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Jay Bouwmeester

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Jay Bouwmeester

Jay Daniel Bouwmeester (born September 27, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues. He was a first round selection, third overall, of the Panthers at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2003 and played seven seasons in the Panthers organization before being traded to the Calgary Flames in 2009, with which he played four seasons. Bouwmeester was then traded to the Blues in 2013. He held one of the longest iron man streaks in NHL history as he appeared in 737 consecutive regular season games between 2004 and 2014.

He played in the 2007 and 2009 NHL All-Star Games.[1] Bouwmeester won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Blues in 2019, becoming the twenty-ninth member of the Triple Gold Club.

Internationally, Bouwmeester has represented Canada numerous times. He appeared in three consecutive World Junior Championships between 2000 and 2002, winning a silver and two bronze medals. He made his debut with the senior national team in 2003, winning the first of two consecutive World Championship titles. Bouwmeester was a member of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey championship team and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Early life[edit]

Bouwmeester was born September 27, 1983, in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the son of Dan and Gena Bouwmeester, and has an older sister, Jill.[2] His father is a school teacher and coach in Edmonton, and played defence for the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team.[2] Bouwmeester was a naturally gifted player; his father said he could handle a hockey stick at an early age, and learned to skate shortly after he learned to walk.[3] An all-around athlete, Bouwmeester also played baseball and soccer competitively, and ran track, played volleyball and basketball at school. However, he had natural talent for hockey and learned to play on a backyard hockey rink his father maintained and in the basement of the family home.[2] As a youth, he played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Edmonton.[4]

Playing career[edit]

Junior[edit]

Bouwmeester played bantam and midget hockey with the Edmonton South Side Athletic Club, winning the Alberta midget championship in 1997–98.[5] He was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers first overall at the Western Hockey League‘s (WHL) 1998 Bantam Draft,[6] and appeared in eight games with the Tigers in the 1998–99 WHL season.[7]

He joined the Tigers full-time in 1999–2000, scoring 34 points in 64 games as a 16-year-old. His offensive totals improved in his next two WHL seasons: 53 in 2000–01 and 61 in 2001–02.[8] He was named to the WHL’s East All-Star team,[9] and was considered a candidate to be selected first overall at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.[10] Instead, he was taken third overall by the Florida Panthers, behind Rick Nash and Kari Lehtonen.[11]

Florida Panthers[edit]

Bouwmeester made his NHL debut with the Panthers at the start of the 2002–03 Season, and appeared in all 82 games for Florida, a franchise rookie record.[7] He scored his first NHL goal on November 11, 2002, against the Chicago Blackhawks,[12] and finished the season with 4 goals and 16 points.[8] He was named to the 2003 NHL All-Rookie Team on defence.[7]

Bouwmeester with the Florida Panthers in 2005

He improved to 20 points in 61 games in 2003–04, though he missed 18 games with a foot injury.[13] The 2004–05 NHL lockout forced him to play in the American Hockey League (AHL) that season. He joined the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, but experienced difficulties adapting to playing in the minor leagues.[14] Despite struggling to generate offence, Bouwmeester participated in the AHL All-Star Game, and was loaned to the Chicago Wolves when it became evident the Rampage would not qualify for the playoffs.[15] Bouwmeester and the Wolves reached the Calder Cup Finals,[16] where they lost to the Philadelphia Phantoms.

Bouwmeester experienced a break-out season after the NHL resumed play in 2005–06, scoring 5 goals, 41 assists and 46 points in 82 games, all career highs,[7] and was invited to join Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in place of injured defenceman Scott Niedermayer.[17] He made news that off-season in his hometown of Edmonton when he was arrested for driving under the influence, a charge he pleaded guilty to the following summer.[18]

Bouwmeester again appeared in all 82 games for the Panthers in 2006–07 and set a new career high with 12 goals.[7] He appeared in his first NHL All-Star Game, representing the Panthers in the game held in Dallas, Texas.[19]

Bouwmeester improved again to 15 goals in 2007–08 while again playing in every game for the Panthers, and led the NHL in average ice time at 27:28 minutes per game.[7] He signed a new one-year, $4.875 million contract as a restricted free agent following the season, turning down the Panthers’ long-term offers in the hopes of becoming an unrestricted free agent at the expiry of his new contract.[20]

Another 15-goal season followed in 2008–09. He played in all 82 games and succeeded Andrew Brunette as the NHL’s ironman when the latter player was forced out of the Minnesota Wild line-up with injury.[21] He appeared in his second All-Star Game, scoring a goal.[22] As the season approached its end, the Panthers were fighting for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but were unable to convince Bouwmeester to sign a contract extension. Despite numerous offers from other teams for his services, Florida general manager Jacques Martin chose not to trade Bouwmeester.[23] He and the Panthers struggled to end the season and failed to qualify for the playoffs.[24]

Calgary Flames[edit]

Bouwmeester played for the Flames for three and a half seasons.

Unable to come to terms with Bouwmeester, the Panthers traded his negotiating rights to the Calgary Flames in exchange for the negotiating rights to defenceman Jordan Leopold and a third-round draft pick (used to select Josh Birkholz) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[25] The trade gave the Flames four days with which they had exclusive rights to negotiate with Bouwmeester before he became an unrestricted free agent and gained the ability to negotiate with any team. Hours before that deadline expired, Bouwmeester and the Flames agreed to a five-year, $33 million contract.[26]

The Flames struggled to score for much of the 2009–10 NHL season, and Bouwmeester was no exception—he finished the year with just three goals and rarely served as an offensive catalyst for Calgary.[27] However, he did not miss a game for the Flames and while his consecutive games played streak sat at 424 following the season,[28] Bouwmeester also held the active record for most games played without reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs, at 553.[29] He continued to score at a rate below his time in Florida, recording 24 points in 2010–11 and 29 in 2011–12. He led the team in ice time both years, averaging nearly 26 minutes per game.[30] Bouwmeester broke the NHL record for consecutive games played by a defenceman on March 15, 2011, when he appeared in his 486th consecutive game, surpassing Kārlis Skrastiņš.[31]

St. Louis Blues[edit]

Calgary failed to reach the playoffs in both seasons, and while Bouwmeester’s offensive production increased in the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season—he had 6 goals and 15 points in 33 games for Calgary and again led the team in ice time—he also reached 750 career games without appearing in the playoffs.[32] With the Flames entering a rebuilding phase, Bouwmeester agreed to waive his no-trade clause and accepted a trade on April 1, 2013. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospects Mark Cundari, Reto Berra and a first-round draft pick in 2013.[33] He described leaving Calgary as “bittersweet”, calling the city a great place to play, but expressed hope he would finally reach the playoffs with the Blues.[32] He achieved this goal after the Blues clinched a playoff spot in their third-last game of the season, and the 762nd of Bouwmeester’s career. In so doing, he avoided breaking Olli Jokinen‘s NHL record of 799 career games before making his playoff debut (Jokinen was surpassed by Ron Hainsey two years later).[34]

The Blues and Bouwmeester agreed to a five-year, $27 million contract extension prior to the 2013–14 season.[35] He recorded 37 points for the Blues during the season, his highest total since 2008–09 with the Panthers.[36] Bouwmeester’s iron man streak ended early in the 2014–15 season after he missed the Blues’ November 23, 2014, contest against the Winnipeg Jets. He suffered a “lower body injury” after skating into a rut in the ice in the previous game against the Ottawa Senators. The streak ended at 737 consecutive games, the fifth-longest in NHL history at that date.[37]

After 1,112 career games, Bouwmeester was made a healthy scratch for the first time on October 20, 2018, a 4–1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[38][39] Bouwmeester returned to the lineup the next game.[40][41] Bouwmeester and the Blues struggled during the first half of the season, ultimately replacing head coach Mike Yeo with Craig Berube, but had a late-season turnaround and ultimately clinched a playoff berth on March 29, 2019. On April 8, 2019, the Blues re-signed Bouwmeester (a pending unrestricted free agent) to a one-year, $3.25 million contract extension.[42] The Blues late-season turnaround culminated with a victory in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, the first in the St. Louis Blues’ 52-year history. Bouwmeester recorded 7 assists in 26 playoff games while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game.[43] Now having won the Stanley Cup, Bouwmeester became the twenty-ninth member of the Triple Gold Club, having won two gold medals in World Championships and an Olympic gold medal previously.[44]

In-game cardiac arrest and retirement[edit]

On February 11, 2020, during the first period of a game versus the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Bouwmeester went into cardiac arrest[45][46] and collapsed on the bench during a television time out following a long shift with the score tied 1–1 at the time. The remainder of the game (which was a 4–2 win for St. Louis) was played on March 11.[47] On February 14, 2020, Bouwmeester had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) procedure to restore his heart’s normal rhythm.[48]

Similar incidents have been seen in the NHL in the 21st century. Jiří Fischer of the Detroit Red Wings suffered a cardiac arrest on the bench during a game in November 2005, and Rich Peverley, at the time a member of the Dallas Stars, also suffered a cardiac arrest on the bench during a game in March 2014. In November 2016, Craig Cunningham collapsed from cardiac arrest during a pre-game skate while playing for the Arizona Coyotes‘ AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. All three players survived the incidents.

Bouwmeester officially announced his retirement from hockey on January 11, 2021, exactly 11 months after his cardiac arrest incident.[49]

International play[edit]

 
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Finland
Gold medal – first place 2004 Czech Republic
Silver medal – second place 2008 Canada
Canada Cup / World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2004 Toronto (final)
Gold medal – first place 2016 Toronto
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2002 Czech Republic
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Russia

Bouwmeester played in three World Junior Championships with the Canadian junior team. He became the youngest player to ever represent Canada at the tournament when he won a bronze medal at the 2000 tournament at the age of 16 years, 3 months.[3] He recorded two assists in 2001 as Canada won another bronze medal. In 2002, Bouwmeester and the Canadian team won the silver medal, losing the championship game to Russia, 5–4.[7]

Bouwmeester’s first appearance with the senior team came at the 2003 World Championships. He finished second in scoring amongst defencemen with seven points,[50] and was named the tournament’s best defenceman and an all-star as he helped Canada win the gold medal.[51] Bouwmeester won a second gold medal at the 2004 World Championship, contributing three points in nine games.[52] He scored the championship winning goal in a 5–3 victory over Sweden.[53] He was a late addition to Canada’s entry at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, invited to replace the injured Chris Pronger.[54] He appeared in four games as Canada won the tournament.[8][55]

Bouwmeester again joined the team as an injury replacement at the 2006 Winter Olympics after Scott Niedermayer was forced out of the tournament.[56] He appeared in six games, scoring no points, as Canada lost in the quarter-finals.[57] Bouwmeester appeared again with the national team at the 2008 World Championship. He played in all nine games,[58] settling for the silver medal after Russia defeated Canada in the final.[59]

Bouwmeester participated in Canada’s summer camp in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics,[60] but his struggles in the weeks leading up the team being announced resulted in his being left off the final roster.[61] However, he was selected as a reserve by Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics should an injury occur during the tournament.[62] Bouwmeester played in all six of Canada’s games at the 2014 Winter Olympics, contributing one assist and winning the gold medal.

Playing style[edit]

Bouwmeester is best known for his skating ability. His coach with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Rick Carriere, said his ability to move the puck up the ice and score meant Bouwmeester could have played in the NHL at the age of 15.[3] He is a capable offensive player from his defensive position and frequently joined offensive rushes while with Florida, but failed to do so as often in his first season in Calgary, resulting in much lower offensive output.[63] The Hockey News commentator Ken Campbell argued it has prevented him from becoming one of the game’s elite defencemen.[3] He is frequently among the NHL leaders in ice time per game and one of the most durable.[64]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1998–99 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 8 2 1 3 2 — — — — —
1999–00 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 64 13 21 34 26 — — — — —
2000–01 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 61 14 39 53 44 — — — — —
2001–02 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 61 11 50 61 42 — — — — —
2002–03 Florida Panthers NHL 82 4 12 16 14 — — — — —
2003–04 San Antonio Rampage AHL 2 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2003–04 Florida Panthers NHL 61 2 18 20 30 — — — — —
2004–05 San Antonio Rampage AHL 64 4 13 17 50 — — — — —
2004–05 Chicago Wolves AHL 18 6 3 9 12 18 0 0 0 14
2005–06 Florida Panthers NHL 82 5 41 46 79 — — — — —
2006–07 Florida Panthers NHL 82 12 30 42 66 — — — — —
2007–08 Florida Panthers NHL 82 15 22 37 72 — — — — —
2008–09 Florida Panthers NHL 82 15 27 42 68 — — — — —
2009–10 Calgary Flames NHL 82 3 26 29 48 — — — — —
2010–11 Calgary Flames NHL 82 4 20 24 44 — — — — —
2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 82 5 24 29 26 — — — — —
2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 33 6 9 15 16 — — — — —
2012–13 St. Louis Blues NHL 14 1 6 7 6 6 0 1 1 0
2013–14 St. Louis Blues NHL 82 4 33 37 20 6 0 1 1 2
2014–15 St. Louis Blues NHL 72 2 11 13 24 6 0 0 0 2
2015–16 St. Louis Blues NHL 72 3 16 19 18 20 0 4 4 24
2016–17 St. Louis Blues NHL 81 1 14 15 28 11 0 0 0 4
2017–18 St. Louis Blues NHL 35 2 5 7 16 — — — — —
2018–19 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 3 14 17 40 26 0 7 7 18
2019–20 St. Louis Blues NHL 56 1 8 9 20 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,240 88 336 424 635 75 0 13 13 50

Marty Straka

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Marty Straka

Martin Straka (born September 3, 1972) is a Czech former ice hockey center who most recently played for HC Plzeň 1929 of the Czech Extraliga. He is also the club’s general manager and co-owner, having bought a 70% share of the team in 2009.[1] Straka played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1992 until 2008 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.

Playing career[edit]

Straka was drafted 19th overall by the Penguins in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, and has played for several teams throughout his 15-year NHL career. After a productive first full season with the Penguins, the shortened 1994-95 season saw him produce only 4 goals and 16 points in 31 games, following which Straka was traded to the Ottawa Senators on April 7, 1995 for Norm MacIver and Troy Murray. The following season, on January 23, 1996, less than a year after being traded to Ottawa, he was traded again. Straka was traded to the New York Islanders in a three-way, five-player deal between Ottawa, New York and the Toronto Maple Leafs, that involved Straka, Kirk Muller, Ken Belanger, Don Beaupre, Bryan Berard, Damian Rhodes and Wade Redden. He would be placed on waivers and claimed by the Florida Panthers on March 15, 1996. Florida would not re-sign Straka after the 1996–97 season, which made him an unrestricted free agent. He then returned to Pittsburgh beginning in 1997–98.

In 1998-99 he set new career highs, logging 35 goals and 48 assists, but his second season was less successful, but he had established himself as one of the leagues premiere two-way players due to his explosive speed and on-ice vision. With the return of Mario Lemieux he would go on to have a career year during the 2000–2001 season for Pittsburgh as he amassed 27 goals and 95 points and in 82 games.

In the following season of 2001-02 his speedy reputation would be called into jeopardy after a season-ending injury in the form of a broken leg, an injury which would take him years to fully recover from. On November 30, 2003, in a cost-cutting move, the Penguins would deal Straka to the Los Angeles Kings for Russian prospect Sergei Anshakov and defenceman Martin Strbak. Straka would later sign as a free agent by the Rangers on August 2, 2005 and went on to have two productive 70 point seasons. On January 17, 2007, despite reports that he was considering retirement, Straka signed a one-year contract extension for the 2007–08 season.

On February 16, 2008 in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, Straka assisted on a goal to record his 700th NHL point.

He was a part of the gold medal-winning Olympic team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He also won gold in the 2005 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships in Vienna.

In July 2008, Straka returned home to the Czech Extraliga, signing a one-year deal with HC Lasselsberger Plzeň (now HC Plzeň 1929).[2]

In the 2012–13 season, he won with HC Škoda Plzeň Czech Extraliga title. He scored a winning goal in 7th final play-off game versus PSG Zlín in second overtime.

On March 28, 2014, Straka announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1988–89 TJ Škoda Plzeň CSSR U18 34 37 34 71 42 — — — — —
1989–90 TJ Škoda Plzeň CSSR 1 0 3 3 — — — — — —
1990–91 HC Škoda Plzeň CSSR 47 7 24 31 6 — — — — —
1991–92 HC Škoda Plzeň CSSR 50 27 28 55 20 14 4 4 8 —
1992–93 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 4 4 3 7 0 — — — — —
1992–93 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 42 3 13 16 29 11 2 1 3 2
1993–94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 84 30 34 64 24 6 1 0 1 2
1994–95 HC Interconnex Plzeň CZE 19 10 11 21 18 — — — — —
1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 31 4 12 16 16 — — — — —
1994–95 Ottawa Senators NHL 6 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
1995–96 Ottawa Senators NHL 43 9 16 25 29 — — — — —
1995–96 New York Islanders NHL 22 2 10 12 6 — — — — —
1995–96 Florida Panthers NHL 12 2 4 6 6 13 2 2 4 2
1996–97 Florida Panthers NHL 55 7 22 29 12 4 0 0 0 0
1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 75 19 23 42 28 6 2 0 2 2
1998–99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 35 48 83 26 13 6 9 15 6
1999–00 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 71 20 39 59 26 11 3 9 12 10
2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 27 68 95 38 18 5 8 13 8
2001–02 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 13 5 4 9 0 — — — — —
2002–03 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 60 18 28 46 12 — — — — —
2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 22 4 8 12 16 — — — — —
2003–04 Los Angeles Kings NHL 32 6 8 14 4 — — — — —
2004–05 HC Lasselsberger Plzeň CZE 45 16 18 34 76 — — — — —
2005–06 New York Rangers NHL 82 22 54 76 42 4 0 0 0 2
2006–07 New York Rangers NHL 76 29 41 70 24 10 2 8 10 2
2007–08 New York Rangers NHL 65 14 27 41 22 10 3 7 10 16
2008–09 HC Lasselsberger Plzeň CZE 51 22 30 52 20 17 8 13 21 2
2009–10 HC Plzeň 1929 CZE 35 17 26 43 32 6 2 2 4 4
2010–11 HC Plzeň 1929 CZE 51 17 44 61 12 4 3 2 5 0
2011–12 HC Plzeň 1929 CZE 51 17 30 47 20 12 2 11 13 4
2012–13 HC Škoda Plzeň CZE 47 15 39 54 18 20 8 12 20 8
CZE totals 299 114 198 312 196 59 23 40 63 18
NHL totals 954 257 460 717 360 106 26 44 70 52

 

Andre Rison

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Andre Previn Rison (born March 18, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League (NFL)’s Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League (CFL)’s Toronto Argonauts. Rison was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, from 1990 to 1993 and once again in 1997.

Rison won a Super Bowl championship with the Packers in 1997 over the New England Patriots, scoring the first points of the game on a 54-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Brett Favre. He also won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. He is one of the few players to win professional football championships in both the United States and Canada. He was released by the Argonauts during the 2005 CFL season. He holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with 7 teams.

He was a star player at Flint Northwestern High School and in college at Michigan State University. As a senior at Michigan State, Rison had 30 receptions for 709 yards and 5 touchdowns; he was a prominent contributor to the 1987 Michigan State squad that won the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1988.

During the early portion of his career, he received the nickname “Bad Moon” Rison, a reference to the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Bad Moon Rising. Michael Adler is credited with giving the nickname to Chris Berman. When he played for the Chiefs, he had the nickname “Spiderman“.

Reggie Wayne

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Reggie Wayne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reggie Wayne
refer to caption

Wayne in 2023
Indianapolis Colts
Position: Wide receivers coach
Personal information
Born: November 17, 1978 (age 44)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school: John Ehret (Marrero, Louisiana)
College: Miami (FL) (1997–2000)
NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 1,070
Receiving yards: 14,345
Receiving average: 13.4
Receiving touchdowns: 82
Player stats at NFL.com

Reginald Wayne[1] (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the Colts in the first round (30th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Wayne was a member of the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI]. He ranks second in Colts’ franchise history to Marvin Harrison in major receiving categories: receptions, receiving yards, targets, and receiving touchdowns. On December 14, 2014, Wayne played in both his 209th game and his 142nd win as a member of the Colts, breaking the franchise records set by Peyton Manning.[2]

Early life[edit]

Wayne is the youngest of three sons. His father, Ralph, is a former linebacker for Grambling State.[3][4] A New Orleans Saints fan in his youth, he was more interested in baseball growing up but chose football by the time he attended John Ehret High School.[5][6]

College career[edit]

Wayne attended the University of Miami, where he was a four-year starter for the Hurricanes.[7] He set a school record of 173 career catches (including 36 consecutive games with a reception).[8] He is one of only five wide receivers in school history to post 20 or more touchdowns in his career, along with Michael Irvin, Lamar Thomas, Leonard Hankerson, and Andre Johnson. Wayne’s 48 receptions during the 1997 season set a school record for freshmen, which still stands today. Wayne also ran track and field at the University of Miami, where he recorded a personal best of 21.87 seconds in the 200 meters. Wayne graduated with a degree in liberal arts; his roommate was future Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed.[9][10] Wayne was also teammates with future Indianapolis Colts teammate Edgerrin James while at ‘The U’.[11]

College statistics[edit]

Season Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD
1997 11 10 48 640 13.3 2
1998 9 9 42 629 15.0 4
1999 12 12 40 486 12.1 4
2000 11 11 43 755 17.5 10
Total 43 42 173 2,510 14.3 20

Wayne was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at their 43rd Annual Induction Banquet held on March 24, 2011.[12]

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)		 198 lb
(90 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.45 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

Indianapolis Colts[edit]

Wayne fights for the ball in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2007

Wayne was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the 30th selection in the 2001 NFL Draft, the sixth of 34 wide receivers taken in a draft class that included eight future pro-bowlers at the position.[15] He was expected to eventually complement the Colts’ other star receiver, Marvin Harrison. He played all 211 games of his career for the Colts.[16]

2001 season[edit]

Wayne made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.[17] He made his first NFL reception in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders.[18] As a rookie, Wayne caught 27 passes for 345 receiving yards. He only made nine starts and missed three games altogether due to a high ankle sprain.[19][17]

2002 season[edit]

In Week 3, against the Houston Texans, Wayne scored his first NFL touchdown on a 43-yard reception from Peyton Manning.[20] In Week 10, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 35–13 victory, his first game going over the 100-yard mark.[21] In Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, he had five receptions for 103 yards.[22] In Week 16 against the New York Giants, he had six receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns.[23] In his second NFL season, Wayne caught 49 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games and seven starts.[24]

2003 season[edit]

In Week 3 of the 2003 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wayne had ten receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the 23–13 victory.[25] In Week 8, in a 30–21 victory over the Houston Texans, he had two receiving touchdowns.[26] In Week 11, against the New York Jets, he had nine receptions for 141 yards in the 38–31 victory.[27] In the 2003 season, Wayne caught 68 balls for 838 yards and seven touchdowns.[28]

Wayne recorded a receiving touchdown in both of the Colts’ playoff victories in the Wild Card Round against the Denver Broncos and the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs.[29][30]

2004 season[edit]

In Week 2 of the 2004 season, Wayne had seven receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown in the 31–17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.[31] In Week 3, he had 11 receptions for 184 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 45–31 win over the Green Bay Packers.[32] In Week 8, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had six receptions for 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns.[33] In Week 11 against the Chicago Bears, he had six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown in the 41–10 victory.[34] In the 2004 season, Wayne caught 77 passes for 1,210 yards and 12 touchdowns during a season in which Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a then-record 49 touchdowns.[35][36] Wayne had ten receptions for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card Round, the third-most receiving yards in a postseason game at the time as the Colts beat the Denver Broncos 49–24.[37][38]

2005 season[edit]

In Week 9 of the 2005 season, Wayne had nine receptions for 124 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 40–21 victory over the New England Patriots.[39] In Week 11, he had five receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown in the 45–37 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.[40] In Week 17, against the Arizona Cardinals, the 13–2 Colts rested most of their top players in preparation for the playoffs, and Wayne had zero receptions for the last time in his remaining 134 regular season games.[41][42] In 2005, Wayne had 83 receptions for 1,055 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.[43]

In the playoffs, Wayne had 97 yards, a two-point conversion, and a critical 22-yard reception to set up a potential game-tying field goal in a 21–18 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round.[44]

2006 season[edit]

In 2006, Wayne signed a six-year, $39.5 million contract.[45] In Week 2, Wayne had six receptions for 135 receiving yards in the 43–24 win over the Houston Texans.[46] In Week 7 against Washington, he had seven receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in the 36–22 victory.[47] He had ten receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos.[48] In Week 11, against the Dallas Cowboys, he had seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.[49] In Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had eight receptions for 110 yards.[50] He recorded 86 receptions for 1,310 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.[51] As a result, Wayne was selected to his first Pro Bowl.[52]

In the postseason, Wayne had five receptions in each of the first three games. In the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wayne had a receiving touchdown in the 23–8 victory.[53] In the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, he had five receptions for 51 yards in the 15–6 victory where all of the Colts’ points came from field goals.[54] In the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, he had five receptions for 68 yards in the 38–34 victory, the Colts first over New England in the postseason.[55][56] He helped the Colts defeat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI with a 53-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.[57]

2007 season[edit]

Wayne started off the 2007 season with seven receptions for 115 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints in a 41–10 victory in Week 1.[58] In Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had nine receptions for 131 receiving yards in the 29–7 victory.[59] In Week 8, he recorded seven receptions for 168 yards with a touchdown in a 31–7 win over the Carolina Panthers.[60] In Week 10 against the San Diego Chargers, he had ten receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown.[61] In Week 13, in the Colts’ second divisional game against the Jaguars, he had eight receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown in the 28–25 victory.[62] In Week 16 against the Houston Texans, he had ten receptions for 143 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 38–15 victory.[63] In 2007, Wayne responded to a rash of injuries on the team, including Harrison and tight end Dallas Clark, by setting a then-career-high in receptions (104), and a career-high in yards (1,510).[64] He led the league in receiving yards and was selected to go to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year.[65][66]

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Wayne had a receiving touchdown in the 28–24 loss to the San Diego Chargers.[67]

2008 season[edit]

Wayne opened the 2008 season with a receiving touchdown four of the Colts’ first five games. In that stretch was a eight-catch, 118-yard, one-touchdown game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, a 31–3 victory.[68] In the 2008 season, Wayne posted a Pro Bowl season for the third consecutive year with 82 catches for 1,145 yards and six touchdowns.[69][70] He had a 65-yard score on the opening drive of Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[71] In the Wild Card Round, he had 129 yards including a 72-yard touchdown, but the Colts lost in overtime, eliminated in the first round by the San Diego Chargers for the second consecutive year.[72]

2009 season[edit]

In Week 10 of 2009, Wayne caught the winning touchdown pass with 0:14 left against the New England Patriots in what is now known as the “4th and 2” game.[73] He totaled 100 receptions for 1,264 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns on the season.[74] Wayne was also selected as a starter for the Pro Bowl,[75] but couldn’t play due to the Colts playing in the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XLIV, Wayne had 5 catches for 46 yards, but the Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints 31–17.[76]

2010 season[edit]

Wayne playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010

In 2010, Wayne was second in the NFL receptions with 111 (a career-high), and third in receiving yards with 1,355.[77] During a season where the Colts heavily relied on Peyton Manning to win games, Wayne again cemented himself as one of the top receivers in the NFL. This included a franchise-record 15 receptions which he converted into 196 yards against Jacksonville in Week 4, and 14 receptions for 200 yards in Week 13 against Dallas. Wayne was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors for the first time.[78][79] He was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[80]

2011 season[edit]

Wayne’s numbers were lower than usual in 2011 without Peyton Manning starting at quarterback, though he still led team in receptions (75) and receiving yards (960). He had four touchdown receptions as well.[81] On September 25, 2011, Wayne recorded his 800th catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2012 season[edit]

On March 13, 2012, the Colts re-signed Wayne to a three-year contract.[82] Before the 2012 Week 5 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the news of head coach Chuck Pagano‘s leukemia surfaced. Wayne’s history with Pagano goes back to his college years, where Pagano was the Hurricanes’ defensive backs coach, and Pagano’s hiring as the Colts’ head coach was a large factor in Wayne’s decision to re-sign with Indianapolis. In response, Wayne caught 13 passes for a career-high 212 receiving yards and a game-winning touchdown from rookie quarterback Andrew Luck; Wayne earned the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award due to his performance, the first of his career.[83] In Week 12 against Buffalo Bills, Wayne broke Cris Carter‘s record of consecutive games with three or more receptions with 59 games. He also passed former Washington Redskins receiver Art Monk for 12th on the NFL’s all-time receptions list during the first half.[84] In the 2012 season, Wayne had 106 receptions for 1,355 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.[85] He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl.[86]

During the Wild Card Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Wayne had 114 yards on nine receptions and moved into second in career playoff catches with 92—59 behind leader Jerry Rice. However, the Colts lost the game, 24–9.[87] He was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.[88]

Wayne was selected as the wide receiver for USA Football’s 2012 All-Fundamentals Team, which honors 26 NFL players each year for executing the fundamentals of their position.[89]

2013 season[edit]

In 2013, Wayne again posted 100 yards against Jacksonville in Week 4. In a Week 6 loss to San Diego, Wayne became the ninth player to reach 1,000 career receptions. However, a week later, Wayne tore his ACL; it was announced the next day that he would miss the remainder of the 2013 season. The injury also ended his consecutive games played streak at 189, the third-longest for a wide receiver in NFL history.[90]

2014 season[edit]

With the retirement of Tony Gonzalez, 36-year-old Wayne entered 2014 as the active leader in career receiving yards. He gained 98 more in a season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos, and 119 in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans. In Week 8, Wayne became the ninth receiver in NFL history to record 14,000 receiving yards.[91] He suffered an elbow injury in the game and missed the following week’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[92] Near the conclusion of the Colts’ 2014 season, it was announced that Wayne had played with a torn triceps since Week 6, which would require an offseason surgery to repair.[93] He finished the 2014 season with 64 receptions for 779 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[94]

He had just one reception in the Colts’ three post-season games, concluding his career with franchise records for postseason receptions (93); receiving yards, yards-from-scrimmage, and all-purpose yards (1,254), receiving and total touchdowns (9), games with at least one touchdown (8), and games with 100+ yards receiving (3, shared with Dallas Clark and T. Y. Hilton).[95]

On March 6, 2015, the Colts announced that they would not re-sign Wayne, which made him a free agent on March 10.[96]

Retirement[edit]

Wayne at practice with the New England Patriots, 2015

On August 24, 2015, Wayne signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots worth up to $3 million.[97][98] On September 5, 2015, Wayne requested and was granted his release from the Patriots.[99]

On January 15, 2016, after not playing the entire 2015 season, Wayne announced his retirement from professional football, saying, “It was fun, but it’s time. It’s just time. Whenever you can admit that you’re done, you know you’re done.”[100] At the time of his retirement, he finished his NFL career 7th all-time in career receptions, 8th all-time in receiving yards, and 17th in career touchdown receptions.[101][102][103]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season[edit]

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2001 IND 13 9 27 345 12.8 43 0 — — — — — 0 0
2002 IND 16 7 49 716 14.6 49 4 — — — — — 2 1
2003 IND 16 16 68 838 12.3 57T 7 — — — — — 0 0
2004 IND 16 16 77 1,210 15.7 71T 12 1 −4 −4.0 −4 0 0 0
2005 IND 16 16 83 1,055 12.7 66T 5 — — — — — 1 0
2006 IND 16 16 86 1,310 15.2 51T 9 — — — — — 1 0
2007 IND 16 16 104 1,510 14.5 64 10 1 4 4.0 4 0 3 3
2008 IND 16 16 82 1,145 14.0 65T 6 — — — — — 0 0
2009 IND 16 16 100 1,264 12.6 65T 10 — — — — — 0 0
2010 IND 16 16 111 1,355 12.2 50 6 — — — — — 1 1
2011 IND 16 16 75 960 12.8 56T 4 — — — — — 0 0
2012 IND 16 15 106 1,355 12.8 33 5 1 −5 −5.0 −5 0 1 1
2013 IND 7 7 38 503 13.2 35 2 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0
2014 IND 15 15 64 779 12.2 80 2 — — — — — 1 1
Career 211 197 1,070 14,345 13.4 80 82 4 0 0.0 5 0 10 7

Priest Holmes

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Priest Holmes

Baltimore Ravens[edit]

After graduating from college, he joined Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Holmes spent his entire rookie season as the Baltimore Ravens’ fourth-string running back, behind Bam Morris, Earnest Byner, and Jay Graham.[11] On September 24, 1997, Holmes made his professional regular season debut as part of the special teams unit during a 38-10 victory at the Tennessee Oilers in Week 4. He appeared in seven games as a rookie in 1997.[12]

During training camp in 1998, Holmes competed to be the starting running back after the departures of Bam Morris and Earnest Byner. Head coach Ted Marchibroda named Holmes the third running back on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Errict Rhett and Jay Graham. On September 6, 1998, Holmes had six carries for 23 rushing yards and caught two passes for four receiving yards during a 20-13 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the 1998 season with the Ravens, Holmes rushed for over 1,000 yards (leading the team in rushing) including one 200-plus yard game, the highest single game total of the season.

In the 2000 season, he was supplanted as a starter by rookie running back Jamal Lewis. The Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV with Holmes as their second string halfback.

Kansas City Chiefs[edit]

In 2001, Holmes signed an inexpensive contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first season with the Chiefs, he exceeded expectations by leading the NFL in rushing with 1,555 yards for the 2001 NFL season, becoming the first undrafted player to do so. (Arian Foster was next to accomplish the feat during the 2010 NFL season.)

Despite missing the final two games in the 2002 NFL season because of a hip injury, Holmes rushed for 1,615 yards with 21 touchdowns. In the 2003 NFL season, he broke Marshall Faulk‘s NFL record for total touchdowns in a season with 27, which was subsequently broken by Shaun Alexander with 28 total touchdowns in 2005 and broken again by LaDainian Tomlinson with 31 total touchdowns in 2006.[13] Holmes and Emmitt Smith are the only two running backs in NFL history to have back to back seasons with 20 or more rushing touchdowns. On a pace to repeat the feat in 2004, he suffered an injury that ended his season with 14 touchdowns.

Holmes’s 2005 season was also cut short by an injury to his spinal column from a tackle by Shawne Merriman on October 30, 2005. He was replaced for the season by backup Larry Johnson. During the following off-season, new head coach Herm Edwards promoted Johnson to the starting position. Holmes’s spinal injury did not heal by the end of the 2006 pre-season, and he was placed on the Chiefs’ Physically Unable to Perform list for the season. Larry Johnson took over full-time as the Chiefs’ starting running back.[14] Throughout the 2006 season, Holmes repeatedly said that he would like to return for at least two or three more seasons in the NFL, but that he would not force a comeback if it could be detrimental to his long term health.

Following encouraging medical tests, Holmes reported to the Chiefs’ training camp in July 2007.[14][15] However, the Chiefs did not include him on the roster at the start of the season, listing him on the non-football injury list instead.[16] Michael Bennett was traded at mid-season, and Holmes returned to the Kansas City roster, beginning practice on October 17, 2007. Holmes then completed the comeback four days later, playing in the Chiefs regular season game against the Oakland Raiders, carrying the ball four times. He made his first start since October 30, 2005 against the San Diego Chargers and played in a home game on November 11, 2007 in a 27-11 loss to the Denver Broncos. Holmes led the Chiefs with 20 rushes for 65 yards.[17][18]

Retirement[edit]

Holmes announced his retirement on November 21, 2007 after re-injuring his neck on the previous Sunday, November 18, in a game against the Indianapolis Colts.[19]

Legacy[edit]

Holmes retired as the Chiefs’ all-time leader for career rushing touchdowns (76), total touchdowns (83), and career rushing yards (6,070).[20] His rushing yards record has since been broken by Jamaal Charles. The team inducted Holmes into the Chiefs Hall of Fame during the 2014 season.[21] The induction ceremony took place on November 2 at halftime of a game against the New York Jets.

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season[edit]

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1997 BAL 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1998 BAL 16 13 233 1,008 4.3 56 7 43 260 6.0 25 0
1999 BAL 9 4 89 506 5.7 72 1 13 104 8.0 34 1
2000 BAL 16 2 137 588 4.3 21 2 32 221 6.9 27 0
2001 KC 16 16 327 1,555 4.8 41 8 62 614 9.9 67 2
2002 KC 14 14 313 1,615 5.2 56 21 70 672 9.6 64 3
2003 KC 16 16 320 1,420 4.4 31 27 74 690 9.3 36 0
2004 KC 8 8 196 892 4.6 33 14 19 187 9.8 52 1
2005 KC 7 7 119 451 3.8 35 6 21 197 9.4 60 1
2006 KC 0 0 did not play due to injury
2007 KC 4 2 46 137 3.0 11 0 5 17 3.4 8 0
Career 113 82 1,780 8,172 4.6 72 86 339 2,962 8.7 67 8

Mark Duper

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1982 MIA 2 0 0 0 0 0
1983 MIA 16 51 1,003 19.7 85 10
1984 MIA 16 71 1,306 18.4 80 8
1985 MIA 9 35 650 18.6 67 3
1986 MIA 16 67 1,313 19.6 85 11
1987 MIA 11 33 597 18.1 59 8
1988 MIA 13 39 626 16.1 56 1
1989 MIA 15 49 717 14.6 41 1
1990 MIA 16 52 810 15.6 69 5
1991 MIA 16 70 1,085 15.5 43 5
1992 MIA 16 44 762 17.3 62 7
Career[3] 146 511 8,869 17.4 85 59

Nicknamed “Super Duper”, he played 11 seasons for the Dolphins where his best years came while teamed with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and fellow wide receiver Mark Clayton, the other half of the “Marks Brothers” wide receiver tandem. Duper, who wore #85, was a 3-time Pro Bowl selection in 1983, 1984 and 1986. His best season was 1984, when he had 71 catches, 1306 yards and 8 touchdowns, and in 1986, when he tallied 67 catches, 1313 yards and 11 touchdowns. Duper had four 1,000-yard seasons, with the final one coming in 1991 at age 32, when he posted 1085 yards. In 1990, Duper became only the second Dolphins player to surpass 7,000 career receiving yards. On July 17, 1993, the Dolphins released Duper, after re-hauling their receiving corps bringing in O.J. McDuffie, Irving Fryar, and Mark Ingram Sr., and letting go of the Marks Brothers.[1]

Duper was also a track star, he won in the finals of the 400-meter relay at the 1981 NCAA track and field championships at Northwestern State University, and from the 1980 Olympic trials finished seventh in the 200-meter dash and reached the semifinals of the 100. he competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters, posting personal bests of 10.21 seconds and 20.77 seconds, respectively.

In 11 NFL seasons, he caught 511 passes for 8,869 yards and 59 touchdowns. In 1994, he also appeared in two games with the Miami Hooters of the Arena Football League.

On November 8, 2013, Duper revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[2]

Duper was inducted (with Mark Clayton) into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll on December 15, 2003.

Maurice Jones-Drew

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Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew[1] (born March 23, 1985), often called “MJD“, is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and earned unanimous All-American honors.

Jones-Drew was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, 60th overall, was named to the Pro Bowl three times, and led the NFL in rushing yards in 2011. He played his first eight seasons with the Jaguars, through 2013. In his final season in 2014, he played for the Oakland Raiders.

Following his retirement, Jones-Drew entered broadcasting, serving as a football color analyst for NFL Now and other shows on NFL Network, in addition to hosting for CBS Sports their Monday Night studio show for their UK networks.[2] He is currently the color analyst for the Los Angeles Rams.[3]

Early years[edit]

Born in Oakland, California, Jones-Drew was raised in Antioch and graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord.[4]

De La Salle owns the longest winning streak in high school football history at 151 games.[5] The Spartan football teams that Jones-Drew played on never lost a single game during his three-year varsity career. He was an elusive, high-scoring running back and return specialist on offense and a punishing linebacker on defense. He also played four official college games as a cornerback. Jones-Drew somersaulted into the national consciousness as a high school junior in 2001 when he scored all four of De La Salle’s touchdowns in a 29-15 nationally televised victory over Long Beach Poly on October 6.[6] It was the first game that ever matched up the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked high school football teams.[7] On the Spartans’ opening drive, Jones-Drew received a short pass in the right flat on third-and-eight from the Poly 25-yard line. He broke a tackle and then sprinted down the right sideline before launching a spectacular forward somersault into the end zone.[7] Drew next scored on a 29-yard reception on fourth down in which he ran a circle route out of the backfield down the left sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder touch pass at the goal line from quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Drew’s third touchdown came in the second quarter when he burst through the line, shook off two tacklers, before hitting paydirt 17 yards later. Drew’s final score salted away the historic De La Salle victory. It was a similar effort to his third touchdown and came on a 22-yard run with just under seven minutes remaining. Drew finished with nine carries for 86 yards and three catches for another 79 yards.[citation needed]

During his junior season, Jones-Drew rushed for nearly 2,000 yards, averaged nearly 12 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation in 2003 by Rivals.com.[8] He is pictured outrunning a slew of defenders on the cover of the book When the Game Stands Tall, which chronicles the De La Salle Spartans’ all-time-record 151-game winning streak.[9]

Jones-Drew also ran track for the De La Salle track team and was a member of the Spartans’ 4 x 100 metres relay state championship meet team of 2002, which posted a non-finals-qualifying time of 42.20 seconds during the meet’s preliminaries.[10] At the age of 16, he posted a personal best time of 10.80 seconds in the 100 meters. He also ran for the Bruins’ track team at UCLA.

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yards Avg Lng TD Rec Yards Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2006 JAX 16 1 166 941 5.7 74 13 46 436 9.5 51 2 1 1
2007 JAX 15 0 167 768 4.6 57 9 40 407 10.2 43 0 2 2
2008 JAX 16 3 197 824 4.2 46 12 62 565 9.1 26 2 6 2
2009 JAX 16 16 312 1,391 4.5 80 15 53 374 7.1 19 1 2 1
2010 JAX 14 14 299 1,324 4.4 37 5 34 317 9.3 75 2 2 2
2011 JAX 16 16 343 1,606 4.7 56 8 43 374 8.7 48 3 6 1
2012 JAX 6 5 86 414 4.8 59 1 14 86 6.1 13 1 2 0
2013 JAX 15 15 234 803 3.4 48 5 43 314 7.3 17 0 1 1
2014 OAK 12 1 43 96 2.2 13 0 11 71 6.5 12 0 1 0
Career 126 71 1,847 8,167 4.4 80 68 346 2,944 8.5 75 11 23 10

Warrick Dunne

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Warrick Dunne

Warrick De’Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football for the Florida State Seminoles. Dunn was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 and earned three Pro Bowl selections in his career. After his playing career, Dunn took a minority stake in the Falcons’ ownership group led by Arthur Blank.

Early years[edit]

At Catholic High in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dunn played quarterback, cornerback, and running back. During his sophomore year, he helped lead Catholic High to the state 4A championship game for the first time in its history. He was an All-America honorable mention selection by USA Today as a senior.

On January 7, 1993, two days after Dunn’s eighteenth birthday, his mother, Betty Smothers, a Baton Rouge Police Officer, was murdered while working an off-duty security job. Dunn became the head of his family and raised his siblings. He later met with one of his mother’s killers, Kevan Brumfield, and offered his forgiveness.[1]

College career[edit]

Dunn played college football at Florida State University, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards in 3 straight seasons. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in information studies. He was a three-time All-ACC selection.

Dunn’s jersey, along with those of other Seminoles players such as Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Charlie Ward, Deion Sanders, and Chris Weinke, has been retired by the university. His number (28) may still be worn by Seminole players, but his jersey will be displayed in the Moore Athletic Center at FSU. He also won a national championship in 1993 with Florida State.

Track and field[edit]

Warrick Dunn was also an accomplished track and field star, named as an Associated Press All-American as a member of Florida State’s men’s 4x100m relay team. Dunn competed on the Seminoles’ track & field team as a sprinter during all four years he was enrolled at Florida State. His personal best in the 100 meters is 10.3 seconds.

College statistics[edit]

Season GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds TD
1993 12 68 511 7.5 4 25 357 6
1994 11 152 1,026 6.8 8 34 308 1
1995 11 166 1,242 7.5 13 43 294 3
1996 11 189 1,180 6.2 12 30 355 2
Totals 45 575 3,959 6.9 37 132 1,314 12

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
5 ft 8 in
(1.73 m)		 176 lb
(80 kg)		 30+3⁄4 in
(0.78 m)		 8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)
All values from NFL Combine[2]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers[edit]

Dunn was selected in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[3] Dunn had a highly successful rookie season, was selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team, and named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dunn spent the next four years of his career in Tampa Bay, and was again named to the Pro Bowl in 2000. In game 13 of that season, he had a career-best 210 yards rushing against the Dallas Cowboys (then, 2nd most in franchise history).

Atlanta Falcons[edit]

A free agent in the 2002 offseason, Dunn signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Once again, he made a positive impact on his team with 9 total TDs and in that year, he led the league with a 5.4 yards per carry average. Dunn scored the most rushing touchdowns in his career, 9, in the 2004 season despite splitting carries with T.J. Duckett and also led the team in rushing with 1,106 yards. Having led his team in rushing yards again in 2005, Dunn was named the NFC’s Pro Bowl team, marking his third selection to the team. For his career, Dunn has only missed 10 games and has a total of 2,256 carries for 9,461 yards 43 touchdowns and a 4.2 average. Dunn finished his first 10 seasons with over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. During the 2007 season, with Falcons starting quarterback Byron Leftwich out with a high ankle sprain, Dunn served as the third string emergency quarterback behind Joey Harrington and Chris Redman, a position he played in high school.

On March 3, 2008, the Falcons released Dunn per his request. This came a day after the Falcons signed former San Diego Chargers backup running back Michael Turner.[4] On December 17, 2009, he became a minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)[edit]

On March 10, 2008, Dunn returned to the Buccaneers after signing a two-year, $6 million contract. In week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, Dunn had his first 100-yard game since re-joining the Buccaneers. Dunn was released by the Buccaneers on February 25, 2009.[5] He retired from the NFL 14th all-time in all-purpose yards with 15,306 (20th As of 2020)[1] and 19th in rushing yards with 10,967 (23rd As of 2020).[2]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Year Team GP Rushing Receiving Fumbles
Att Yds Avg Lng TD FD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FD Fum Lost
1997 TB 16 224 978 4.4 76 4 34 39 462 11.8 59 3 18 3 2
1998 TB 16 245 1,026 4.2 50 2 42 44 344 7.8 31 0 22 1 0
1999 TB 15 195 616 3.2 33 0 29 64 589 9.2 68 2 29 3 2
2000 TB 16 248 1,133 4.6 70 8 42 44 422 9.6 45 1 23 1 1
2001 TB 13 158 447 2.8 21 3 20 68 557 8.2 31 3 29 2 2
2002 ATL 15 230 927 4.0 59 7 39 50 377 7.5 31 2 15 4 3
2003 ATL 11 125 672 5.4 69 3 27 37 336 9.1 86 2 14 2 1
2004 ATL 16 265 1,106 4.2 60 9 46 29 294 10.1 59 0 9 3 2
2005 ATL 16 280 1,416 5.1 65 3 65 29 220 7.6 24 1 8 3 1
2006 ATL 16 286 1,140 4.0 90 4 48 22 170 7.7 18 1 11 1 0
2007 ATL 16 227 720 3.2 38 4 34 37 238 6.4 35 0 5 2 2
2008 TB 15 186 786 4.2 40 2 31 47 330 7.0 36 0 11 0 0
Career[6] 181 2,669 10,967 4.1 90 49 457 510 4,339 8.5 86 15 194 25 16

Dave Duerson

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Dave Duerson

David Russell Duerson (November 28, 1960 – February 17, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. As a member of the Bears, he was selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1985 to 1988 and was part of the 1985 defense that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XX. He also played for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals, winning Super Bowl XXV with the former.

At age 50, Duerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Following his request, his brain was sent to the Boston University School of Medicine for research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Neurologists at Boston University confirmed that Duerson had CTE as a result of the concussions he had during his playing career.

Early life[edit]

Born and raised in Muncie, Indiana, Duerson played football, basketball, and baseball at Northside High School. Duerson’s honors during his high school years included the 1979 Indiana Mr. Football.[1]

College career[edit]

Duerson played college football at the University of Notre Dame from 1979 to 1982,[2] and graduated with honors, with a BA in economics. He started all four years for the Fighting Irish, and earned recognition as an All-American in 1981 and 1982. Duerson was a captain and the team’s MVP as a senior in 1982, intercepting seven passes and returning them for 104 yards. He finished his college career with 12 interceptions, which he returned for 256 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 103 punts for 869 yards and 3 kickoffs for 75.[3]

He was the winner of the Edward “Moose” Krause Distinguished Service Award in 1990 by the Notre Dame Monogram Club, of which he was a past president. He was also a member of the University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2005.[2]

Professional career[edit]

Taken in the third round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Duerson was selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls (1986–1989). He won two Super Bowl championship rings, with the 1985 Bears (XX), and 1990 Giants (XXV). During the 1986 season, Duerson set an NFL record that stood for 19 years (Adrian Wilson, 2005) for most sacks in a season by a defensive back, with seven. He also intercepted six passes for 139 yards with a longest return of 38 yards. At season’s end, Duerson was named first-team All-Pro by Pro Football Weekly, the Pro Football Writers Association and The Sporting News and second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. In 1987, Duerson was the recipient of the NFL Man of the Year Award. In his 11 seasons, Duerson recorded 20 interceptions, which he returned for 226 yards, and 16 quarterback sacks. He also recovered five fumbles, returning them for 47 yards and a touchdown.

After football[edit]

Duerson owned three McDonald’s restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky for six months, from late 1994 to April 1995. He purchased the majority interest in Fair Oaks Farms (formerly Brooks Sausage Company) in 1995.[4] He sold his stake in the company in 2002 and started Duerson Foods, but that company was forced into receivership in 2006 and most of its assets were auctioned off.[5]

Death[edit]

Duerson was found dead at his Sunny Isles Beach, Florida[6] home on February 17, 2011. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner reported that Duerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.[7] He sent a text message to his family saying he wanted his brain to be used for research at the Boston University School of Medicine, which is conducting research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease, which can be caused by playing football.[8] He left behind three sons and a daughter from his marriage to ex-wife Alicia.[7] He was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Notre Dame, Indiana.

On May 2, 2011, neurologists at Boston University confirmed that Duerson had had CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[9] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.[10][11]

Ahmad Rashad

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Ahmad Rashad

Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football wide receiver. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL Draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known as Bobby Moore before changing his name in 1973.

Recruited after high school as a wide receiver by the University of Oregon, he played for the Oregon Webfoots. He moved to the running back position and was named to the 1971 College Football All-America Team at that position.

He became professional after being drafted by the Cardinals. Rashad returned to playing as wide receiver, and played for the Cardinals for two seasons. After being traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1974, and sitting out the 1975 season with a knee injury, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks before the 1976 season. They traded him shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Vikings (1976–1982), where he earned four Pro Bowl selections from 1978 to 1981.

Following his retirement from football, Rashad transitioned to television. He worked as a studio analyst, game reporter, and anchor for several sports. Rashad was a panellist on the NFL Live pregame show for NBC, and also notably hosted the National Basketball Association weekly digest shows NBA Inside Stuff (1990–2004) and NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad (2005–2011). He has appeared as a fictionalized version of himself as a television sports personality in several films and television shows. In addition, he has hosted several non-sports related game shows and reality television shows. As of 2021 he is currently a member of the digital content team for the New York Knicks, filming videos for their YouTube channel as well as emceeing events for the team in Madison Square Garden.

Early life[edit]

Born Robert Earl Moore in 1949 in Portland, Oregon, he moved with his family to Tacoma, Washington. There he played high school football. Rashad graduated from Mount Tahoma High School[1] and accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Oregon in Eugene. He played football for the Ducks under head coach Jerry Frei, became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and majored in elementary education at Oregon.[2]

During his junior year in college, Rashad had legal issues in Portland. He was charged with felony theft in November 1970.[3][4][5] He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, a misdemeanor, in early 1971.[6]

In 1972, Moore converted from Pentecostalism to Islam. He had started to study Islam in college.[7] A year later, Bobby Moore legally changed his name to Ahmad Rashād, which means “admirable one led to truth” in Arabic.[8][9] He adopted his last name from his Egyptian-American mentor, biochemist Rashad Khalifa,[10] with whom he studied Arabic.[11] Khalifa was assassinated in 1990.[10]

Football career[edit]

At Oregon, Moore played wide receiver and wingback as a sophomore in 1969 and made the all-conference team.[12] He moved to running back, where he was an All-American in 1971 — in the same backfield with quarterback Dan Fouts.[1] In his final season with the Ducks (1971), he rushed for 1,211 yards, caught 32 passes for 324 yards, and scored 10 touchdowns. He finished his three seasons of college football with 2,036 rushing yards, 131 receptions for 1,565 yards, and 36 touchdowns.[13] At the time Moore left Oregon, his rushing yards, receptions, and 226 points were all school records.[14]

Moore was the fourth player selected in the 1972 NFL Draft,[2] taken by the St. Louis Cardinals.[15] He made the UPI all-rookie team in 1972,[16] but second-year head coach Bob Hollway was fired after a 4-9-1 season. Don Coryell was the new head coach in 1973.

He traded Rashad, as he was then known, after that season to the Buffalo Bills for backup quarterback Dennis Shaw.[17] In Buffalo, Rashad roomed on the road with O. J. Simpson in 1974. He missed the 1975 season after a knee injury in the final pre-season game.[18]

Rashad was in the training camp of the expansion Seattle Seahawks, after signing as a free agent. He was traded days before the start of the 1976 regular season, sent to the Minnesota Vikings for a future draft pick.[19] He failed the Vikings’ physical, but was kept on the team due to the actions of quarterback Fran Tarkenton.[8] The Vikings made it back to the Super Bowl that season, their last appearance to date.

During his professional football career, Rashad caught 495 passes for 6,831 yards and 44 touchdowns, while also rushing for 52 yards. The standout catch of his career came in a December 1980 game against the Cleveland Browns. Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer threw a Hail Mary pass to Rashad that resulted in a come-from-behind 28–23 victory and a Central Division title for the Vikings. This became known as “The Miracle at the Met“, or, alternatively, “The Miracle Catch”. Rashad also has the distinction of the longest play from scrimmage that didn’t score a touchdown: 98 yards in a 1972 game against the Rams.

Rashad replaced John Gilliam as receiver with both the St. Louis and Minnesota teams. In 1992 Rashad was named to Oregon’s Hall of Fame and to the College Football Hall of Fame on May 9, 2007.[20]

Broadcasting and television career[edit]

See also: NFL on NBC, NBA on NBC, and NBA on ABC

After his football career, Rashad covered NFL, NBA, and MLB[21] televised contests as a studio anchor and game reporter for NBC and ABC, and hosted NBA Inside Stuff for 16 seasons. He also has hosted the video-clip show Real TV in 2000, the reality show Celebrity Mole, the game show Caesars Challenge along with co-host Dan Doherty, NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad on the ABC network, and the first season of Game Show Network‘s Tug of Words. Samantha Harris replaced him for the second season of Tug of Words.

He starred in an episode of Monsters. Rashad has also guest starred on several TV shows, mainly ones that starred his then-wife Phylicia Allen Rashad. In 1988, he filled in for Robb Weller on the weekend edition of Entertainment Tonight (then known as Entertainment This Week). He used to interview long-time friend Michael Jordan frequently while he was at NBC. In early 2013, he became a panelist on the daily talk show Morning Drive on the Golf Channel, but left that summer. Rashad has narrated the yearly highlight films for NBA championship teams since 2012.

As of May 2021, Rashad now works for the New York Knicks as a member of their digital content team, making videos for the team’s YouTube channel (including sit-down interviews with members of the roster as well as historical retrospectives) as well as emceeing events for the team at Madison Square Garden.[22]

Basketball career[edit]

Right before the launch of NBA Inside Stuff in 1990, Rashad, who was 40 years old at the time, signed a two-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[23] As the show wanted to use Rashad playing in the NBA as a promotion, he was allowed to practice with the team and play in an NBA preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves the next day. Rashad was known for his athleticism, as evidenced by him playing multiple offensive positions in his football career. He became a multi-sport athlete, albeit 8 years after his retirement from pro sports. It was the first preseason game ever to be played at the newly built Target Center and was in front of a crowd of 18,296. Many fans came to the game to support Rashad because of his career as a Viking.[23]

He was subbed on for Hersey Hawkins and, in the first play of his NBA career, he gave up an and-one shooting foul to Tony Campbell. During a ensuing timeout, head coach Jim Lynam drew up a play for Rashad to run across the baseline for an open look. Rashad knocked down the 20-foot shot and scored the first and only points of his NBA career. Remembering the moment in a voiceover, Rashad was ecstatic, “I definitely replayed this one in my head for quite some time. My teammates set me up on the left side, and when everything was on the line, I nailed it.”[24] Rashad was not as good defensively, as he allowed Campbell and the Timberwolves to bring an 11-point deficit down to 5. But the 76ers pulled off a 102-96 win, giving Rashad a perfect record in the NBA.[25]

After the game, Rashad’s performance was applauded by multiple teammates and coaches, including Hall of Fame teammate Charles Barkley. He had previously expressed doubts about Rashad, but said that “he made it, and that’s all that matters.” Rick Mahorn, another teammate, said “What the hell, his two points really made a difference.”[24]

In a post-game interview, Rashad announced his retirement from the game of basketball, and he was waived from the team.

Rashad has been married five times and divorced four. He has fathered a total of six children, including a son, Geoffery Simmons, born to his high school girlfriend Melody Neal. The boy was put up for adoption in 1967. After he turned 18, he contacted his father through Amara (formerly the Medina Adoption Agency) in 2005, and the pair met for the first time. Simmons also had learned that his biological mother, Melody Neal, died from cancer in 1991.[citation needed]

In 1969, Rashad married for the first time, to Deidre Waters. They had a daughter, Keva, born in 1970. That year Rashad also fathered a son, Sean, born to another woman.

After divorcing his first wife, in 1976, Rashad married his second wife, Matilda Johnson. They had two children together, daughter Maiyisha (born in 1976) and son Ahmad Jr. (born in 1978). They divorced in 1979.

In 1985, Rashad married actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen, known for her work on The Cosby Show. He proposed to her earlier that year on national television during the pregame show of NBC‘s broadcast of the Thanksgiving Day football game, between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets.[26] It was the third marriage for each of them.

Unlike many actresses, Phylicia took her husband’s surname at marriage. She has kept the name “Phylicia Rashād” as her professional one since their divorce in 2001. Rashad gained a stepson Billy Bowles (born 1973 during her first marriage). After a year of marriage, they had a daughter together, Condola Phylea Rashād, named after his mother. In 2001, after nearly sixteen years of marriage, they divorced.

In 2007, Rashad married his fourth wife, Sale Johnson. (She had divorced from Woody Johnson, Johnson & Johnson billionaire heir and New York Jets owner). She brought three daughters to the marriage Casey Johnson (1977–2010), Jamie Johnson (b. 1982),[27] and Daisy Johnson (b. 1987). After Casey died, the couple adopted her daughter (Sale Johnson’s granddaughter), Ava-Monroe Johnson (born August 14, 2006). Rashad and Johnson divorced in 2013.[28]

In 2016, Rashad married Ana Luz Rodriguez-Paz, a psychologist in South Florida.[29]