John Deraney (born September 5, 1983 in

Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta. In 2015 ...

) 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 ...

punter and

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

. He played for the NC State Wolfpack football program from 2003 to 2006, handling punts, kickoffs, field goals, and extra points. He also set an all-time NC State record by converting 76 consecutive extra points and also set the school's single-season record with 2,968 punting yards in 2006.

Early years

A Georgia native, Deraney played football at Fayette County High School.

College career

Deraney played college football as a punter and place-kicker for the NC State Wolfpack football program who redshirted in 2002 and played from 2003 to 2006. He was described as "a one-man special-teams show" and a "triple threat", handling punts, field goals, and kickoffs for the Wolfpack. He was one of only 10 players nationally to handle all three kicking functions in 2004, and one of only eight to do so in 2006. In 2005, the Blue Ribbon Football Yearbook declared Deraney "the most irreplaceable player on the Wolfpack roster." On kickoffs, Deraney was known for the high percentage of his kickoffs that went for touchbacks. As a punter, he kicked 208 times for 8,366 yards, an average of 40.2 yards per punt and downed 61 punts inside the 20-yard line. On field goals, he converted 40 of 58 attempts. He also converted 84 of 85 extra points and totaled 199 points during his four seasons at NC State. His total of 40 field goals ranked fourth in NC State history when he left the program (ranks seventh currently). He also set NC State records by converting 76 consecutive extra points and tallying 2,968 punting yards in a single season in 2006. Prior to his 2006 redshirt senior season, Deraney's father, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was placed in hospice care and given six months to live. Deraney continued to kick through the 2006 season, converting 12 of 16 field goals and 22 of 23 extra points.

Professional football

In the spring of 2007, he was signed as an

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 ...

punter 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 ...

. His playing career was derailed by a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee during the Lions' first preseason. In 2010, after extensive physical therapy and training, Deraney attempted a comeback, but he was not picked up by an NFL team.

External links

Detroit Lions bio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deraney, John 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Fayetteville, Georgia American football placekickers American football punters NC State Wolfpack football players Detroit Lions players