Derek Fine (born August 24, 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 with ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
. He was drafted by the
Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the
2008 NFL Draft. 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
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
.
Fine has also been a member of the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
and
Houston Texans.
College career
In his junior year at Kansas, Fine received the
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Sa ...
Award for the team's most courageous player. He was a team captain in his senior year, in which he caught 46 passes for 394 total receiving yards. He was a part of the Jayhawks team that went 12-1 and won the
2008 Orange Bowl.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Buffalo Bills
The
Buffalo Bills selected Fine in the fourth round of the
2008 NFL Draft, with the 132nd overall selection.
On November 2, 2008 Fine caught his first pass in the NFL against the
New York Jets. The reception was a 9-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback
Trent Edwards.
In 2009, during a game against the New York Jets, Fine was battling Jets linebacker
Marques Murrell and eventually started a fight with Murrell and Murrell's teammate
James Ihedigbo
James Ugochu Ihedigbo ( ; born December 3, 1983) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Massachusetts.
Early years
Ihedigbo played at Amherst R ...
. This fight led to Ihedigbo being ejected for trying to land a punch on Fine.
Fine was placed on
injured reserve on September 22, 2009 and was replaced by
Joe Klopfenstein
Joe Klopfenstein (born November 9, 1983) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado.
Early years
He played high school football ...
. He was waived on February 16, 2010.
St. Louis Rams
Fine was claimed off waivers by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
on February 17, 2010. He was waived on March 5, 2010.
Houston Texans
Fine was signed by the
Houston Texans on June 16, 2010.
On September 5, 2010, Fine was waived by the Houston Texans.
References
External links
*
Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fine, Derek
1983 births
Living people
People from Sallisaw, Oklahoma
Players of American football from Oklahoma
American football tight ends
Kansas Jayhawks football players
Buffalo Bills players
St. Louis Rams players
Houston Texans players