John DiGiorgio
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| Buffalo Bills — No. 52 | |
| Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: June 29, 1983 | |
| Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan | |
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 229 lb (104 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2006 for the Buffalo Bills | |
| Career history | |
| College: Saginaw Valley State | |
| Undrafted in 2006 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| Tackles | 121 |
| Sacks | 2.0 |
| INT | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
John DiGiorgio (born June 29, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State.
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[edit] Early years
He attended Eisenhower High School in Shelby Township, Michigan where he played both offensive and defensive positions on the Varsity football team. DiGiorgio was an two time All-Stater,all-east, all-county, all-metro, and a dream team pick selection while playing linebacker and running back in high school at Utica Eisenhower. He led Utica Eisenhower to a berth in the state finals in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and he was a Division I prospect coming out of high school. But a broken leg late in his senior year hurt his chances to sign at a major school. He ended up at SVSU and dominated the GLIAC. DiGiorgio was a two-time All-GLIAC First Team pick and was the 2005 GLIAC Player of the Year. DiGiorgio, played at Saginaw Valley from 2002-05, finished as the school's all-time leading tackler before signing as a free agent with the Bills in 2006.
[edit] Buffalo Bills
He was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2006. That year he was the only undrafted free agent to make the Bills' 53-man roster. [1]
As a rookie in 2006, DiGiorgio played in 12 games and made eight tackles. But when London Fletcher departed for Washington after the season, it gave DiGiorgio a chance to compete for the starting job.
DiGiorgio had a big year for the Bills in 2007. He played in all 16 games -- the final 13 as a starter at middle linebacker -- and was second on the team with 113 tackles. He also had two fumble recoveries and an interception. The Bills were in the playoff hunt late in the season, but they lost their final three games to finish with a 7-9 record.
Among DiGiorgio's highlights was his sack of New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady in week 3 for his first career sack. He also intercepted a pass from Tony Romo in a 25-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
At the end of the 2007 NFL season, he has played in the league for two years.
[edit] Personal life
DiGiorgio is currently in the process of becoming a teacher at Saginaw Valley, stating that "(NFL) stands for 'Not For Long' -- instead of the National Football League -- because careers don't last long in the NFL. John DiGiorgio is working on earning his teaching certification, and is currently a student teacher at Siebert Elementary School in Midland. DiGiorgio, a former All-American at Saginaw Valley State University, helps out Bob Wellman in his physical education classes. "[2]. During the 2008 off-season, DiGiorgio began to student-teach physical education at Siebert Elementary in Midland, Michigan[3].
