Zach Orr
| Baltimore Ravens | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Coaching analyst | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | June 9, 1992 Loudoun County, Virginia | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College: | North Texas | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As an executive: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Zachary Orr (born June 9, 1992) is a former American football linebacker who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Texas and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He currently serves as the coaching analyst for the Ravens.
Professional career
Orr was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014.[1][2] He made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie and finished second on the team with 7 special teams tackles.
Orr began the 2016 season as the Ravens starting weak-side linebacker, and sealed a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 with an interception in the waning seconds.[3] He started all 15 games he played in recording 132 tackles, five passes defensed, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. He was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2016, prior to the season finale.[4] He was named second-team All-Pro after the 2016 season.[5]
Orr announced his retirement from the NFL on January 20, 2017 due to a congenital neck/spine condition that ended his season.[6] On June 28, 2017, Orr announced on Good Morning Football that he would be coming out of retirement and return to football after receiving encouraging diagnoses about the congenital spinal condition. Orr was set to be a restricted free agent in 2017, but the Ravens never placed a tender on him since they assumed he would retire, therefore making Orr an unrestricted free agent.[7]
After visiting with six teams and talking with 11 others, no team would sign him due to his spinal condition and herniated disc. He officially announced his retirement for a second time on August 18, 2017.[8]
11 days after announcing his second retirement, Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced that Orr would be joining the team as an assistant linebackers coach.[9]
Personal life
Orr is the son of former Washington Redskins tight end Terry Orr. He has three brothers, all of whom have played college football: older brother Terrance, who played at Texas State, younger brother Nick, who played at TCU (and currently plays for the San Antonio Commanders in the Alliance of American Football) and youngest brother Chris, who currently plays at Wisconsin.[10]
Orr was born with a rare spinal condition where his C-1 vertebrae, the one located at the top of his neck below his skull, was not fully developed. It was revealed that if Orr took a bad hit, the C-1 could explode and may result in death. This promptly forced Orr to retire from professional football after his third season, coming off a breakout season where he led the Ravens in tackles and earned second-team All-Pro in 2016.[11]
References
- ^ "Ravens Sign 17 Undrafted Free Agents". BaltimoreRavens.com. May 12, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ Chancellor And Orr Sign Free Agent Contracts With Chargers And Ravens
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000709046/Zachary-Orr-secures-game-ending-INT-of-Blake-Bortles
- ^ Mink, Ryan (December 30, 2016). "Ravens Claim WR Vince Mayle Off Waivers". BaltimoreRavens.com.
- ^ "Three rookies, Matt Ryan among players named to All-Pro team". NFL.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ Orr, Conor (January 20, 2017). "Zach Orr retires due to congenital neck/spine condition". NFL.com.
- ^ Garafolo, Mike (June 28, 2017). "Zach Orr considering a return to NFL after new health prognosis". NFL.com.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (August 18, 2017). "Zach Orr shuts down comeback attempt, retires again". NFL.com.
- ^ https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/zachary-orr-officially-joining-ravens-coaching-and-personnel-staffs-19285278
- ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (August 31, 2015). "Despite father's reluctance, Ravens LB Zachary Orr and brothers are busy football family". BaltimoreSun.com.
- ^ Orr, Zachary (August 18, 2017). "Always a Raven". PlayersTribune.com.