Derrick Leon Witherspoon (born February 14, 1971) is a former American football and Canadian football running back and return specialist in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played in the CFL for the Shreveport Pirates and the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Clemson.[1]
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| No. 31 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back / Return specialist | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 14, 1971 Sumter, South Carolina | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Sumter (SC) | ||||||||
| College: | Clemson | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1994 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Witherspoon is currently the co-founder and Vice President of the South Carolina Chapter of the NFL Alumni.[2]
Early life and education
editWitherspoon played high school football and ran track at Sumter High School.
Football: In 1989-1990, he ended his final high school season with 13 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions (2,063 all-purpose yards, rushed for 1,311 yards on 229 carries for a 5.7 average, and caught 18 passes for 223 yards and a 12.3 average and returned 17 kickoffs for 529 yards with a 31.1 average).[3]
Witherspoon was selected to play for the South team in the North South football game in Myrtle Beach on December 18, 1989.[3]
Track: March 24, 1990, Witherspoon and three of his classmates (Marcus Thomas, Harold McCants and Reggie Williams), won the 400-meter relay with a time of 43:20 at the Sumter Optimist Relays.[4] In the high jump, Witherspoon, and his team, had a three way tie for first place with a height of 17 feet 8 inches. He came in second in the 100 meter dash, he was passed in the last 10 meters of the run by Manning High School's Micha Spry.[4]
Collegiate career
editWitherspoon played football and ran track at Clemson University.
In his fourth game as a freshman, on Saturday, September 22, 1990 against Appalachain State, Witherspoon ran for 81 yards from scrimmage for a touchdown, his first as a college player, and the longest in 40 years in Death Valley.[5] Witherspoon ended that game with 123 yards and 10 carries.[5] He and Ronald Williams ran for a total of 338 yards as first year players in that game.[5]
He placed 7th overall in the 55 meter dash at the ACC Indoor Championships in 1993.[6] As a senior, Witherspoon tried out for all but three teams prior to the NFL draft.[7] While trying out for the Pittsburg Steelers, Witherspoon had a 42 inch vertical and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds.[7]
Professional career
editIn 1996, during his second year in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Witherspoon, ran for a total of 1,271 yards[8] as a kick-off returner on special teams and scored two touchdowns. His longest run that season was 97 yards.[9] During the 1996 Philadelphia Eagles Season he was named Special Teams MVP. He was ranked #7 on the Top Ten Eagles kickoff returners of all time list by The Philly Voice in 2022.[10]
Legacy and awards
editHe was named one of the greatest running backs in the history of the Midlands by SC Varsity[11]
On December 2, 1989 Witherspoon was named Sumter Daily Item's "Area Player of the Year".[3]
Personal life
editWitherspoon is married and has two sons and a daughter. His daughter, Kalani Witherspoon[12] is a sprinter/track athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
References
edit- ^ He Gets A Kick Out Of Returns On Special Teams, Derrick Witherspoon Has Found His Niche. He Loves The Kickoff-return Role.
- ^ "South Carolina – NFL Alumni". www.nflalumni.org. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Derrick Witherspoon Named Item "Area Player of the Year,"". The Item. December 2, 1989. p. 13. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gamecocks dominate Optimist Relays". The Item. March 25, 1990. p. 13. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Witherspoon has a big day". The Item. September 23, 1990. p. 15. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ [1] Recap of the 1993 ACC Indoor Championships
- ^ a b "Witherspoon, Ragin hop for NFL chance". The Item. April 24, 1994. p. 11. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "Derrick Witherspoon Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ Derrick Witherspoon NFL game video PT 1. Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Ranking every Eagles kick/punt return man ever". PhillyVoice. July 19, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "Greatest High School Players In Midlands History". SCVARSITY. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "Kalani Witherspoon - Track & Field". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved April 16, 2024.