrow with “my man” @DanBarreiroKFAN 9:30am Twin Cities time. Get the hell up and listen in. Lots of great stories including how we signed Antoine Winfield Sr to a @Vikings free agent contract in 2005. #Vikings #SkolVikings @bobsansevere pic.twitter.com/aSu1AtFq69
— Mike Tice (@miketice86) November 10, 2019
As Minnesota went 8-8 and advanced to the divisional round before losing to Philadelphia, Winfield had 88 combined tackles, three interceptions, and eight passes defended.
The following year, the Vikings signed former Washington Redskins corner Fred Smoot and former Green Bay safety Darren Sharper.
Winfield, Smoot, Sharper, and Chavous started, and number 26 had a couple of huge games. They included 14 combined tackles, a pick, and two deflected passes against Detroit in Week 9 and nine total tackles, an interception, and three passes defended in Week 12 against Cleveland.
One of the best corners the Vikings had. Antoine Winfield Sr. pic.twitter.com/1lmXG4EVPX
— Ryan Wathen (@wathen_ryan92) May 22, 2023
For the 2005 season, Winfield had 98 combined tackles, four interceptions, and eight passes defended.
Minnesota didn’t qualify for the postseason in ’05 or 2006, when Winfield started 16 games for the second year in a row and recorded 98 combined tackles, four picks, a pick-six, and a career-high 14 passes defended.
In 2007, (another playoff-less year for Minnesota), the veteran (who was now firmly entrenched as a leader for the Vikings) posted 70 total tackles and an interception in 10 starts.
Recognition At Last
At the start of 2008, Winfield was beginning his 10th NFL season and, despite being one of the best cover men and tacklers in the league, had never sniffed any postseason awards.
Thankfully, that changed in ’08.
Who was a better free agent signing for the Vikings, Pat Williams or Antoine Winfield?
VOTE: http://t.co/Nl92AGvP8Y pic.twitter.com/azIy3yPvFx
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 5, 2015
That year, as the Vikings returned to the postseason with a 10-6 record and a loss to the Eagles in the divisional round, Winfield had a breakout year.
During a contest against New Orleans in Week 5, he blocked a Saints field goal attempt and returned it for a score.
In 2008, Winfield picked off two passes, defended 11 passes, made 96 combined tackles, a career-high two sacks, forced four fumbles, and recovered two fumbles, including returning one for a score.
His stats led to Winfield’s first career recognition as a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro.
“He was the ultimate competitor, the ultimate warrior,” said former Vikings DB coach Joe Woods in 2022. “He’s definitely one of the best secondary players, if not the best, I’ve coached. He had a physical mentality, and he played the game that way. It was like a linebacker playing corner.”
In 2009 and 2010, the corner returned to the Pro Bowl both years (he scored on a pick-six in the 2010 game) after notching a combined 146 tackles, three interceptions, 10 passes defended, three sacks, and a fumble return for a score.
Antoine Winfield, Jr. could make NFL history Sunday (or at least family history).
Winfield Sr. picked off Aaron Rodgers in a Week 4 Vikings win in 2009. If Jr. does it this weekend, it's believed they'd be the first father-son duo to intercept the same QB. #GoBucs #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/bRNn79E7t6
— Grace Remington (@GraceRemiTV) October 16, 2020
Minnesota advanced to the NFC Championship game in 2009 with former Packers quarterback Brett Favre under center, but lost to the Saints, 31-28, in overtime.
Winfield Retires
Winfield was known for packing a punch his entire career and never letting up, even though he was approaching his mid-30s.
The Vikings missed the postseason in 2011 with a paltry three wins, and Winfield was limited by injuries to only five games, 40 tackles, a sack, and an interception.
In 2012, he was back to starting 15 games and playing in all 16 while netting 101 combined tackles, a half-sack, three interceptions, and 13 passes broken up.
Minnesota went 10-6, but lost to Green Bay in the wild-card round.
It turned out that the Packers game would be Winfield’s last.
Former Viking Antoine Winfield will sound the Gjallarhorn prior to #DETvsMIN. pic.twitter.com/WGuTKfBxtw
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 4, 2018
During the following offseason, the Vikings released him after nine seasons.
The Seattle Seahawks signed Winfield a month later, yet released him during final cuts.
Former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield planning to retire after being cut by the Seattle Seahawks.http://t.co/DfLuSNd0ps
— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) September 1, 2013
Had Winfield made the Seahawks, he would have played for a team that went 13-3 in ’13 and won Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos.
Regardless, during Winfield’s 14-year career, he had 1,094 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, two fumbles returned for touchdowns, 27 interceptions for 259 return yards and two pick-sixes, and 117 defended passes.
He was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Vikings.
Life After Football
Since hanging up his cleats, Winfield has pivoted to the business world and owns a CBD distribution and warehouse company.
He and his wife, Erniece, have watched as their oldest son (of three), Antoine Jr., has become one of the best young safeties in the NFL.
After getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Winfield Jr. has already won a Super Bowl, been selected for two Pro Bowls, and been selected as an All-Pro once.
Former #Vikings CB Antoine Winfield Sr. used one phrase to describe his son: “a warrior.” Growing up, #Gophers DB Antoine Winfield Jr., never took his eyes off No. 26. Now, the roles are reversed as a father watches his son chase a similar dream: https://t.co/7JgZxPjnGQ pic.twitter.com/idxMXzclh0
— Daniel House (@DanielHouseMN) August 28, 2018
His six forced fumbles in 2023 co-led the NFL.
“My dad’s been like another coach,” said Winfield Jr. in 2022. “It’s been great having him because he’s a huge part of my success and being able to play at a high level.”
References
https://www.elevenwarriors.com
https://www.democratandchronicle.com
https://www.sports-reference.com
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