Antonio Pierce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Antonio Pierce at the New York Giants Super Bowl champions parade in NYC. |
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| New York Giants — No. 58 | |
| Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: October 26, 1978 | |
| Place of birth: Ontario, California | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Professional debut | |
|---|---|
| 2001 for the Washington Redskins | |
| Career history | |
| College: Arizona | |
| Undrafted in 2001 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2008 NFL season) |
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| Tackles | 631 |
| Sacks | 8.0 |
| Interceptions | 7 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Antonio Durran Pierce[1] (born October 26, 1978 in Ontario, California) is an American football middle linebacker on the National Football League's New York Giants.
Contents |
[edit] Football career
[edit] Amateur career
Pierce played high school football at Paramount High School in Paramount, California. He played two years of football at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, before transferring to the University of Arizona. As a senior at Arizona, he had three sacks, 77 tackles (ten for losses), two forced fumbles, one interception, and one blocked kick. Pierce was not taken in the NFL draft in 2001 after his senior year at Arizona because many NFL scouts considered him too undersized to play linebacker in the NFL.[citation needed]
[edit] Professional career
The Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2001. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, with only seven starts. He recorded 52 tackles and one interception during his rookie campaign. The interception came against Jake Plummer. Over the next two seasons, Pierce played sporadically, recording only 18 and 15 tackles respectively, during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. It wasn't until the 2004 season, his fourth in the league, that he played a full season replacing the injured Micheal Barrow. That season Pierce logged a career high 114 tackles, 95 of them solo. He also had two interceptions, one of which was a pick off Ken Dorsey that he returned 76 yards for a touchdown, and a forced fumble.
The New York Giants signed him on March 3, 2005 to start at inside linebacker. He became the captain of the defense, and in 13 games, Pierce notched 100 tackles, 80 of them solo, two interceptions and one forced fumble returned for a touchdown. His 2005 season ended early as he suffered a leg injury, against the Philadelphia Eagles, and missed the final three regular season games and the Giants' only postseason game, a 23-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Pierce recorded a career-high 160 tackles (109 solo), a sack, an interception, and defended eight passes. Pierce was named as a first alternate for the Pro Bowl. He was invited to play in Hawaii after Brian Urlacher suffered a toe injury in Super Bowl XLI, and withdrew from the Pro Bowl.
[edit] Legal Troubles
Pierce was present when teammate Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at the Latin Quarter Night Club in New York City on November 28, 2008.[2] Police say that Pierce drove Burress to the hospital and then returned home with the gun in his glove compartment. Police have impounded Pierce's SUV to look for blood and gunpowder residue. [3]Burress has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon; whether Pierce will face any charges is still unknown.
[edit] Personal
Pierce is married to Jocelyn and the father of three. He currently resides in Monroe Township, NJ.
Inspired by his own experiences growing up in Compton, it has become his mission to improve the quality of life for the youth in the Long Beach/Compton area. For several years, Pierce has offered a free football camp for underprivileged youths.[citation needed]
In 2006, Pierce became the spokesperson for Giants Academy—a program for inner city youth geared toward helping these children succeed despite obstacles in their life. He is also involved in the "Read Across America" program where he reads to children whose parents are undergoing treatment for chemical dependency at the Odyssey House in Harlem.[citation needed]
In 2007, Pierce received the "United Way Man of the Year" award and was honored by the Catholic Diocese for his support of the community.
Pierce was honored at the 2008 ESPY awards along with the Giants.
[edit] Broadcasting
Pierce served as a communications intern on the Howard Stern Show on May 7, 2008. He stated he would like to pursue a career in broadcasting after his NFL career.[4] Near the end of the day's show he asked to stay for the remainder of the week and Howard agreed.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Pierce on Pro-Football-Reference". rbref.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PierAn20.htm. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
- ^ "Giants' Burress Shoots Himself Accidentally in Thigh". http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/sports/football/30burress.html?ref=sports. Retrieved on 2008-11-30.
- ^ "Giants Put an End to Burress' season". http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/12/02/burress.ap/index.html?eref=T1. Retrieved on 2008-12-03.
- ^ "The Howard Stern Show for May 7, 2008". http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1210132800. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Daily Highlights for May 7, 2008". http://marksfriggin.com/news08/5-5.htm#wed. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
