Eric Norwood (born May 24, 1988) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

. He was most recently a member of the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

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 ...

(CFL). He was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL from 2013 to 2015. He formerly played for the University of South Carolina. During his collegiate career, he set school career records in tackles for loss (54.5) and quarterback sacks (29). With numerous conference and national honors, Norwood is one of the most decorated defensive players in SEC history and has drawn comparisons to James Harrison. Norwood was considered a top linebacker prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft; he was selected in the fourth round, 124 overall by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

High school career

He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at North Cobb High School in Acworth/Kennesaw, Georgia. Considered a three-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', Norwood was listed as the No. 34 strongside defensive end prospect nationwide in 2006.

College career

Norwood arrived at South Carolina in 2006 and immediately made an impact at the Defensive End position. In 13 games as a Freshman, he recorded 30 total tackles (9.0 for loss), 7.0 sacks, and 5.0 quarterback hurries. For his efforts, Norwood was named First-team Freshman All-American and All-SEC by

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

. His 7.0 sacks tied for the team-lead, while his 5.0 hurries were tops for the team. In 2007, Norwood asserted himself as one of the most effective Defensive Ends in college football. In 12 games, he recorded 69 total tackles (19.5 for loss), 6.0 sacks, 9.0 quarterback hurries, and 3 fumble recoveries. He was named First-team All-SEC by the league's coaches and Second-team All-SEC by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

. In a Thursday night game against a top 10

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

squad, led by Heisman candidate Andre Woodson, Norwood turned in one of the most dominant single-game performances in NCAA history. He returned two fumbles for touchdowns, posted 5 total tackles (all solo and 1.0 for loss), and had two pass deflections. The two touchdowns on fumble returns tied an NCAA record. After two stellar years at defensive end, Norwood moved to Linebacker for his Junior season in 2008. The position change did not affect his performance, as he posted 75 tackles (14.5 for loss), 9.0 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries, 2 fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. Norwood was named First-team All-SEC by both the league's coaches and Associated Press. After South Carolina's loss in the

2009 Outback Bowl The 2009 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 23rd edition of the Outback Bowl, it was one of the 2008–09 bowl games concluding the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS foo ...

, Norwood announced that he planned to enter the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

, but later changed his mind. Norwood's decision to return for his Senior season was a beneficial one for the Gamecocks, as he helped lead the team to a 7-6 record and a PapaJohns.com Bowl appearance. In addition, Norwood broke South Carolina's all-time sack record by dropping

Jevan Snead Jevan Bryce Snead (September 2, 1987 – September 21, 2019) was an American football quarterback. He played college football at Mississippi after Colt McCoy won the starting quarterback position over him for the Texas Longhorns football team. ...

for a 5-yard loss during the Gamecocks 16-10 victory over Ole Miss. The record was previously held by defensive tackle Andrew Provence who had 26 career sacks. For the 2009 season, Norwood posted 81 tackles (11.5 for loss), 7.0 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, 3 blocked kicks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. In October 2009, Norwood was selected to ''

'' midseason All-American team. Following the conclusion of the 2009 regular season, Norwood was named a First-team All-American by the

and the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

Professional career

Pre-draft

Carolina Panthers

After being selected by the

in the 2010 NFL Draft, Norwood rarely saw the field. He was released by the Panthers during the 2012 preseason.

Virginia Destroyers

Norwood played for the

Virginia Destroyers The Virginia Destroyers were a professional American football team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They began play in the United Football League (UFL) in the 2011 season. They played their home games at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. The tea ...

of the United Football League in 2012, until the collapse of the league.

San Jose SaberCats

Norwood was assigned to the

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

in 2013.

Pittsburgh Power

On June 10, 2013, Norwood was traded by the SaberCats, along with Michael Diaz, to the

Pittsburgh Power The Pittsburgh Power were a professional arena football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The team belonged to the East Division of the American Conference (AC) in the Arena Football League (AFL). Founded in 2011, the Power ...

in exchange for future considerations.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Norwood played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in the 2013 season, starting in the Grey Cup championship game. In 3 seasons in with the Ti-Cats Norwood amassed 114 tackles in 42 games. He was named an East Division All-Star following the 2014 season. Norwood tore his ACL while playing in the 2015 East Division Final, and while he was recovering he was released by the Tiger Cats on May 3, 2016.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On May 8, 2016, reports said that Norwood was expected to sign with the

(CFL), and he officially signed with the club the following day. His recovery took longer than anticipated and he only played in two games for the Riders in 2016. Following the season, at age 28, Norwood announced he was retiring from professional football.

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bioHamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwood, Eric 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football linebackers American football defensive ends South Carolina Gamecocks football players Sportspeople from Cobb County, Georgia Carolina Panthers players San Jose SaberCats players Pittsburgh Power players Virginia Destroyers players