Anthony David Madison (born October 8, 1981) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2006. He appeared in 2 Super Bowls and winning

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He played

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 ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Early years

Madison went to

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Thomasville. He played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, wide receiver,

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and returned kicks. He was a two-time all-state pick. Rivals top 100 and was considered by many to be a Charlie Ward type athlete. He received numerous scholarship offers from the likes of Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU but ultimately choosing to play for The University of Alabama. His high school career stats include 14 interceptions and over 4,000 yards of offense. He was considered a top basketball player, where he earned all state honors.

College career

Madison played his collegiate football at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. He started 37 out of the 50 games with140 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 30 passes defensed. He earned team awards such as: Committed to Excellence, Most improved Corner, Jerry Duncan I Like to Practice Award and Charlie Compton award, which is given to the player who exemplifies faith and hard work. All Bowl Team (2005) honorable mention All SEC (2005). Bachelors in 3 1/2 years with Marketing degree. May 2016 he earned a master's degree in mental health counseling at California State University, Fullerton.

Professional career

Anthony Madison is a Super bowl winning cornerback who participated in Super Bowl 43 and 45. He also boast 2 AFC Championships.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Madison was signed as an

by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. He spent the first 4 weeks of the 2006 season on the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

before he was added to the active roster to fill a hole in the lineup left by the injury of

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Ricardo Colclough Ricardo Sanchez Colclough ( ; born September 26, 1983) is a former Canadian football cornerback and linebacker in the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played co ...

. His rookie season stats include 12 tackles (10 solo) in 13 games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Madison played for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

during the 2006 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

Madison re-signed with the Steelers in 2007. In 2008, Madison played in every game for the Steelers including Super Bowl XLIII, where he collected 2 solo tackles and added a team high 32 special teams tackles. He was named A pro bowl alternate for special teams.

Cleveland Browns

Madison signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on September 22, 2009. He was waived on November 3.

Indianapolis Colts

Madison was signed by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

on November 10, 2009. He was waived on December 1.

Pittsburgh Steelers (third stint)

Madison was claimed off waivers by the

on December 2, 2009. He was crowned AFC Champion and advanced to the Super bowl where they lost to Green Bay Packers. He led the team in special teams tackles with 28 and recorded an interception during the season.

Detroit Lions

On August 13, 2011, Madison signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, but was released on September 3. He was re-signed by Detroit on September 27 and released on November 7 along with

Eldra Buckley Eldra Clemond Buckley (born June 23, 1985) is former American football running back. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2007, after playing college football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Buckle ...

to make room for free agent signings Leonard Davis and

Kevin Smith (running back) Kevin Ryan Smith (born December 17, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Central Florida (UCF), and received consensus All-American honors. Smith was picked by the Detroit Lions in ...

Pittsburgh Steelers (fourth stint)

On January 2, 2012, Madison re-signed with Pittsburgh for the playoffs, which would be the final game of his career. He retired during the offseason of 2012.

References

External links

Pittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison, Anthony 1981 births Living people People from Thomasville, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama American football cornerbacks American football safeties Alabama Crimson Tide football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Pittsburgh Steelers players Cleveland Browns players Indianapolis Colts players Detroit Lions players