Rufus French

Rufus French
No. 9
PositionTight end
Personal information
Born (1978-03-15) March 15, 1978
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High schoolAmory (Amory, Mississippi)
CollegeOle Miss
NFL draft1999: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights

Joel Rufus French (born March 15, 1978) is an American former college football player who was a tight end for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was a two-time All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1998.[1] He was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), but never played in a regular season NFL game.

Early life

Joel Rufus French played football and baseball at Amory High School in Amory, Mississippi.[2][3] He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft.[4][5][6]

College career

French chose to play football for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was a unanimous All-American in 1998. French was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1997 and 1998.[7][8][9] He was a finalist for the Conerly Trophy in 1998. French finished his college career with 84 receptions, 814 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[10] He chose to forgo his senior season and enter the 1999 NFL draft.[11][12]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in
(1.91 m)		256 lb
(116 kg)		34 in
(0.86 m)		8+1⁄4 in
(0.21 m)		4.84 s1.67 s2.78 s4.50 s7.78 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)		8 ft 10 in
(2.69 m)		20 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

French signed with the Seattle Seahawks after going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft.[15] He missed the 2000 season while recovering from a knee injury. He was released by the Seahawks on August 5, 2001.[16] French never played in a regular season NFL game.

French was signed by the Green Bay Packers on March 26, 2002.[16] He was released by the Packers on July 23, 2002.[16]

In April 2024, French was charged for his alleged involvement in an over $70 million fraud case.[17][3] French, who managed several durable medical equipment companies, and his co-conspirators used illegally obtained doctors orders to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary medical equipment.[17]

In May 2026, French was sentenced to 196 months in prison and ordered to pay over $110 million in restitution.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Rufus French". olemiss.rivals.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Ford, Craig (April 15, 2024). "Former Ole Miss football player accused of defrauding Medicare". WTVA. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Rufus French". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  5. ↑ "RUFUS FRENCH". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  6. ↑ Elkins, Ashley (May 2, 1996). "Amory's Rufus French may be trying to do it like Bo. Or more a". djournal.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ Hinton, Matt (April 28, 2011). "Tight End: Rufus French, Ole Miss". yahoo.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ Newberry, Paul (December 8, 1998). "No surprises on All-SEC team". thecabin.net. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  9. ↑ "French Named Pre-Season Football All-America". olemisssports.com. July 9, 1998. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Rufus French". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Weekend update". thecabin.net. January 4, 1999. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Rebs' French will bypass senior season". thecabin.net. Associated Press. January 3, 1999. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Rufus French College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Rufus French Combine Results". NFLCombineResults.com. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ Allen, Percy (June 16, 1999). "Seahawk Notebook -- Undrafted French Has A Lot To Prove". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 "Rufus French". kffl.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  17. 1 2 "Man Charged for Over $70M Medicare Fraud Scheme". United States Department of Justice. April 15, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Former NFL Player Sentenced to Over 16 Years in Prison for $197M Medicare Fraud". justice.gov. May 8, 2026.
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