Will Witherspoon

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Will Witherspoon
Will Witherspoon Al Anbar cropped.jpg
Witherspoon at Al Asad Airbase in 2009
No. 54, 51, 92
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1980-08-19) August 19, 1980 (age 42)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: Panama City (FL) Rutherford
College: Georgia
NFL Draft: 2002  / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:951
Sacks:26.0
Forced fumbles:11
Fumble recoveries:8
Interceptions:14
Defensive touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

William Cordell Witherspoon (born August 19, 1980) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Professionally, he played for the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

Contents

Early years

Witherspoon's father served in the US Air Force, and so Witherspoon moved around as a child. However, his family never lived on the military bases, instead deciding to live in the community so the children could experience the culture. In addition to speaking English, he knows how to speak German, and is learning both Arabic and Swedish. He attended Good Shepherd Lutheran School in middle school. He played running back for Rutherford High School in Panama City, Florida, but switched to linebacker before his senior year. He was chosen as the USA Today Florida Player of the Year for his efforts as a senior, where he posted 112 tackles, 3 sacks, and three interceptions.

Witherspoon and his wife Rebecca have three daughters. [1]

College career

He played college football at the University of Georgia, where he was a starter for three years. After playing every game as a true freshman, he started most of the Bulldogs' games for the remainder of his time at Georgia, switching between the middle, strong-side, and weak-side linebacker positions. He graduated with 211 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He was a landscape architecture major.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m)		231 lb
(105 kg)		4.58 s1.73 s2.76 s4.21 s7.09 s38 in
(0.97 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		25 reps
All values from NFL Combine. [2]

Carolina Panthers

Witherspoon was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. [3] He was the latest addition to new coach John Fox's overhaul of the defense, and Witherspoon's versatility at linebacker helped the Panthers total the second-best defense in the league. He replaced Dan Morgan at middle linebacker halfway through the season after Morgan went down with injury. He finished the season with 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks, his first half sack coming at the Cleveland Browns on December 1. During the 2003 NFL season, Witherspoon was the only Panther linebacker to start every game, where he once again filled in for an injured Morgan at middle linebacker.

He intercepted his first pass off New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks. During Super Bowl XXXVIII, Witherspoon posted a career-high 16 tackles. He ended the campaign with a total of 99 tackles, one sack and one interception. The following year, "Spoon" was one of the few defensive players to start every game for the Panthers, who were wracked with injuries. Despite the loss of key personnel like defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, the Panthers led the league in interceptions. Witherspoon set personal bests with three sacks and four interceptions and a then career-high of 103 tackles. In 2005, his final year with the Panthers, Witherspoon played in 15 games and finished the season 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.

Witherspoon at the Panthers training camp in 2005. Will Witherspoon.jpg
Witherspoon at the Panthers training camp in 2005.

St. Louis Rams

On March 12, 2006, as an unrestricted free agent, he signed a six-year, $33 million contract (including $15 million guaranteed) with the St. Louis Rams In his first season (2006) with the Rams, he played in all 16 games and recorded a career-high 113 tackles and three sacks. In 2007, he recorded 110 tackles and a career-high seven sacks and was named Team MVP for 2007. [4] [5]

Philadelphia Eagles

On October 20, 2009 Witherspoon was traded from the Rams to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth round draft pick in 2010. In his first game as an Eagle against the Washington Redskins on October 26, 2009, he recorded six tackles, an interception (returned for a touchdown), sack, and a forced fumble. During the season, he played in 17 games, becoming the fifth player since bye weeks were reintroduced in 1990 to do so, as he was traded prior to St. Louis's bye week to the Eagles after the Eagles bye week. [6]

He was released on March 5, 2010.

Will Witherspoon during second stint with Rams. 2013 Willwitherspoon2013rams.jpg
Will Witherspoon during second stint with Rams. 2013

Tennessee Titans

Witherspoon was signed by the Tennessee Titans on March 9, 2010. He was voted by his teammates as the Titans Ed Block Courage Award recipient [7]

Second stint with Rams

On July 18, 2013, Witherspoon signed with the St. Louis Rams. [8]

After football

After not being signed by any team in the 2013-2014 off season, Witherspoon announced his retirement and took a job as the St. Louis Rams sideline reporter for Rams Radio Network.

Personal life

Witherspoon owns the sustainable Shire Gate Farm near Owensville, MO. [9]

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References

  1. ↑ "ST. Louis Rams Bio". Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  2. ↑ "- ,  : 2002 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
  3. ↑ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  4. ↑ NFL.com Archived December 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Stats courtesy of NFL.com
  5. ↑ "STLtoday - Sports - Rams". Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Former Eagle Witherspoon Producing for Titans". TitansOnline.com. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Ed Block Courage Award Recipients | the ed Block Courage Award Foundation". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Will Witherspoon reportedly rejoining St. Louis Rams". NFL.com . Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  9. ↑ Gunther, Andrew (February 1, 2013). "A Meat-Free Superbowl Party? Not for Me..." HuffPost . Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
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