Derrick Crawford (born September 3, 1960) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

return specialist 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 ...

who played 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 ...

(NFL), the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) and 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 ...

(CFL). 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 ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Early life and high school

Crawford was born and grew up in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

and attended East High School, where he played quarterback. As a senior he was awarded the Walter Stewart Memorial Award by the Memphis Quarterback Club as back-of-the-year for the Memphis area.

College career

Crawford was a member of the Memphis State Tigers for four seasons. He was the team's leading receiver as a junior with 31 receptions for 594 yards and three touchdowns and as a senior, when he caught 32 passes for 523 yards and two touchdowns and was named All-Metro Conference.

Professional career

Crawford was selected by the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

in the

1984 USFL Territorial Draft The 1984 USFL Territorial Draft was the second Territorial Draft of the United States Football League (USFL). It took place on January 4, 1984, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. It included six new expansion teams. Player selections , - , ...

. As a rookie, Crawford caught 61 passes for 703 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named All-USFL as a return specialist after returning 47 kickoffs for 1,237 yards and one touchdown. In 1985, had 70 receptions for 1,057 yards and nine touchdowns and also scored a touchdown on a 60-yard punt return. Crawford had been selected in the first round (24th pick) of the

1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players The 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players was a one-time draft of United States Football League and Canadian Football League players, held in the spring of 1984. Reason for the draft In New York City on Tuesday, June 5, startin ...

by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

and signed with the team after the USFL folded in 1986. He played one season for the team, catching five passes for 70 yards. Crawford returned to professional football in 1990 when he joined the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

of the

(CFL). In 1992, Crawford had 47 receptions for 714 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season was the leading receiver with 162 yards in the Stampeders

80th Grey Cup The 80th Grey Cup was the 1992 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Toronto's SkyDome. The Stampeders had little trouble defeating the Blue Bombers, 24–10. Game summar ...

victory. After sitting out the 1994 season Crawford was signed by the

Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States. Franchise history In the beginning Ins ...

, formed as part of the CFL's attempted expansion into the United States, in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Derrick 1960 births Living people American football wide receivers Memphis Tigers football players Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee Players of Canadian football from Memphis, Tennessee Memphis Showboats players San Francisco 49ers players Calgary Stampeders players Birmingham Barracudas players Canadian football wide receivers American football return specialists Canadian football return specialists