Tom Cousineau (born May 6, 1957, in Fairview Park, Ohio) is a former American Football linebacker who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes from 1979 to 1981, and six seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers from 1982 to 1987. Cousineau is best known for being the first overall pick of the 1979 NFL Draft.
Cousineau played high school football at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio and was one of the most highly-recruited football players in the country in his senior year. He graduated in 1975.
Cousineau decided to play college football at Ohio State University where he was a two time All-American and broke a school record with 211 tackles in a single season in 1978. Cousineau also broke a school record for most tackles in a game with 29, was the MVP of the Orange Bowl and played well in the Hula Bowl and is currently second on the school's all-time tackle list with 569, second to Marcus Marek.
Cousineau was drafted first overall in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, who acquired the pick from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade for O.J. Simpson. Cousineau never played a game with the Bills. He instead signed with the Canadian Football League Montreal Alouettes where they offered double the money that the Bills originally offered. Cousineau wanted to return to the NFL, and in 1982 the Houston Oilers attempted to sign him, but the Bills (who still held Cousineau's NFL rights) matched the offer. He was then traded from the Bills to the Cleveland Browns for a first round draft choice (14th overall) in the 1983 NFL Draft.
Cousineau currently stays at home with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters, Kyle and Kacey, and renovates houses. After retiring as a player St. Edward inducted Cousineau to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. On February 8, 2006, Cousineau announced plans to run for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives as a Republican in the Akron, Ohio area. He won the May primary but lost the November election to Democrat Brian Williams by a margin of 58% to 42%. On April 20, 2009, Cousineau joined the St.Vincent-St.Mary High School football coaching staff as a linebackers coach.
Taken from Wikipedia