Neal Tivis

Neal Tivis (born November 18, 1988) is a former American football offensive lineman. He played college football at Abilene Christian University. Tivis' National Football League (NFL) aspirations included training with the Dallas Cowboys in 2012 before embarking on a career in arena football. While in arena football, he has been a member of the Utah Blaze, Philadelphia Soul and Beijing Lions.

High school career
Tivis was born in Sanger, Texas where he played as a defensive lineman on the Sanger High School football team. During the 2006 season, Tivis recorded 48 tackles, 7 sacks and 1 pass breakup. He made first team All-District 8-3A offensive tackle and defensive end. Tivis was also a first team All-Area selection and a Class 3A honorable mention All-State pick before graduating in 2007.

College career
Tivis played for the Abilene Christian Wildcats from 2007 to 2011. He was the team's starter his final two years and helped the Wildcats to 39 wins. He played in 47 games during his career including 23 starts at tackle. Tivis was named Second Team All-Lone Star Conference as a junior and First Team All-Lone Star Conference as a senior.

Professional career
Tivis was invited to the Dallas Cowboys rookie mini-camp as an undrafted free agent, but was not offered a contract.

Utah Blaze
On June 14, 2012, Tivis was assigned to the Utah Blaze. Tivis started the final six games of the 2012 season for the Blaze. On November 20, 2012, Tivis was assigned to the Blaze for the 2013 season. On June 13, 2013, Tivis was placed on recallable reassignment, but he was activated the next day. On July 23, 2013, Tivis' season ended when he was placed on injured reserve.

Philadelphia Soul
Tivis was assigned to the Philadelphia Soul following the Blaze's folding at the conclusion of the 2013 season. Tivis helped anchor the offensive line that lead the league in rushing during the 2014, 2015 and 2016. At the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Tivis was named Second Team All-Arena. Tivis helped the Soul to an ArenaBowl XXIX championship. Tivis re-joined the Soul in the middle of the 2017 season on May 16, 2017. On August 26, 2017, the Soul beat the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XXX by a score of 44–40.

Beijing Lions
Tivis was selected by the Beijing Lions of the China Arena Football League (CAFL) in the second round of the 2016 CAFL Draft. Tivis was named an All-Pro North Division All-Star and helped the Lions win the first-ever China Bowl. He is listed on the Lions' roster for the 2018 season.