Paul Lavine: NFL Linebacker, Utah State Star, and Zach LaVine’s Father

Most fans know the name LaVine from the basketball court. A different LaVine earned his name on the football field years earlier, playing linebacker at Utah State, fighting his way into the USFL, and suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks. Here is his full, factual story, on the field and at home.

Who Is Paul Lavine?

He is a former American football linebacker best known for two things: a playing career in the USFL and NFL during the 1980s, and his role as the father of NBA star Zach LaVine. Born on May 1, 1962, in San Bernardino, California, he built a football career on toughness, speed, and discipline before becoming the driving force behind one of the most athletic families in American sports.

Below is a quick-reference table covering the essential facts.

Early Life and Background

He grew up in San Bernardino, California, in a household where hard work was expected, not optional. From a young age, he showed natural speed and physical strength, and local coaches quickly noticed his instinct for contact sports.

That early discipline became the foundation for his entire athletic path. He played multiple sports as a kid, but football rewarded his combination of size and aggression the most. By high school, his reputation as a hard-hitting defender had already reached area college scouts, which opened the door to a scholarship offer.

College Football Career at Utah State

Paul Lavine played college football for the Utah State Aggies in the early 1980s. He lined up as a linebacker, a position that rewards physical toughness, sharp instincts, and quick decision-making under pressure, and he fit the role naturally.

During his college years, he also recorded kick return statistics in 1983, showing he brought more to the field than just defensive plays. Coaches valued him as a dependable, physical player who never avoided contact. Utah State’s program at the time was not a national powerhouse, which meant every player had to earn snaps through effort rather than reputation. That environment suited him well and helped sharpen the toughness he would later carry into professional football.

His college performance did not produce headline-grabbing stats, but it built the kind of reliable, physical résumé that pro scouts notice when filling out roster depth at linebacker. That reliability, more than flash, is what carried him into the professional ranks.

USFL Career With the Portland Breakers

In 1985, his college performance turned into a professional opportunity when the Portland Breakers of the United States Football League selected him. He played right outside linebacker and wore jersey number 46.

The USFL was a short-lived spring league that operated from 1983 to 1985, competing directly with the NFL for talent and television attention. Playing in that league meant facing NFL-caliber competition without the NFL’s larger stage. The league folded not long after his season with the Breakers, but the experience proved he could compete at a professional level. It also opened the door to an NFL opportunity two years later.

NFL Career With the Seattle Seahawks

He joined the Seattle Seahawks in 1987 during the NFL players’ strike, a period when teams filled rosters with replacement players while veterans walked the picket line. He appeared in three games as a left outside linebacker, wearing jersey number 55.

His NFL stint was brief, but he shared a locker room with established players like Fredd Young and Rico Tipton. According to Pro Football Reference, he did not record a tackle during his time with the Seahawks, though simply reaching an NFL roster remains a rare accomplishment few college athletes ever achieve. He also had a tryout with the Oakland Raiders, though an injury cut that chance short before it could go further.

Playing Style and Position Breakdown

As a linebacker, his job centered on three core skills:

• Reading the offense quickly to diagnose run or pass plays before the snap even finished developing
• Closing speed to reach ball carriers before they gained extra yardage
• Physical toughness to take on blockers and finish tackles in traffic

Standing 6 ft 2 in and weighing 207 lbs, he had the build of a classic 1980s outside linebacker: strong enough to hold the edge against the run, mobile enough to drop into pass coverage when a play called for it. Coaches from that era often praised linebackers who could do both jobs without hesitation, and by most accounts, that versatility was his calling card.

Life After Football

Once his playing days ended, his focus shifted toward family and mentorship. He carried the same work ethic that built his football career into raising his children, particularly through structured, repetitive skill training rather than casual weekend practice.

This approach later became one of the most talked-about parts of his story, since it directly shaped his son Zach’s path to the NBA. Former teammates and family friends have described him as someone who treated backyard drills with the same seriousness he once brought to Saturday practices at Utah State.

Marriage and Family Life

His wife, Cheryl “CJ” Johnson-LaVine, was a competitive softball player before the two built a family together. Their shared athletic background meant both understood what competition, discipline, and long-term training genuinely demanded, and neither treated youth sports as a casual pastime.

Together, they raised four children in a household centered on structure and sport. That environment became the training ground for one of the more athletically accomplished families in recent memory, producing both an NBA All-Star and a collegiate sprinter.

Raising Zach LaVine: A Father’s Training Philosophy

His most widely recognized role today is as the father of Zach LaVine, a two-time NBA All-Star, two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, and Olympic gold medalist. Zach has credited backyard training sessions, including repeated three-point shooting drills, as a key part of his basketball development.

He did not have a basketball background himself, but he applied the same repetition-based, discipline-first training style from his own football days. That transfer of mindset, rather than sport-specific coaching, stands out most in how Paul Lavine shaped his son’s career. Consistency mattered more to him than talent alone, and he pushed that message early and often.

Influence on Zach LaVine’s NBA Career

Zach LaVine has spoken publicly about the role his father played in building his competitive mentality. The training habits instilled early on, consistency, repetition, and refusing to skip fundamentals, carried directly into Zach’s professional habits as an NBA player with the Chicago Bulls and now the Sacramento Kings.

This family connection is a major reason search interest in Paul Lavine has grown alongside his son’s basketball success. Fans researching Zach LaVine’s background consistently want to understand the man behind the player, and his football roots offer that missing context.

Other Children and Family Achievements

Zach is not the only athlete in the family. Camryn LaVine became a competitive sprinter, winning a conference title in the 200-meter race at Golden West Junior College before continuing her track career at Cal State LA across the 100m, 200m, and 400m events.

This pattern across multiple children reflects the training environment built at home, one where athletic development was a daily expectation rather than an occasional activity. It also reinforces why his own athletic background, not just Zach’s talent alone, gets credited so often in family profiles.

Legacy Today

His own football career was short by professional standards, three NFL games and one USFL season, but his broader legacy runs through his family. He is remembered less for individual stats and more for the discipline he built into his household, discipline that produced an NBA All-Star and a collegiate sprinter.

For football historians, he represents a small but real piece of USFL and 1987 replacement-player history. For basketball fans, he represents the foundation behind Zach LaVine’s game, and for many readers, that dual identity is exactly why his story keeps resurfacing.

FAQs

1. Who is Paul Lavine? 

He is a former American football linebacker who played college football at Utah State, professional football in the USFL with the Portland Breakers, and briefly in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He is also widely known as the father of NBA star Zach LaVine.

2. Did Paul Lavine play in the NFL? 

Yes. He played three games for the Seattle Seahawks in 1987 as a replacement player during the NFL players’ strike, lining up at left outside linebacker.

3. What team did Paul Lavine play for in the USFL? 

He played for the Portland Breakers in 1985 as a right outside linebacker, wearing jersey number 46.

4. Is Paul Lavine related to Zach LaVine? 

Yes. He is Zach LaVine’s father. Zach is a two-time NBA All-Star, two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, and Olympic gold medalist.

5. What college did Paul Lavine attend? 

He attended Utah State University, where he played linebacker for the Aggies in the early 1980s and also recorded kick return stats in 1983.

6. Who is Paul Lavine’s wife? 

He is married to Cheryl “CJ” Johnson-LaVine, a former competitive softball player. Together they raised four children, including Zach LaVine and sprinter Camryn LaVine.

Conclusion

His own playing career lasted only a handful of professional games, but its impact reaches far beyond a stat sheet. From Utah State to the USFL to a strike-shortened NFL stint, he built a football résumé rooted in toughness and consistency, then carried that same mindset into raising a family of competitive athletes.

If you’re researching Zach LaVine’s background or the LaVine family’s athletic roots, this is the starting point. Explore related profiles on the LaVine family, Zach LaVine’s NBA career, and Camryn LaVine’s track achievements for the complete picture.