Jemeel Powell (born August 29, 1980) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. 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 the University of California, Berkeley.

Early life

Powell attended Junípero Serra High School, where he was a two-way player at wide receiver and cornerback. As a senior, he had 59 tackles, 6 interceptions and 4 returned kicks (two kickoffs and two punts) for touchdowns. He also practiced

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of California, Berkeley. As a redshirt freshman, he missed 4 games with a strained groin. He returned to action in the sixth game against UCLA as a wide receiver. He finished the season with 2 receptions for 42 yards and 3 tackles. As a sophomore, he helped preserve a 46–38 triple-overtime win against UCLA, by making an interception in the end zone. He also played a key role in defeating

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, by returning 4 punt returns for 138 yards and making an interception with 4:41 minutes left in the game. He posted 34 tackles, 16 pass deflections (school record), 4 interceptions (led the team), 12 punt returns for 218 yards, a school record 18.2-yard average and one touchdown. He received second-team All-Pac-10 honors as a return specialist and honorable-mention as a cornerback. As a junior, he was limited with hamstring and groin injuries that forced him to miss all of spring practice and 4 regular-season games. He tallied 15 tackles, one interception, 3 pass deflections and 13 punt returns for 117 yards (9-yard avg.). As a senior, he registered 42 tackles, 5 interceptions (tied for the conference lead), 13 pass deflections and 32 punt returns for 389 yards (12.2-yard avg.).

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Powell was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

after the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

on April 29. He was waived on August 31.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 1,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys. He was declared inactive for the season opener against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He made his professional debut the following game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, playing on special teams. He was declared inactive for the final 12 games of the regular season, returning in the wild card playoff game against the Carolina Panthers. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, he competed for the starting cornerback job vacated by

Mario Edwards Mario Lashun Edwards Sr. (born December 1, 1975) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Miami Dolphins. He was drafted in the sixth round (180th overall) of the ...

. On September 11, he was released after the team opted to keep 3 rookie cornerbacks.

References

External links

Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Jemeel 1980 births Living people Junípero Serra High School (Gardena, California) alumni Players of American football from Los Angeles American football cornerbacks California Golden Bears football players Dallas Cowboys players