Alfonzo Dennard

Alfonzo "Fonzie" Dennard (born September 9, 1989) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League (AFL). Dennard was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 7th round with the 224th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played in college for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Early years

Dennard excelled on both sides of the ball at Wilcox County High School, and was Nebraska's first scholarship player from Georgia since 2001. As a junior, Dennard caught 45 passes for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns, while rushing 24 times for 240 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he made 60 tackles and had six interceptions. In his senior season, Dennard played a leading role in helping Wilcox County and Coach Mark Ledford to a 13-2 record and state runner-up finish in Class A. Dennard made 53 tackles, while picking off five passes as a cornerback. Offensively, Dennard caught 39 passes for 780 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He also used his speed to help on special teams, returning two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. Dennard received first-team Class A all-state honors from the Georgia Sportswriters Association. Dennard played in the GACA North-South All-Star game. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Dennard chose Nebraska over North Carolina and Troy, among others.^[1]

Dennard was also a contributor in track and basketball. He played point guard in basketball and used his speed in sprint events in track. In 2008, he placed second in the regional meet in the long jump after posting a personal-best leap of 6.68 meters (21 feet, 9 inches),^[2] and finished sixth in the state with a leap of 6.50 meters (21 feet, 3 inches).^[3]

College career

As a junior in 2010, Dennard started 13 of 14 games and had 31 tackles and four interceptions. He was a second team all-Big 12 Conference selection.^[4] In his senior year in 2011, Dennard was an all-Big Ten first-team selection and earned the Big Ten's Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award.^[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Dennard, Alfonzo CB	Rochelle, GA	Wilcox County High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.4	Jan 31, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 2, 2011.

Professional career

2012 NFL Draft

Dennard was projected to be a second-round to fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.^[7][8] He was at one point considered one of the top cornerbacks of the draft, but encountered a series of setbacks which caused his draft projection to fall. In his final game as a Cornhusker during the Capital One Bowl game, Dennard was ejected at the end of the first half for fighting with South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.^[9] He then experienced a lackluster Senior Bowl performance later that month.^[7] On April 21, 2012, a week before the draft, he allegedly punched a police officer outside a bar in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he faced charges of third-degree felony assault at a February 11, 2013 trial.^[10] He was facing a penalty of up to five years in prison if convicted.^[11] He eventually fell to the seventh round of the draft, being selected at No. 224 by the New England Patriots.

New England Patriots

Dennard made his NFL debut on October 7, 2012, in Week 5 of the 2012 NFL season. He missed the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury. In his first game appearance, Dennard rotated in with Sterling Moore against Peyton Manning (and the Denver Broncos) where he recorded one tackle and did not allow a pass completion on four targets.^[12]

On October 21, 2012, Dennard intercepted a deep pass from Mark Sanchez (then New York Jets quarterback) near the endzone.^[13] A week later he intercepted a pass by Rams quarterback, Sam Bradford, and returned it for eight yards.^[14] On November 16, 2012, Dennard was fined $7,875 for a late hit against the Buffalo Bills. On November 18 against the Indianapolis Colts, Dennard intercepted a pass from fellow rookie Andrew Luck and returned it 87 yards for the first touchdown of his career. And on January 11, 2014, against the same Colts, Dennard intercepted Andrew Luck twice to record his first-ever interception(s) in the NFL Playoffs in his career; he finished the game with 4 passes defensed and 2 tackles. On February 1, 2015, Dennard won his first Super Bowl when the Patriots defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX.^[15] On May 5, 2015, Dennard was waived by the Patriots.^[16]

Arizona Cardinals

On May 6, 2015, Dennard was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.^[17] The Cardinals released him on July 29, 2015.^[18]

Baltimore Brigade

On January 16, 2017, it was announced that Dennard was among the first five players signed to the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League.^[19]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Dennard signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on April 25, 2017.^[20] He was released by the Roughriders on June 12, 2017.^[21]

Career statistics

^[22]

Legal troubles

Dennard was convicted of felony assault on a police officer in Lincoln, Nebraska, on February 20, 2013.^[23] On April 11, 2013, Dennard was sentenced to 30 days in jail beginning on March 1, 2014, and two years of probation.^[24] Three months into his probation, Dennard was arrested on suspicion of a DUI on the morning of July 11, 2013. He admitted to this probation violation at a later court hearing and was scheduled for a sentencing hearing on December 5, 2013.^[25] At the hearing he was sentenced to an additional 30 days in jail, was required to complete an additional 100 hours of community service, had his probation extended an additional year, and was given a "no alcohol" condition.^[26] On March 1, 2014, Dennard reported to the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility in Nebraska to begin serving his 60-day jail term.^[27] He served the minimum 35 days and was released after given credit for good behavior and time already served.^[28]

Personal

Dennard's last name is pronounced as DENN-erd. His second cousin, Darqueze Dennard, is also a cornerback in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, although Darqueze pronounces his last name de-NARD, due to a family dispute.^[29][30]

References

External links

• NFL Combine bio
• Nebraska Cornhuskers bio