| No. 92 Tennessee Titans | |
| Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: August 19, 1980 | |
| Place of birth: San Antonio, Texas | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Georgia | |
| NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73 | |
| Debuted in 2002 for the Carolina Panthers | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011 | |
| Tackles | 888 |
| Sacks | 25.0 |
| INTs | 12 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
William "Will" Cordell Witherspoon (born August 19, 1980 in San Antonio, Texas) is an American football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.
Witherspoon has also played for the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.
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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 3 daughters.[1]
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.
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1½ in | 231 lb | 4.58 s | 1.73 s | 2.76 s | 4.21 s | 7.09 s | 38 in | 10 ft 2 in | 25 rep | ||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine.[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Witherspoon was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. Witherspoon 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.
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.[3][4]
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, Witherspoon recorded six tackles, an interception (returned for a touchdown), sack, and a forced fumble. During the season, he played in 17 games, unusual for players to do so (he was traded prior to St. Louis's bye week to the Eagles after the Eagles bye week).
He was released on March 5, 2010.
Witherspoon was signed by the Tennessee Titans on March 9, 2010.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steven Jackson |
Rams Most Valuable Player Award 2007 |
Succeeded by Oshiomogho Atogwe |
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