Thomas Henry Casanova III (born July 29, 1950) is an American former professional football player and politician.
He played six seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) as a safety and was selected to three Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro in 1976.
Casanova attended the Roman Catholic Notre Dame High School in Crowley, Louisiana.
As a senior at Notre Dame, he was chosen to play in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association all-star game.
[1] After high school, Casanova attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he played for the LSU Tigers football team.
Despite missing nearly half the season due to injury, Casanova was again a consensus All-American, earning first-team recognition from the Football Writers Association of America and UPI.
[11] NFL and collegiate coach Pete Carroll has stated that Casanova was one of his all-time favorite players.
After the draft, he received an offer from the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League, which he considered but he ultimately declined, and signed with the Bengals.
Casanova compiled 17 interceptions in his career with the Bengals and scored three touchdowns on defense and one on a punt return.
[19][20] After a single term, Casanova declined to seek reelection and returned to his ophthalmology practice in Crowley.