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Justin Smith (linebacker)
Justin Curtis Smith (born June 5, 1979) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Indiana University Bloomington and attended Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Amsterdam Admirals, Chicago Bears and Hamburg Sea Devils. College career Smith played for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1998 to 2001, earning All-Big Ten Conference honors in 2000 and 2001 and Academic All-Big Ten honors in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. He was on the Butkus Award watch list in 2000 and 2001. Professional career Tampa Bay Buccaneers Smith signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 22, 2002 after going undrafted in the 2002 NFL Draft. He was released by the Buccaneers on September 2 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 4, 2002. He was promoted to the active roster on January 11, 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2001 All-Big Ten Conference Football Team
The 2001 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the Big Ten conference coaches selected separate offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Coaches" team); and (2) a panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the Big Ten also selected offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Media" team). Offensive selections Quarterbacks * Antwaan Randle El, Indiana (Coaches-1; Media-1) * Kurt Kittner, Illinois (Coaches-2; Media-2) Running backs * Anthony Davis, Wisconsin (Coaches-1; Media-1) * Levron Williams, Indiana (Coaches-1; Media-1) * Jonathan Wells, Ohio State (Coaches-2; Media-2) * Ladell Betts, Iowa (Coaches-2) * T. J. Duckett, Michigan State (Media-2) Receivers * Lee Evans, Wisconsin (Coaches-1; Media-1) * Marquise Walk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2005 NFL Season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006. The regular season also saw the first ever regular season game played outside the United States, as well as the New Orleans Saints being forced to play elsewhere due to damage to the Superdome and the entire New Orleans area by Hurricane Katrina. The playoffs began on January 7. The New England' streak of 10 consecutive playoff wins and chance at a third straight Super Bowl title was ended in the Divisional Playoff Round by Denver, and eventually the NFL title was won by Pittsburgh, who defeated Seattle in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5 for their fifth Super Bowl win. This also marked the first time that a sixth-seeded team, who by the nature of their seeding would play every game on the road, would advance to and win the Super Bowl. The season formally concluded with the Pro Bowl, the leagu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NFL Europe
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded in 1989 as the World League of American Football (or WLAF), the league was envisioned as a transatlantic league encompassing teams from both North America and Europe. Initially, the WLAF consisted of seven teams in North America and three in Europe. It began play in 1991 and lasted for two seasons before suspending operations; while the league had been "wildly popular" in Europe, it failed to achieve success in North America. After a two-year hiatus, it returned as a six-team European league, with teams based in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Spain. NFL Europa was dissolved in 2007 due to its continued unprofitability and the NFL's decision to shift its focus towards hosting regular-season games in Europe; at the ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 NFL Season
The 2003 NFL season was the 84th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular-season play was held from September 4, 2003, to December 28, 2003. Due to damage caused by the Cedar Fire, Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter, and thus the Miami–San Diego regular-season match on October 27 was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium, the home field of the Arizona Cardinals. This was the first season in NFL history where every team won at least 4 games. The playoffs began on January 3, 2004. The NFL title was won by the Patriots when they defeated the Panthers, in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1. This was the last season until the 2016 NFL season where neither of the previous Super Bowl participants made the playoffs. Draft The 2003 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 27, 2003 at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Carson Palmer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raiders. Between 1982 and 1994, the team played in Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Raiders. The team's first home game was at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, against the Houston Oilers on September 11, 1960, with a 37-22 loss. They played their last game as an Oakland-based club on December 29, 2019, a game which they lost 16-15 to make them finish 3rd in the AFC West, eliminate them from playoff contention, and suffer a late-season collapse after starting with a 6-4 record. Early years (1960–1962) A few months after the inaugural American Football League draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team (now called the Minnesota Vikings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Bowl Ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itself, the Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and team members to keep for themselves to symbolize their victory. There are also rings provided to the runners-up team of the Super Bowl. Rings are also awarded to members of the team who wins the AFC or NFC championship. The NFL also provides postseason pay to all players as long as they have spent at least three games on their team’s active or inactive list; the playoff bonus money is egalitarian within a team among starters, backups, and injured players. Details These rings are typically made of yellow or rose gold with diamonds. They usually include the team name, team logo, the phrase "World Champions", and the Super Bowl number (usually indicated in Roma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. The draft began with the Houston Texans selecting David Carr, and it ended with the Texans selecting Mr. Irrelevant, Ahmad Miller. There were thirty-two compensatory selections distributed among eighteen teams, with the Buffalo Bills receiving the most selections with four. The University of Miami was the college most represented in the draft, having five of its players selected in the first round. Although the Carolina Panthers finished with a 1–15 record which would normally have given them the first pick in each round, the Houston Texans were g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports a number of health and wellness activities including the "I Play Clean" anti-steroid program. The award was first established by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, which relinquished control of the award in 2008 following a lawsuit by Butkus. Traditionally, the award was given only to the top collegiate linebacker. The Butkus Award was expanded in 2008 to include high school and professional winners as part of a makeover by the Butkus family to help end anabolic steroid abuse among young athletes. Three players have won both the high school and collegiate Butkus Awards: Notre Dame linebackers Manti Te' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of 10 universities, and it has 14 members and 2 affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport. Big Ten member institutions are major research universities with large financial endowments and strong academic reputations. Large student enrollment is a hallmark of its universities, as 12 of the 14 members enroll more than 30,000 students. They are largely state public universities; found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campus. Indiana University is a member of the Association of American Universities and is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". It has numerous schools and programs, including the Jacobs School of Music, the Indiana University School of Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the Kelley School of Business, the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the School of Optometry, the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Maurer School of Law, the Indiana Univers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
College Football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most other sports in North America, no official minor league farm organizations exist in American or Canadian football. Therefore, college football is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; one step ahead of high school competition, and one step below professional competition (the NFL). In some areas of the US, especially the South and the Midwest, college football is more popular than professional football, and for much of the 20th century college football was seen as more prestigious. A player's performance in college football directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will typically declare for the professional draft after three to four years of colleg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
