DeAndra' Cobb (born May 18, 1981) is a former professional American and Canadian football

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

. He last played for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...

. He played college football for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

. Cobb was also a member of the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Early years

Cobb attended Clark High School in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

and was a

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

in football and track. In track, he finished second in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...

at the 1999 Nevada Class 4A Championships, and ran a personal best of 10.4 seconds in the 100 meters. He graduated from Clark High School in 1999.

College career

He was regarded as one of the premier kickoff returners in college football, returning four kickoffs for touchdowns (one return shy of the

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 Representati ...

record of five) for the

in 24 games played. He earned first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors after setting a Michigan State single-season record with three

kickoff returns A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

for touchdowns as a junior, which also tied an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

record shared with six others.

Professional career

National Football League

Cobb was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the

in the sixth round. Before the

2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006. The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh defeating the Miami in t ...

the Falcons released Cobb. He was signed by the

on December 22, 2006, but never played a game for them and was subsequently released.

Canadian Football League

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Cobb was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 29, 2009. He was released on June 25, 2009, before being re-signed to the

practice roster 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, ...

. He made his professional debut on July 10, 2009, in the Ti-Cats' victory over the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

and was named the CFL's offensive player of the week. In the game, he ran for 110 yards over 14 carries and made 5 receptions for 75 yards including a 48-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

catch in the fourth quarter that gave Hamilton it 31–28 win; its first of the season and ended the Ti-Cats' nine-game losing streak against the Lions. He rushed for over one thousand yards in both seasons with the Ticats (1207 and 1173.) On March 1, 2011, Cobb was released by the Tiger-Cats.

Montreal Alouettes

Cobb was signed by the

on March 18, 2011. After sustaining an injury in training camp, he was released by the Alouettes on July 12. CFL Transactions July 2011

Teaching

DeAndra' Cobb now works as a Physical Education teacher at Freedom Classical Academy in North Las Vegas.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bioHamilton Tiger-Cats bioSlideshow on Cobb
from Hamilton Spectator {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Deandra 1981 births African-American players of Canadian football American football running backs American players of Canadian football Atlanta Falcons players Canadian football running backs Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people Michigan State Spartans football players Montreal Alouettes players Sportspeople from Las Vegas 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people