Scott Fujita
 Fujita in November 2007 |
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| No. 99 Cleveland Browns | |
| Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: April 28, 1979 | |
| Place of birth: Camarillo, California | |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | Weight: 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: California | |
| NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 5 / Pick: 143 | |
| Debuted in 2002 for the Kansas City Chiefs | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2011 | |
| Tackles | 754 |
| Sacks | 22.5 |
| Interceptions | 7 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Scott Anthony Fujita (
/fuːˈdʒiːtə/;[1] born April 28, 1979) is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.
Fujita has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
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[edit] Early years
Although Fujita's last name is Japanese, he is Caucasian, and he is the adopted son of Rodney Fujita, who is Japanese-American, and his wife Helen, who is Caucasian.[2][3] His father was one of the Japanese-Americans interned during World War II; his father's family was held at the Gila River War Relocation Center.[4]
Fujita grew up in a traditional Japanese household, celebrating Japanese festivals and holidays, and eating with chopsticks. His grandparents have several bonsai trees on their property.
He attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Kansas City Chiefs
Fujita was drafted in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He played 3 seasons with them.
[edit] Dallas Cowboys
Fujita was traded to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2005 season.
[edit] New Orleans Saints
On March 13, 2006, Fujita signed with the Saints, reuniting with his former position coach as well as offensive coordinator (now head coach Sean Payton). He was the first free agent to join the Saints when they returned to New Orleans after their year-long absence in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[5]
Fujita was named defensive captain of the 2007 Saints. In Week 1 of the 2008 season, Fujita caught a crucial game-winning interception in the very end against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the 2009 season, he earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win the team's first league championship.
[edit] Cleveland Browns
Fujita was a free agent after the 2009 season, and on March 7, 2010, he signed a contract worth $14 million over three years, including $8 million in guaranteed money, with the Cleveland Browns.[6] In September he was elected one of the Browns' defensive captains for the 2010 season.[7] Through nine games, Fujita was second on the team in tackles and sacks, but he was injured in a November 14 game against the New York Jets and was expected to be out of action for an extended period.[8]
[edit] Personal life
Fujita is married with two children; he and his family have a home in Carmel Valley, California.[5] He is politically liberal, and has gone on record as a supporter of abortion rights and gay rights as well as an advocate for adoption, wetlands preservation, and other causes; he was named the Saints "Man of the Year" in 2009 for his charitable activities.[9][10][11]
[edit] References
- ^ "2004 Kansas City Chiefs Rosters and Depth Chart". p. 6.
- ^ "Tackling adoption not issue for Fujita". The Dallas Morning News. 2005-12-17.
- ^ Silver, Michael (2010-02-03). "Saints' Fujita defies stereotypes". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-fujitadefiesodds020310. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "A linebacker with a conscience". ESPN, Page 2 section. 2006-11-10. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/061110.
- ^ a b Anderson, Mark C. (2009-09-23). "Fujita’s Warrior Heart: New county resident Scott Fujita uses the game to attack everything from quarterbacks to social injustice". Monterey County Weekly. http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/archives/2010/2010-Sep-23/new-county-resident-scott-fujita-uses-the-game-to-attack-everything-from-quarterbacks-to-social-injustice/1/. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Grossi, Tony (2010-03-07). "Cleveland Browns sign first two free agents, linebacker Scott Fujita and lineman Tony Pashos". The Plain Dealer. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/03/cleveland_browns_sign_former_n.html. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Florjancic, Matt (2010-09-08). "Browns name 2010 captains". ClevelandBrowns.com. http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Browns-name-2010-captains/a4c7c134-4e28-46cc-8658-172d226933de. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (2010-11-15). "Scott Fujita 'could be a little while' with knee injury, guard Billy Yates on IR: Browns Insider". The Plain Dealer. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/11/cleveland_browns_linebacker_sc.html. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ Lapointe, Joe (2010-02-02). "The Saints Linebacker Who Speaks His Mind". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/sports/football/03fujita.html?hp.
- ^ Zirin, Dave (2010-03-18). "Why I Support the National Equality March": NFL's Scott Fujita Speaks Out for Gay Rights". Huffington Post.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/why-i-support-the-nationa_b_310890.html.
- ^ Withers, Tom (2010-08-25). "Browns LB Fujita wants to save Louisiana wetlands". AP in The Washington Post. http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/story.asp?i=20100825182941849466408&ref=rec&tm=5&src=NFL. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
[edit] External links
- Official website for Scott Fujita
- Cleveland Browns bio
- New Orleans Saints bio
- Scott Fujita at ESPN.com
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- 1979 births
- Living people
- People from Oxnard, California
- Sportspeople from Miami, Florida
- Players of American football from California
- Players of American football from Florida
- American adoptees
- American football linebackers
- California Golden Bears football players
- Kansas City Chiefs players
- Dallas Cowboys players
- New Orleans Saints players
- Cleveland Browns players
