Deon Terry Anderson (born January 27, 1983) 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 wi ...

fullback in 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 ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and

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 p ...

. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the

. He played college football at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

Early years

Anderson attended

Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth Abbey School is a coeducational Benedictine boarding and day school for students in grades 9 to 12. Founded in 1926 by the English Benedictine community, the School is located on a 525-acre campus along Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. ...

, before he was expelled because of a campus incident. He transferred to Hope High School after his sophomore season, where he spent one year. He played football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and was a

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, honing his running skills under the legendary Hope High School track coach Thom Spann. He transferred after his junior season to Avon Old Farms Prep, where he spent 2 years and was a three-sport letterman. In football, he was a two-way payer, receiving All-New England and All-Conference honors as a

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, ...

. He began

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

as a senior and was named an All-American, winning the state and New England titles as a junior.

College career

Anderson accepted a football scholarship from the

to play

. As a true freshman, he was converted into a fullback and became an immediate starter. He played on all four special teams units (kickoff return and cover, punt return and cover). He collected 34 carries for 11 yards, one rushing touchdown and 5 receptions for 12 yards. As a sophomore in 2003, he was used mostly for blocking purposes in the offense. He started 5 out of 12 games, registering 35 carries for 124 yards, 15 receptions for 148 yards, one receiving touchdown and 11 special teams tackles. As a junior in 2004, he started 3 out of 12 games, tallying 22 carries for 99 yards, 14 receptions for 133 yards and 11 special teams tackles. Anderson missed the 2005 season, after losing his football scholarship because of poor grades and off-the-field problems, which forced him to drop out of school. As a senior in 2006, he returned after a year out of football, under the condition that he would pay all of his college expenses, so he took out a loan with the help of an aunt and lived during a semester in an abandoned locker room on the campus, until he was able to gain back his scholarship. He started 9 out of 11 games, while receiving team MVP honors and was recognized as one of the best

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

players in the nation. He suffered a pinched nerve in his neck that forced him to miss the season finale against the No. 7 ranked

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

. He posted 23 carries for 78 yards, 14 receptions for 101 yards, one touchdown and led the team with 9 special teams tackles. He finished his college career after appearing in 47 games, starting all of the 26 contests that the team opened with a fullback personnel package. He registered 114 carries for 420 yards, one rushing touchdown, 48 receptions for 394 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. He also led the team in

tackles in each of his four years (40 total tackles) and only missed one game.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Anderson was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, after the

traded up 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 (A ...

moving from the 200th to the 195th position, in exchange for a seventh round draft choice (#234-

Syndric Steptoe Syndric Marquis Steptoe (born December 6, 1984) is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona. Steptoe was also a member of ...

). He was expected to be a difference maker on

and was given the nickname "cricket" after eating an insect on a dare during training camp. As a rookie, he was named the starter at fullback in the third game of the season, replacing an injured Oliver Hoyte. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

after suffering a rotator cuff injury in the eighth game. On September 17,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, he had his knee scoped and missed two games because of the injury. On August 13, 2009, he had surgery on his left knee. He was forced to sat out all of the preseason games, but did not miss any regular season contests after returning on September 7. He started 10 games and had no carries, while making 12

tackles (tied for fourth on the team). On September 16, 2010, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after being diagnosed with a torn meniscus. He was waived injured on September 24 and replaced with

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 ...

Chris Gronkowski.

Miami Dolphins

On October 19, 2010, Anderson was signed by the

as a

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 ...

. He was placed on the

with a triceps injury just 12 days after signing his contract. He was waived on March 3, 2011.

Personal life

On June 1, 2013, Anderson won the Heavyweight Championship for the Real Cage Fighting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization. He also won a major food eating competition.

References

External links

Keep An Eye On Deon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Deon 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Providence, Rhode Island American football fullbacks UConn Huskies football players Dallas Cowboys players Miami Dolphins players Portsmouth Abbey School alumni Avon Old Farms alumni