Lavonte Lamar David (born January 23, 1990) is an
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 ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
of 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). He played
college football for the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the
2012 NFL Draft. Since entering the NFL, David has been named to 3 All-Pro teams, 1 Pro Bowl appearance and won
Super Bowl LV during the 2020 season, in a 31–9 victory over the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
.
High school career
A native of
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, David attended
Northwestern High School, where he was a teammate of
Marcus Forston
Marcus Forston (born September 28, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. Forston was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football for the University ...
,
Anthony Gaitor,
Jacory Harris,
Sean Spence,
Tommy Streeter
Tommy Streeter, Jr. (born October 7, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, with whom he won Sup ...
, and
Brandon Washington
Brandon Washington (born August 13, 1988) is a former American football offensive tackle and current coach. He has played for the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL), the St. Louis Rams and Philadelph ...
. Northwestern won back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007, and was listed as
mythical national champions by ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' in 2007. Regarded as only a two-star prospect 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 ...
, David was not highly recruited.
College career
David originally signed with
Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together of ...
, but then decided to attend
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College is a community college in Fort Scott, Kansas, United States. It has satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, including Pittsburg and Frontenac, along with sites in Paola and at the Hillsdale Learning ...
in
Fort Scott, Kansas. David led Fort Scott Community College to the Junior College National Championship Game, while ranking among the conference's leaders in tackles and tackles for loss. He was also a two-time first-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection and a Region VI All-American in 2009. David was the defensive most valuable player of the 2009 national championship game against
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
-led Blinn. David racked up 12 tackles, including sacking Newton on the game's final defensive play, before Fort Scott lost on a punt return for a touchdown.
During his first season at Fort Scott, David led the Jayhawk Conference with 93 tackles.
In 2010, he transferred to Nebraska, where he set the school's single-season record for tackles with 152, in his first year with the team. In a game against
South Dakota State
South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...
, David recorded a career-high 19 tackles, the seventh- most in school history. After the season, David was named first-team All-American by Rivals.com and CBS, unanimous first-team Big 12 and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, as selected by the coaches.
As a senior, David led Nebraska with 133 tackles and ranked third in the Big Ten in tackles per game.
He also led Nebraska in tackles for loss (13.0), sacks (5.5), interceptions (2), forced fumbles (2) and fumble recoveries (2) in 2011. At the conclusion of the season, he was named First-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He was also the winner of the inaugural Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, awarded to the best linebacker in the Big Ten.
David started all 27 games he played in at Nebraska (2010–11), recording 285 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two interceptions, 12 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. His 285 career tackles rank fourth in school history, and most by a two-year player.
In May 2021, in fulfillment of a promise to his late mother, David graduated from the University of Nebraska, receiving his B.S. in
Criminology and
Criminal Justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
.
Professional career
David entered the 2012 NFL Draft and attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed all of the combine and positional drills. Teams spoke about possibly moving him to safety as they thought he was undersized to play linebacker in the NFL.
David was projected to be a second or third round pick by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' and NFL draft experts.
At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, David was ranked as the third best outside linebacker in the draft by DraftScout.com, was ranked the fourth best outside linebacker prospect by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock, and was ranked the tenth best outside linebacker in the draft by ''Sports Illustrated''.
2012
The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
selected David in the second round with the 58th overall pick in the
2012 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers traded their third (68th overall) and fourth round (126th overall) pick to the
Houston Texans in order to move up to the second round and draft David. In exchange, the Buccaneers received the Texans' second and seventh round (233rd overall) picks in 2012. He was the ninth linebacker drafted in 2012 and also became the highest drafted linebacker from Nebraska since
Barrett Ruud in
2005.
On May 19, 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a four-year, $3.47 million contract that included $1.36 million guaranteed and a $964,896 signing bonus.
Throughout
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...
, David competed to be the starting weakside linebacker against veteran
Adam Hayward. He made his NFL debut in the Buccaneers' pre-season opener against at the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
and made two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception in their 20–7 victory. He intercepted a pass by Dolphins' quarterback
Matt Moore in the second quarter. Head coach
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...
named David the starting weakside linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside
Quincy Black and starting middle linebacker
Mason Foster
Mason Foster (born March 1, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington. He has also been a member of the Chicago B ...
.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener against 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. ...
and made six combined tackles in their 16–10 victory. He immediately performed well and displayed great play recognition and instincts as a rookie. Defensive coordinator
Bill Sheridan
William Sheridan (born January 27, 1959) is an American football coach who is currently the linebackers coach for the Arlington Renegades. Sheridan was previously the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football L ...
chose to give David the responsibility of wearing the green-dot helmet transmitter, in order to communicate with coaching staff and making defensive calls. In Week 4, David collected 14 combined tackles (12 solo) during a 24–22 loss to the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. The performance was his first career game registering double-digit tackles. On November 4, 2012, he collected a season-high 16 combined tackles (14 solo) in the Buccaneers' 42–32 win at the
Oakland Raiders in Week 9. The following week, David recorded 14 combined tackles (13 solo) during a 34–24 win against the
San Diego Chargers in Week 10. He earned Defensive Rookie of the Month in November and became the first member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the award after amassing a league-leading 47 combined tackles in four games.
On December 2, 2012, David made ten combined tackles (seven solo), a season-high two pass deflections, and made his first career regular season interception during a 31–23 loss at the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
in Week 13. He intercepted a pass by Broncos' quarterback
Peyton Manning, that was originally intended for tight end
Jacob Tamme, and returned it for a 27-yard gain in the third quarter. In Week 14, he recorded nine combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback
Nick Foles
Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL D ...
during the third quarter of a 23–21 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. David started all 16 games at weakside linebacker in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
and led the Buccaneers with 139 combined tackles (112 solo), while also making five pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception. His 139 tackles tied for eighth in the league along with linebackers
London Fletcher
London Levi Fletcher-Baker (born May 19, 1975) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. He played college football ...
and
Paul Posluszny
Paul Michael Posluszny (; born October 10, 1984) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at Penn State Universit ...
. David also finished with 20 tackles-for-loss, which was the most by a rookie since
Kendrell Bell
Kendrell Alexander Bell (born July 2, 1980) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, where he was named NFL Defensive Ro ...
in .
2013
David remained the starting weakside linebacker in 2013, alongside middle linebacker Mason Foster and
Dekoda Watson. He started in the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener at the
New York Jets and made nine combined tackles, two sacks, and an interception during their 18–17 loss. During the fourth quarter, David delivered a late hit on quarterback
Geno Smith
Eugene Cyril "Geno" Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to multiple bowl game ...
as Smith ran out of bounds after a ten-yard gain to stop the clock with 15 seconds left as the Jets were losing 17–15. David received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, giving the New York Jets the necessary distance for
Nick Folk
Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-tea ...
to make a 48-yard game-winning field goal. David later explained after the game that he thought Smith was going to stay in bounds before he delivered the blow. On September 12, 2013, David was fined $7,875 for his late hit on Smith. On November 11, 2013, David recorded seven combined tackles and earned the first
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
of his career in a 22–19 win against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
in Week 10. He earned the safety after he tackled running back
Daniel Thomas in the endzone for a one-yard loss in the second quarter. In Week 12, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (nine solo), a pass deflection, and an interception in the Buccaneers' 23–21 victory at the
Detroit Lions. He received NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 12 performance against the Lions. On December 8, 2013, David made nine combined tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack during a 27–6 win against the
Buffalo Bills in Week 14. He had his first multi-interception game of his career after intercepting two passes by
E. J. Manuel
Erik Rodriguez "EJ" Manuel Jr. (born March 19, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to an ACC championship and Orange Bowl win in his senior year, and was drafted by ...
. He started all 16 games in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
and recorded 145 combined tackles (107 solo), ten pass deflections, a career-high seven sacks, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a safety.
On December 30, 2013, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...
and general manager
Mark Dominik
Mark Dominik (born March 9, 1971) is a former professional football executive and scout for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 2013. Dominik joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after sp ...
after the Buccaneers did not qualify for the playoffs and finished with a 4–12 record. January 3, 2014, Lavonte David was named 2013 First-team All-Pro.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave David an overall grade of 93.5 in 2013. He was ranked 35th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
2014
Head coach
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 to 2016, he served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a ...
named David and
Jonathan Casillas the starting outside linebackers to begin the regular season, along with middle linebacker Mason Foster. Defensive coordinator
Leslie Frazier retained the base
4-3 defense and ran Lovie Smith's
Tampa 2
The Tampa 2 is an American football defensive scheme popularized by (and thus named after) the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League (NFL) team in the mid-1990s–early 2000s. The Tampa 2 is typically employed out of a 4–3 defensive ali ...
scheme.
On October 2, 2014, David collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (ten solo) and a pass deflection during a 37–31 loss at the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. The following week, he tied his season-high of 14 combined tackles (ten solo) in the Buccaneers' 48–17 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in Week 6. In Week 8, David collected 14 combined tackles (nine solo), for his third consecutive game, during a 19–13 loss to the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
. On November 16, 2014, David made 13 combined tackles (eight solo) before exiting in the fourth quarter of a 27–7 victory at the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
due to an injury. He was listed as inactive for the next two games (Week 12–13) due to his
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupe ...
injury, which also ended his 42-game streak of consecutive starts. On December 23, 2014, it was announced that David was selected as an alternate to the
2015 Pro Bowl
The 2015 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2014 season. It began at 6 pm local time on January 25 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and it was the first Pro Bowl to be held outside Hawaii ...
. Unfortunately, David would not play after all of the primary selections participated. He finished the
2014 season with 146 combined tackles (101 solo), a four pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and a sack in 14 games and 14 starts.
He was ranked 56th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
2015
On August 9, 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed David to a five-year, $50.25 million contract extension with $25.55 million guaranteed.
Head coach Lovie Smith named David and
Danny Lansanah the starting outside linebackers to begin the 2015 season, along with rookie middle linebacker
Kwon Alexander
Kwon Alexander (born August 3, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at LSU. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Alexander has also played for ...
. On September 27, 2015, David collected a season-high 15 combined tackles (three solo) during a 19–9 loss at the
Houston Texans. In Week 11, he made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and scored his first career touchdown during the Buccaneers' 45–17 victory at the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. David intercepted a screen pass by quarterback
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and was draft ...
, that was originally intended for running back
Darren Sproles
Darren Lee Sproles (born June 20, 1983) is an American football executive and former running back and return specialist who is a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football ...
, and returned it for a 20-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. On December 23, 2015, it was announced that David was selected as an alternate for the
2016 Pro Bowl. He finished the season with a career-high 147 combined tackles (85 solo), 13 pass deflections, three interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.
David had the third most tackles among all players in 2015, behind only
NaVorro Bowman
NaVorro Roderick Bowman (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football linebacker who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the thi ...
(154) and
D'Qwell Jackson
D'Qwell Jackson (; born September 26, 1983) is a former American football inside linebacker who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the ...
(150). On January 25, 2016, it was announced that David would play in the
2016 Pro Bowl and replace
DeMarcus Ware
DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is an American former football outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Troy University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in th ...
, who was unable to attend due to his participation in
Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...
as part of the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
. He was ranked 53rd on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016
On January 6, 2016, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 to 2016, he served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a ...
after they finished with a 6–10 record. Offensive coordinator
Dirk Koetter
Dirk Jeffrey Koetter ( ; born February 5, 1959) is an American football coach who is currently serving as the interim offensive coordinator at Boise State University. He was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football Lea ...
was promoted to head coach. Koetter chose to replace defensive coordinator
Leslie Frazier with former Atlanta Falcons' head coach
Mike Smith. Head coach Dirk Koetter named David and
Daryl Smith the starting outside linebackers in 2016, along with middle linebacker Kwon Alexander.
On December 4, 2016, David recorded three combined tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and returned an interception for a touchdown as the Buccaneers defeated the
San Diego Chargers 28–21. David intercepted a pass by Chargers' quarterback
Philip Rivers
Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
, that was initially intended for wide receiver
Tyrell Williams
Tyrell Williams (born February 12, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Western Oregon and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has also played for ...
, and returned it for a 15-yard touchdown in the third quarter. In Week 15, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 26–20 loss at the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
. David started all 16 games in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
and recorded a career-low 87 combined tackles (67 solo), five sacks, four passes defensed, four forced fumbles, one interception, and a touchdown.
David struggled in his first year under defensive coordinator Mike Smith's new scheme and received an overall grade of 77.6 from Pro Football Focus in 2016.
2017
Head coach Dirk Koetter officially named David and
Kendell Beckwith
Kendell Beckwith (born December 2, 1994) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU).
Professional career
Coming out of LSU, Beckwith was projected by the majority of NFL draft expert ...
the starting outside linebackers, along with middle linebacker Kwon Alexander. In Week 2, David made nine combined tackles and recovered a fumble by quarterback
Mike Glennon
Michael Joseph Glennon (born December 12, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at NC State and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also p ...
, which set up the Buccaneers on an eventual touchdown scoring drive in their 29–7 victory against the
Chicago Bears. On September 24, 2017, David made seven combined tackles before he was carted off the field in the third quarter of the Buccaneers' 34–17 win at the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
in Week 3. In Week 7, he collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (12 solo) in a 30–27 loss at the
Buffalo Bills. David was inactive for the Buccaneers' Week 15 loss to the
Atlanta Falcons due to a
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupe ...
injury. He finished the
2017 season with 101 combined tackles (76 solo), five forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 13 games and 13 starts.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave David an overall grade of 94.2, which ranked second among all qualified linebackers in 2017.
2018
In Week 2 against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, David recorded a team-high nine tackles and recovered a fumble lost by running back
Wendell Smallwood
Wendell Lynn Smallwood Jr. (born January 20, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at West Virginia and was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Smallw ...
on a last second lateral attempt to seal a 27–21 win.
In Week 7 against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
, David recorded a team-high eight tackles and forced a fumble on rookie quarterback
Baker Mayfield during the 26–23 overtime win.
In Week 13 against 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. ...
, David recorded a season-high 12 tackles and his first full sack of the season on
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
during the 24–17 win.
In Week 15 against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, David matched his season-high 12 tackles, sacked rookie quarterback
Lamar Jackson twice, and recovered a fumble lost by Jackson during the 20–12 loss.
David finished the season with 120 combined tackles (94 solo), 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two pass deflections in 14 games started.
2019
![Lavonte David](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Lavonte_David.png)
In Week 4 against the
Los Angeles Rams, David recorded an interception off
Jared Goff
Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, where he set the Pac-12 Conference season records for passi ...
in the 55–40 win. This was David's first interception since the 2016 season.
In Week 8 against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
, David recorded a season high 12 tackles during the 27–23 loss.
In the following week's game against the
Seattle Seahawks, David recorded eight tackles and his first and only sack of the season on
Russell Wilson during the 40–34 overtime loss.
In Week 10 against the
Arizona Cardinals, David recorded a team-high eight tackles and forced a fumble on running back
David Johnson which he recovered in the 30–27 win.
In Week 15 against the
Detroit Lions, David recorded nine tackles and forced a fumble on running back
Ty Johnson which was recovered by
Devin White
Devin Marcel White (born February 17, 1998) is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted by the Buccaneers fifth overall in the 2019 N ...
during the 38–17 win.
In the following week's game against the
Houston Texans, David recorded a team high ten tackles and forced another fumble, this time on running back
Duke Johnson which was recovered again by Devin White during the 23–20 loss.
David finished the season with 122 combined tackles (81 solo), one sack, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, seven pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games started. He was ranked 100th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020
In Week 2 against 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. ...
, David forced a fumble on wide receiver
Robby Anderson and recovered the ball during the 31–17 win. In Week 3, during a 28–10 win against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, David recorded 4 total tackles and his first interception of the season.
On October 1, 2020, David was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in September (24 total tackles, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception from Weeks 1–3).
In Week 6 against the
Green Bay Packers, David recorded nine tackles and sacked
Aaron Rodgers 1.5 times during the 38–10 win. Overall, in the 2020 season, David recorded 117 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, one interception, and six defended passes.
In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the
Washington Football Team
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, David led the team with nine tackles and sacked
Taylor Heinicke
Taylor Heinicke ( ; born March 15, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Old Dominion and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted f ...
once during the 31–23 win. In
Super Bowl LV, David recorded six tackles and helped the Buccaneers defeat the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
31–9 to give David his first Super Bowl ring.
2021
On March 12, 2021, David signed a two-year, $25 million contract extension with the Buccaneers with $20 million guaranteed. On September 18, David was fined $12,875 for spiking his helmet during the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He suffered a foot injury in Week 15 and was placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2021. He was activated on January 15, 2022, in time for the Wild Card game against the Eagles.
2023
On March 15, 2023, David resigned with the Buccaneers on a one year, $7 million contract.
Personal life
While at Nebraska, David volunteered his time with the team to hospital visits and the Husker Heroes program. In December 2012, David led students through football drills and promoted the importance of health and fitness for the opening of BUCS CARE School Fitness Zones at two local Elementary schools. In the same month, the linebacker tacklealso visited youth at All Children's Hospital in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and sang holiday carols to residents at Westminster Palms retirement home in December 2012. In June 2012, David visited
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
in Downtown Tampa to tour a hurricane aircraft, witness a military dog training session, and thank civilian workers and active duty military for their service. In 2020, David was chosen as the Buccaneers' nominee for the 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Buccaneers franchise records
* Most fumble recoveries in a career – 18 (2012–present)
* Most tackles for loss in a career – 143 (2012–present)
* Most assisted tackles in a season – 62 (2015)
* Most tackles for loss in a season – 21 (2013)
* Most fumble recoveries in a season – 5 (2017)
References
External links
*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioNebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Lavonte
1990 births
Living people
Miami Northwestern Senior High School alumni
Players of American football from Miami
American football linebackers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Fort Scott Greyhounds football players
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Ed Block Courage Award recipients