Deltha O'Neal

Last updated

Deltha O'Neal
Deltha O'Neal in September 2006.jpg
O'Neal in 2006 with the Bengals
No. 24, 21
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1977-01-30) January 30, 1977 (age 47)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Milpitas (Milpitas, California)
College: California
NFL draft: 2000  / round: 1 / pick: 15
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Most passes intercepted in a single game: 4 (tied)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:388
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:34
Total return yards:2,644
Total touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Deltha Lee O'Neal, III (born January 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Denver Broncos as the 15th pick overall in the 2000 NFL draft, and he played professionally for the Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots of the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Contents

Early years

O'Neal was born in Palo Alto, California. He is a 1995 graduate of Milpitas High School in Milpitas, California, where he was a running back, cornerback, and kick returner for the Milpitas high school football team. In track & field, he was a state-qualifier in the 100 and 200-meters, with personal-bests of 10.75 in the 100 and 21.66 in the 200. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m (41.65s) relay squad.

College career

He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and played for the California Golden Bears football team. In his senior year with the Golden Bears, O'Neal set the NCAA single-season record of four interceptions returned for touchdowns and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He graduated from California with a degree in social welfare in 2000.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		193 lb
(88 kg)
Values from NFL Combine [1]

Denver Broncos

O'Neal was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. [2]

Due to O'Neal's speed, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan briefly flirted with converting O'Neal to wide receiver in mid-2003. O'Neal had two receptions, for four yards, in two games. O'Neal was also used frequently to return punts and kickoffs on special teams. While with the Broncos, O'Neal tied the record for most interceptions in a game with four.

Cincinnati Bengals

In April 2004, an unhappy O'Neal and the Broncos' 24th (first round) and 117th (fourth round) spots in the 2004 NFL draft were traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Cincinnati's 17th spot in the first round.

In the 2005 season, O'Neal recorded ten interceptions, breaking the franchise record of nine, set by Ken Riley in 1976 and equalling Ty Law as the NFL's interception leader that year. He broke the record on December 18, 2005, against the Detroit Lions.

In early December 2006, O'Neal was arrested on DWI charges. [3] In the 2007 season, O'Neal recorded 52 tackles and one interception.

O'Neal was released by the Bengals on August 30, 2008. [4]

New England Patriots

On September 1, 2008, O'Neal was signed by the New England Patriots. [5]

Houston Texans

O'Neal signed with the Houston Texans on August 6, 2009, following an injury to cornerback Jacques Reeves. [6] He was released on September 5, 2009.

NFL statistics

YearTeamGPTacklesFumblesInterceptionsPunt returnsKickoff returns
CombSoloAstSackFFFRIntYdsAvgLngTDPDRetYdsLngTDFCRetYdsLngTD
2000 DEN 162200.011000.00033435464011461,102871
2001 DEN 16696270.000911512.8420253140586190000
2002 DEN 166959100.00057014.02829302515307115150
2003 DEN 13232030.000166.060233315571108128240
2004 CIN 12393451.01046015.0311157331706115150
2005 CIN 15655690.0011010310.33701800000114140
2006 CIN 12373070.00114242.0420911010020000
2007 CIN 16524840.011177.0709—————————
2008 NE 16323020.00034916.34708222010000
Career [7] 132388341471.0343445213.3473981381,37086246571,274871

On December 9, 2006, O'Neal was arrested in the Pierce Twp community of Cincinnati after he was pulled over for driving while intoxicated. O'Neal was driving a black Cadillac Escalade. He was one of 9 Bengals players arrested during the 2006 offseason and regular season.

In December 2019, O'Neal was charged with one count of DUI with serious injury and one of DUI with property damage in Royal Palm Beach, Florida after speeding 100 mph in his Mercedes Benz and striking a utility pole, causing the vehicle to catch fire on August 7, 2019. He and a passenger were airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center, where O'Neal suffered a broken ankle, a fractured back and neck, an eye injury, brain bleeding and intestinal injuries. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champ Bailey</span> American football player (born 1978)

Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-American honors, and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Law</span> American football player (born 1974)

Tajuan Edward "Ty" Law is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. During his 10 seasons in New England, he received four Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors. A three-time Super Bowl winner with the Patriots, Law also holds the franchise record for interceptions. Law spent his final five seasons as a member of the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos, earning a fifth Pro Bowl selection with the first. Ranking 24th in NFL career interceptions, he twice led the league in interceptions during the 1998 and 2005 seasons. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawyer Milloy</span> American football player. (born 1973)

Lawyer Marzell Milloy is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and earned unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft, and also played for the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time All-Pro, and a member of the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXVI championship team that beat his hometown team, the St. Louis Rams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tory James</span> American football player (born 1973)

Tory Steven James is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Riley</span> American football player (1947–2020)

Kenneth Jerome Riley was an American professional football cornerback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 through 1983. Riley recorded 65 interceptions in his career, which was the fourth most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. Despite his accomplishments, he was never an exceptionally well-known or popular player. Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game or the Pro Bowl, but he was selected to three All-Pro teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lynch (American football)</span> American football player and executive (born 1971)

John Terrence Lynch Jr. is an American professional football executive and former safety who is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft, later winning Super Bowl XXXVII with them. Lynch also spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos before retiring in 2008 and working as a color commentator for NFL on Fox games until being named general manager of the 49ers in 2017. He made nine Pro Bowls during his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnathan Joseph</span> American football player (born 1984)

Johnathan Lee Joseph is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. Joseph also played for the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Cincinnati Bengals season</span> NFL team season

The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 39th overall, and the fourth under head coach Marvin Lewis. It began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star quarterback Carson Palmer to injury on the second play of the game. However, the team failed to improve on their 11–5 record to finish at 8–8 and missing the playoffs just the year after they made it to the playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Hall</span> American football player (born 1984)

Leon Lastarza Hall is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Michigan, and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft and also played for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Oakland Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqib Talib</span> American football player (born 1986)

Aqib Talib is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Kansas, where he received consensus All-American honors, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Talib also played for the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Rams, winning Super Bowl 50 with Denver. In 2020, he made his debut as an analyst for NFL on Fox.

Jonathan Wilhite is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Auburn and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kareem Jackson</span> American football player (born 1988)

Kareem Jackson is an American professional football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Jackson was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. He has also played for the Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephon Gilmore</span> American football player (born 1990)

Stephon Stiles Gilmore is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected tenth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL draft. Gilmore spent his first five seasons with the Bills and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2016 before joining the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Smith (cornerback)</span> American football player (born 1988)

James Michael Smith is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 27th pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiloh Keo</span> American football player (born 1987)

Shiloh Keo is a former American football safety. Selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, he played college football for the University of Idaho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfonzo Dennard</span> American football player (born 1989)

Alfonzo Dennard is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots. He played in college for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the 2012 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Roby</span> American football player (born 1992)

Bradley Roby is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has also played for the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Fuller</span> American football player (born 1992)

Kyle Brandon Fuller is an American professional football player who is a free agent. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft and played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Peters</span> American football player (born 1993)

Marcus Peters is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft and has also been a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders. He played college football for the Washington Huskies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charvarius Ward</span> American football player (born 1996)

Charvarius "Mooney" Ward is an American professional football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

References

  1. ↑ "2000 NFL Draft Scout Deltha O'Neal College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bengals Pro Bowl CB O'Neal inactive after DWI charge". ESPN.com. December 9, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Patriots sign two-time Pro Bowl cornerback O'Neal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 1, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Patriots sign two-time Pro Bowl CB Deltha O'Neal". NFL.com. September 1, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  6. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (August 6, 2009). "Texans dial up Deltha O'Neal". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Deltha O'Neal Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Former NFL All Pro player charged with DUI in fiery Royal Palm crash". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.