Willie Middlebrooks

Not to be confused with English cricketer Willie Middlebrook

Willie Middlebrooks

Date of birth:	February 12, 1979 (1979-02-12)
Place of birth:	Miami, Florida
Career information
Status:	Retired
CFL status:	Import
Position(s):	CB
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	196 lb (89 kg)
College:	Minnesota
NFL Draft:	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Organizations
As player:
2001–2004 2005 2006 2008–2010	Denver Broncos San Francisco 49ers Denver Broncos* Toronto Argonauts Pre-Season
Career highlights and awards
Honors:	Defensive Player of Week 1, 2008
Playing stats at CFL.ca
Playing stats at NFL.com

Willie Frank Middlebrooks (born February 12, 1979 in Miami, Florida) is a former defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and former National Football League free agent cornerback.

He was named First-Team All-State as a senior at Homestead High School in Homestead, Florida. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In 1999 he was named Second-Team All-Big Ten. In 2000 he was named First-Team All-Big Ten Conference, but missed the final four games of the season with a fractured ankle. Prior to the 2001 NFL Draft, he was regarded as the best man-coverage player in the Big Ten, with speculation that he would be drafted in the first round, despite his recent injury.

He was the 24th overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft. He began his career with the Broncos, then played for the San Francisco 49ers before returning to Denver in 2006. The Broncos released him on August 30, 2006.

He signed as a free agent with the Argonauts on April 28, 2008. He was named defensive player of Week One of the 2008 CFL season with nine tackles and an interception of a long pass from Winnipeg's Kevin Glenn near the end of the fourth quarter.

On Wednesday, June 1, 2011, Willie Middlebrooks announced his retirement after sustaining a serious neck injury he received nearing the end of the 2010 CFL season.

Today, Willie Middlebrooks is pursuing a career in the health and fitness industry, training young athletes with dreams of college scholarships and professional sports careers.