Dave Ball (defensive end)

For the similarly named wide receiver, see David Ball (wide receiver).

Dave Ball

No. 98     Tennessee Titans
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: January 4, 1981 (1981-01-04)
Place of birth: Fairfield, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	Weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College: UCLA
NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 5 / Pick: 133
Debuted in 2004 for the San Diego Chargers
Career history
San Diego Chargers (2004–2005) New York Jets (2005–2006) Carolina Panthers (2007)* Tennessee Titans (2008–present) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (2003) First-team All-Pac-10 (2002, 2003) Morris Trophy (2003) Defensive Player of the Year (2003)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2011
Tackles	119
Sacks	14.5
Forced fumbles	2
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

David Stewart Ball (born January 4, 1981) is an American football defensive end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA, and earned All-American honors. He was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and has also played for the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans of the NFL.

Early years

Ball was born in Fairfield, California. He attended Dixon High School in Dixon, California, where he was a three year letterwinner in football and basketball.

College career

Ball attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played defensive end for the UCLA Bruins football team from 2000 to 2003, and starting his final three seasons. In 2003, Ball tied for the national lead with 16.5 sacks, setting a UCLA record. He also set the UCLA record for most career sacks with 30.5. Ball earned consensus first-team All-American honors in 2003, and was selected as the ABC-Chevrolet National Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Pop Warner Award as the top senior player on the West Coast. Ball was also a first-team All-Pac-10 selection.

Professional career

Ball was drafted in the fifth round by the San Diego Chargers (pick no. 133) in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was released by the Chargers during the 2005 season and was picked up by the New York Jets. Ball was signed as a free agent by the Carolina Panthers on March 26, 2007. On September 1, 2007 Ball was cut from the Panthers before the start of the regular NFL season. Ball did not play in the 2007 season, despite being signed by the Titans in January prior to their playoff game against the San Diego Chargers.

External links

• New York Jets bio
• UCLA Bruins bio