David Bruton (American football)

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David Bruton
David Bruton (American football) 2010.JPG
Bruton with the Denver Broncos in 2010
No. 30
Position: Strong safety
Personal information
Born: (1987-07-23) July 23, 1987 (age 36)
Winchester, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Miamisburg (OH)
College: Notre Dame
NFL draft: 2009  / Round: 4 / Pick: 114
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:190
Sacks:2.0
Pass deflections:18
Interceptions:3
Forced fumbles:5
Player stats at PFR

David Lee Bruton Jr. (born July 23, 1987) is a former American football strong safety and special teamer. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. He was also a member of the Washington Redskins.

Contents

Early life

Bruton attended Miamisburg High School in Miamisburg, Ohio. As a senior, he recorded 54 tackles, three interceptions and broke up seven passes on defense, while catching 10 passes for 200 yards on offense. He earned All-Division I-II all-area honors from Dayton Daily News and won all-district honors on defense.

College career

Bruton played four seasons for Notre Dame, playing as a starter in his junior and senior seasons. Bruton finished his career with 214 total tackles and seven interceptions. His best season came as a senior, when he finished second on the team with 97 total tackles and had a team-high four interceptions. In Bruton's final college game, he had an interception in the Hawaii Bowl, helping Notre Dame win its first bowl game since the 1993 season. Bruton graduated from Notre Dame in 2009 with a bachelor's degree, majoring in political science and sociology. [1]

Professional career

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 2 in
(1.88 m)		219 lb
(99 kg)		4.48 s1.53 s2.59 s4.28 s6.60 s41+1⁄2 in
(1.05 m)		11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)		19 reps
All values from NFL Combine [2]

Denver Broncos

Bruton was selected in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. [3] Before the 2009 season, Bruton signed a four-year contract with Denver. Bruton made his first career start on December 20, 2009, against the Oakland Raiders where he recorded 4 tackles. Bruton finished his rookie 2009 season with 14 total tackles. During the lockout he has taken a job as a substitute teacher in Miamisburg Ohio. [4]

Bruton provides the Broncos with depth at the safety position, yet he is mostly used on special teams and is considered one of the best special teamers in the league. Bruton has been the Broncos' special teams captain for the 2013–2015 seasons. [5]

On March 11, 2013, Bruton re-signed with the Broncos on a three-year contract. [6]

On December 20, 2015, in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bruton suffered a broken fibula early into the game. However, he refused to be taken out of the game and instead played through the rest of it. He was on the field for 77 plays with the broken leg before being taken off late in the fourth quarter. [7] The Broncos would go on to lose the game 34–27. Two days later, the Broncos placed him on injured reserve. [8]

On February 7, 2016, Bruton was part of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10. [9] However, he did not play in the game due to injury.

Washington Redskins

Bruton signed with the Washington Redskins on a three–year, $9 million contract on March 15, 2016. [10] [11] He was placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2016. [12] He was released by the Redskins on December 2, 2016. [13]

Retirement

On July 24, 2017, Bruton announced his retirement from the NFL due to health concerns after suffering six concussions in eight seasons in the league. [14]

Career statistics

YearTeamGamesTacklesFumblesInterceptions
GPGSCombTotalAstSackFFFRYdsINTYdsAvgLngTDPD
2009 DEN 141141220.0100000.0001
2010 DEN 162252140.0000000.0001
2011 DEN 151211920.0000000.0003
2012 DEN 1605500.00001-2-2.0-201
2013 DEN 160231850.0000000.0000
2014 DEN 141251960.0200000.0003
2015 DEN 1334937121.02102115.51207
2016 WSH 44282081.0000000.0002
Career10812190151392.0510393.012018

Personal life

During the 2011 NFL offseason, Bruton served as an elementary and high school substitute teacher in his former school district in Miamisburg, Ohio. He obtained a one-year license to substitute teach from the Ohio Department of Education. [15]

Bruton was selected as the Broncos' 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He was recognized for his community and charity efforts including work with his charity, "Bruton's Books". [16]

In 2021 he received a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) degree from the University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program.

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References

  1. ↑ "David Bruton Working as Substitute Teacher During NFL Lockout". Larry Brown Sports. May 23, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ "David Burton Draft Profile", NFLDraftScout.com, retrieved December 18, 2009
  3. ↑ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Yahoo Sports NFL".
  5. ↑ "Broncos name 2015 team captains". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Denver Broncos keep special teams ace David Bruton with 3-year deal on eve of free agency | Fox News". Fox News. March 11, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ Legwold, Jeff (December 22, 2015). "David Bruton Jr. played most of Sunday's loss with fractured fibula". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  8. ↑ Mason, Andrew (December 22, 2015). "David Bruton Jr. to be placed on injured reserve; Broncos sign Shaun Prater to take spot". DenverBroncos.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Redskins Sign S David Bruton Jr". Washington Redskins. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Redskins strike deal with safety David Bruton". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ Czarda, Stephen (October 5, 2016). "Redskins Sign Safeties Donte Whitner And Josh Evans". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017.
  13. ↑ "12/2: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. December 2, 2016. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ Alper, Josh (July 24, 2017). "David Bruton retires after eight seasons". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  15. ↑ Farrar, Doug. "Broncos' Bruton spending the lockout as a substitute teacher". Shutdown Corner Blog. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  16. ↑ "David Bruton Jr. named 2015 Broncos Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
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