Derrick Mason
 Mason at Ravens Training Camp in 2010. |
|
| No. 82, 85 | |
| Wide receiver | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: January 17, 1974 | |
| Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan | |
| Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 197 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Michigan State | |
| NFL Draft: 1997 / Round: 4 / Pick: 98 | |
| Debuted in 1997 for the Tennessee Oilers | |
| Last played in 2011 for the Houston Texans | |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of 2011 | |
| Receptions | 943 |
| Receiving Yards | 12,061 |
| Receiving TDs | 66 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver who played for fifteen seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Following eight seasons with the Oilers (later called the Titans), including two Pro Bowl selections (2000 and 2003), Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2005. He became the Ravens' all-time leading receiver with 5,777 yards from 2005 to 2010, but he was released before the 2011 season. He spent 2011 on the New York Jets and Houston Texans' rosters prior to announcing his retirement in January 2012.
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[edit] Early years
Mason attended Mumford High School in Detroit, Michigan. He set a school record for both catches (70) and receiving yards (1,243).[1]
[edit] College career
Mason played college football at Michigan State. During his four year career, he set a team record for kick off return yards of 2,384. He also caught eight touchdowns.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Tennessee Titans
Mason started his career with the Oilers/Titans after being drafted in the 4th round (98th overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders on August 31. The following season he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns, the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears on October 25. He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards. In the 1999 season,Mason gained 1,030 yards returning punts and kickoffs, assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee's 23–16 loss. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game. In the 2000 season, he led the NFL in punt return yards (662) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1,132 yards (an NFL leading 27 yards per return average), giving him 2,690 combined receiving and special teams yards, breaking the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season previously held by Lionel James (2,535).[2] Darren Sproles broke Mason's record in 2011 with 2,696 yards.[3] He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns, a career high. Just as he had done the previous season, he went past the 2,000 all purpose yards mark, the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons. The following season he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions, reception yards and touchdowns. In 2003, he started all 15 games and finished the season with 1,303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL. The following season, in 2004, he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns.[4]
[edit] Baltimore Ravens
Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005. In his first year with the team, he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions, a Ravens franchise season record. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns. Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair 30,000 passing yards for his career in the 19-7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills. The following year, Mason had 103 receptions for 1087 yards and five touchdowns. Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions in a season.[1]
In 2008, Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl. In 2008, he had 80 receptions for 1037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Mason dislocated his shoulder when he fell after a catch in a game against the Houston Texans, eventually coming back to finish the contest. Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the Giants.[5] Mason re-aggravated of his injury against Dallas,[6] but finished the game with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with a postseason career-high 12 receptions for 190 yards, including a postseason career long 48 yard touchdown reception.[1]
On November 21, 2010, Mason caught his 900th reception, becoming the 13th receiver in NFL history to do so.
When the NFL announced the new collective bargaining agreement on July 25, 2011, the Ravens announced their intention to release Mason upon the start of free agency to free salary cap space.[7] He was formally released by the team on July 28.[8]
[edit] New York Jets
Mason signed with the New York Jets on August 6, 2011.[9]
[edit] Houston Texans
The Jets traded Mason to the Houston Texans on October 11, 2011, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.[10] He was later released on December 12.
Mason announced his retirement from football on January 9, 2012.
[edit] NFL records
- All-purpose yards in a single season (2000): 2,659 (broken in 2011 by Darren Sproles)[3]
- Kick return yards in a single postseason (1999): 437
[edit] Personal
Mason and his wife, Marci, were married on June 7, 1997 and have 2 children: daughter, Bailee My-Lin (3-24-1999), and son, Derrick James II (7-11-2003).[1] Marci is the "The Derrick Mason Foundation" organization’s Vice President.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Ravens Player Bio
- ^ "NFL Single-Season All-Purpose Yards Leaders". pro-football-reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/all_purpose_yds_single_season.htm. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Bell, Jarrett (January 6, 2012). "The Bell Tolls: Sproles is Saints' perfect fit". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64pTqlJYt.
- ^ Profootballreference.com
- ^ Mason Shows Toughness,
- ^ Warrior Receiver
- ^ Walker, James (July 25, 2011). "Report: Ravens cutting four big-name vets". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60kFP0hgb. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ Ginsburg, David (July 28, 2011). "Ray Lewis breezes through Ravens’ 3-hour practice". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60kGP5m7Y. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (August 6, 2011). "Jets add WR Derrick Mason". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60kDRtc6W. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Jets trade Mason to Texans". http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/disgruntled_wr_mason_sent_to_texans_oHTRPPOI8VgOlefKMpBn9H. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
[edit] External links
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