Calvin Lamar Pace (born October 28, 1980) 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 ...
outside 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, ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
. He was drafted by 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 ...
in the first round (18th overall) in the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. 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 ...
at
Wake Forest.
Early years
Pace attended
Lithia Springs High School
Lithia Springs High School is a public high school located on East County Line Road, in Lithia Springs, Georgia, United States. It is also known as Lithia Springs Comprehensive High School. It was the second high school to open in the Douglas Co ...
in
Lithia Springs, Georgia
Lithia Springs () is a census-designated place and unincorporated area, formerly incorporated as a city, located in northeastern Douglas County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the community had a population of 16,644. The area is ...
from 1994 to 1998.
College career
Freshman (1999)
In
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, Pace played in seven games, and ranked 27th on the team in tackles. For the season he recorded four tackles, two for a loss, two sacks and one pass deflected.
Sophomore (2000)
In
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, Pace finished fifth on the team with 50 tackles (33 solo), including 12 tackles for a loss and nine sacks.
Junior (2001)
In
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, Pace finished sixth on the team recording 62 tackles (36 solo), including 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He recorded one pass deflected and 11 quarterback hurries.
Senior (2002)
In
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, Pace finished third on the team with 73 tackles (43 solo), including 22 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. He recorded six passes deflected and four quarterback hurries.
While at Wake Forest, Pace was a two-time Second-team All-
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
selection and finished his college career with 189 tackles, 29 sacks, five forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
Pace was selected by
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 ...
in the
first round (18th overall) in the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
.
2003
In
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, as a rookie, Pace started all 16 games. He recorded a total of 32 tackles and one sack.
2004
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, he played in 14 games, recording 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
2005
In
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, Pace played in only five games with one start. His season was ended when he suffered a
laceration
A wound is a rapid onset of injury that involves lacerated or punctured skin (an ''open'' wound), or a contusion (a ''closed'' wound) from blunt force trauma or compression. In pathology, a ''wound'' is an acute injury that damages the epiderm ...
of his arm during the Cardinals bye week. Before Pace was placed on injured reserve he recorded 11 tackles and one sack.
2006
In
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, Pace played in all 16 games, starting five of them. He recorded 29 tackles and one sack.
2007
In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, Pace was switched to outside linebacker and started all 16 games. He led the team with 106 tackles. Pace also recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks and one fumble.
In his five seasons with the Cardinals, Pace played in 67 games with 38 starts recording 186 tackles, 14 sacks and 11 passes deflected. While with the Cardinals he also set career highs in tackles, sacks, interceptions, passes deflected and fumble recoveries in 2007 with 106 tackles, 6.5 sacks, six passes deflected, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception.
New York Jets
2008
On March 3, 2008, Pace and the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
came to terms on a six-year,
$42 million deal that includes $22 million in guaranteed money. He had turned down a previous offer with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
prior to signing with the Jets. In his first year in New York, Pace compiled 80 tackles (including 63 solo) and 7 quarterback sacks.
2009
Pace was suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season by the NFL after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. In the 12 games he played, Pace recorded 55 tackles, 8 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. The Jets finished 9-7 and made it to the AFC Championship Game before losing to
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
and 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 ...
, falling one game short of the Super bowl.
2010
In August 2010, Pace injured his foot during the preseason. After missing the first four games, Pace started the remainder of the season recording 51 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble helping the Jets finish 11-5 and advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year before losing to 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 ...
by the final score of 24-19.
2011
In 2011, Pace played all 16 games with 53 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
2012
In 2012, Pace played all 16 games with 35 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
2013
Pace was released from the Jets on February 19, 2013. He was re-signed by the team on April 16 to a one-year contract. During the 2013 season, Pace played all 16 games with 37 tackles, 10 sacks, 3 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles.
2014
The Jets re-signed Pace to a two-year, $5 million contract on March 16, 2014.
On September 13, 2014, Pace was fined $16,537 for a roughing the passer penalty during Week 1 against the
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 Raide ...
.
Measurables
* 4.65 40 Yard Dash
* 31 Inch Vertical
* 19 Bench Reps
* 4.62 Short Shuttle
* 9-foot-7 Broad Jump
Personal life
Pace resides in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
References
Football Archive
Notes
External links
New York Jets bioNew York Jets Player cardat
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
Profileat
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
Profileat
CBSSports.com
Profileat
SI.com
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, Calvin
1980 births
Living people
People from Lithia Springs, Georgia
Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area
Sportspeople from Somerset County, New Jersey
Players of American football from New Jersey
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
Players of American football from Detroit
American football defensive ends
American football linebackers
Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players
Arizona Cardinals players
New York Jets players