Donnie Spragan

Last updated

Donnie Spragan
No. 59
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1976-07-12) July 12, 1976 (age 48)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: Union City (CA) Logan
College: Stanford
Undrafted: 1999
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:278
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:6
Interceptions:1
Player stats at PFR

Donnie Spragan Jr. (born July 12, 1976) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1999. Spragan has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Stanford and Pacific.

Contents

Early life

Spragan attended James Logan High School in Union City, California, where he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he won All-League honors at both quarterback and linebacker. [1] Spragan attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, and played football there for Chuck Shelton. When Pacific dropped their program after the 1995 season, Spragan transferred to Stanford University.

Professional career

Early career

Spragan signed as undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints but was released after he injured his knee during pre-season. [2] He spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons recovering from injury.

He signed as free agent with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, where he started all ten games and posted 44 tackles, 3,5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 5 special teams tackles. [3] He was then picked up by the Green Bay Packers on July 19, but was released on September 2 at the end of the preseason. [4] He was added to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad on October, 2, but was released from the practice squad on October 31. [5]

Denver Broncos

Spragan was signed to the Denver Broncos' practice squad on December 11, 2001. [6] He remained there through the end of the season, and was then re-signed by the Denver Broncos in the offseason [7] He was active for the entire 2002 season, posting 12 tackles in total of which 2 were assisted. He also forced a fumble. [8]

Spragan appeared in all 16 games for the Denver Broncos in 2003. He was moved to strong safety for a game against the New England Patriots. He posted 54 tackles in total of which 10 were assisted, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumbles recovered for a total of 9 yards. [8]

Spragan appeared in all 16 games for the Denver Broncos yet again in 2004, starting 14 at outside linebacker. He recorded a total of 67 tackles of which 22 were assisted, one sack, 5 passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered. [8]

Miami Dolphins

Signed a two-year deal worth $2 million with the Miami Dolphins. [9] Posted 53 tackles (38 solo), one sack, one interception, two passes defended and one forced fumble. [8]

Appeared in all 16 games for the Miami Dolphins posting 50 tackles of which 22 were assisted, 1.5 sack, 3 passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered. [8]

On April 25, 2007, he re-signed with the Dolphins.

Buffalo Bills

A free agent in the 2008 offseason, Spragan signed with the Buffalo Bills on August 2 after rookie linebacker Alvin Bowen suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury. He was released on August 30, 2008.

Related Research Articles

Byron Keith Traylor is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played college football at Central Oklahoma. Traylor has won a total of three Super Bowl rings; he won two with the Denver Broncos and one with the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. J. Williams (linebacker)</span> American football player (born 1982)

Genos Derwin "D. J." Williams Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft in the National Football League (NFL). He also played two seasons for the Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boomer Grigsby</span> American football player (born 1981)

James Harvey "Boomer" Grigsby is a former American football fullback. He played college football at Illinois State, and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft. Grigsby was also a member of the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vonnie Holliday</span> American football player (born 1975)

Dimetry Giovonni "Vonnie" Holliday is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft with the 19th overall pick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akin Ayodele</span> American football player (born 1979)

Akinola James Ayodele is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft. He played college football at Coffeyville Community College and Purdue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Anderson</span> American football player (born 1981)

Charlie Alexander Anderson is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris Lenon</span> American football player (born 1977)

Paris Michael Lenon is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2000, then chosen by the Memphis Maniax in the XFL Draft in the fall of 2000. He played college football at University of Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Starks</span> American football player and coach (born 1983)

Randolph Starks Jr. is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Eureka College, a position he has held since 2024. Starks played professionally as a defensive end for 12 seasons, from 2004 to 2015, in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. Starks was selected by the Titans in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Reggie Jermaine Torbor is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Auburn.

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

Robert Michael Ninkovich is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers as a defensive end and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, winning two Super Bowls with the latter. After eight seasons with the Patriots, Ninkovich announced his retirement from the NFL following the 2016 season.

Josh Mallard is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL draft. He played college football at Georgia.

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

Lawrence Olajuwon Timmons is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers the following year, and played in Super Bowl XLV two years later. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalil Mack</span> American football player (born 1991)

Khalil Delshon Mack is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Johnson (linebacker)</span> American football player (born 1991)

Alexander James Johnson is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Turner (American football)</span> American football player (born 1991)

William Mason Turner is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at North Dakota State.

Deon L. Lacey is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at the University of West Alabama. He has been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Edmonton Eskimos / Elks, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Smith (linebacker)</span> American football player (born 1992)

Preston Demarquis Smith is an American professional football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.

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

Shaquil Akeem Barrett is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks before transferring to the Colorado State Rams. Barrett was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL draft. After five seasons with the Broncos, including winning Super Bowl 50, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett's level of play increased, making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in 2019 after leading the league in sacks, and in 2021 won Super Bowl LV, recording a sack in the game. He signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 before retiring from football shortly after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaq Lawson</span> American football player (born 1994)

Shaquille Lawson is an American professional football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. Lawson has been on the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and was traded to the New York Jets during the 2021 season. Lawson was released by the Jets prior to their season finale and returned to the Bills the following offseason.

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

Bradley Austin Chubb is an American professional football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.

References

  1. ↑ James Logan High School Alumni.
  2. ↑ Tidbit used as reference about knee injury.
  3. ↑ "Admirals.nl". Archived from the original on December 8, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2007. Former Amsterdam Admirals players tracker.
  4. ↑ Green Bay Packers transactions.
  5. ↑ KFFL Player news page
  6. ↑ KFFL - Donnie Spragan, LB, Miami Dolphins Archived December 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ KFFL - Donnie Spragan, LB, Miami Dolphins Archived December 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 NFL Player page
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". NFL.com . Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Dolphins signing
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.