Senquez Da'Quinn Golson (born July 7, 1993) 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 ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
who was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in the second round (56th overall) of the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
. 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 Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
, where he was recognized as a unanimous
All-American.
He has also been a member of 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) NFC South, South divisio ...
and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
.
Early years
Golson was born on July 7, 1993, in
Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Anthony and Tarsha Golson.
Golson attended Pascagoula High School, where he was a letterman in baseball, football and track. In
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, he recorded three interceptions and five touchdowns as a senior. He was named a Dandy Dozen selection by ''
The Clarion-Ledger
''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...
''.
In
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, Golson lettered four years under head coach Richie Tillman. As a senior, he hit .345 with three home runs, 25 RBI and 16 steals, leading Pascagoula to the second round of the State Playoffs, and was named a first team All-America selection by ''
Rawlings Rawlings may refer to:
*Rawlings (company), a U.S. sports equipment company
*Rawlings, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Allegany County, Maryland
*Rawlings (surname)
Rawlings is an English-language surname. Notable people with the name in ...
'' and was an All-Region first team selection for the Southeast. He wa selected in the eighth round of the
2011 MLB Draft
The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...
by the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
with the 262nd overall pick, but did not sign.
In
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, Golson was one of the state's top performers in the 100m. He claimed the state championship in the
100-meter dash
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
for Class 6A in 2011, with a time of 10.66 seconds. He also ran the
200-meter dash
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
, recording a personal-best time of 23.04 seconds.
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 ...
, Golson was ranked as the No. 33
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
prospect of his class He committed to
Ole Miss on July 21, 2010. and ranked overall 8th in the state of Mississippi.
College career
Despite being drafted by Boston of the
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, he elected not to sign with the team and decided to return to Ole Miss and fulfill his college commitment.
As a freshman, he played in 12 games with four starts at cornerback, recording 16 tackles and an interception. Against
Mississippi State he had a season high 8 tackles.
He also played for the Mississippi Diamond Rebels baseball team after his freshman season. At outfield he played in 22 games, starting 15 of them. He batted .204 with, 13 runs scored, 5 stolen bases, and 5 runners batted in.
As a sophomore, he played in 12 games with six starts, finishing with 36 tackles and three interceptions. In a game against #24 Mississippi State he had 3 tackles and 2 interceptions which was a career-high.
As a junior, he played in all 12 games at cornerback, with 10 starts, recording 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
On Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 4:50AM, Golson was arrested in Gautier, Mississippi, for
disorderly conduct and failure to comply with an officer for refusing to show a Gautier policeman identification. He was held at the Adult Detention Center in Pascagoula until he posted $1,000 bail.
As a senior, he emerged as one of the best defensive players in the
SEC. In a game against #1
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, he made an interception in the back of the end zone sealing the victory and upset for the Rebels. He was named a first-team All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
selection and earned unanimous
All-American honours, the first in school history since
Michael Oher in 2008. During his senior season, he started all 12 regular season games plus the 2015
Peach Bowl
The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially re ...
. He accumulated 43 tackles, three of them for a loss. He also tied the school record with 10 interceptions in a season, with one of them occurring in the 2015 Peach bowl. Golson also scored his only career touchdown and had 162 interception return yards during his senior season. For his career he had a total of 136 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 16 interceptions, and 1 touchdown.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Golson was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in the second round, 56th overall, of the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
. On May 12, 2015, he signed a four-year rookie contract worth $4 million with $2.2 million guaranteed.
2015 season
On August 21, 2015, Steelers head coach
Mike Tomlin announced that Golson underwent surgery on his shoulder that would likely keep him out for his entire rookie season.
He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2015.
The surgery was season-ending as Golson did not play during the entire 2015 season.
2016 season
The Steelers gave Golson competition at cornerback when they selected
Artie Burns with their first-round pick in the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
.
On August 1, 2016, Golson suffered a mid-foot injury during practice.
The next day it was determined that the foot suffered a
Lisfranc injury
A Lisfranc injury, also known as Lisfranc fracture, is an injury of the foot in which one or more of the metatarsal bones are displaced from the tarsus.
The injury is named after Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin, a French surgeon and gynecolo ...
and, on August 8, he underwent Lisfranc surgery. Both the Steelers and Golson were hoping for a return to practice within about 7 or 8 weeks. However, on October 8, 2016, Golson was placed on injured reserve, and missed the entire 2016 season.
2017 season
The Steelers signed veteran cornerback
Coty Sensabaugh
Coty Sensabaugh (born November 15, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
College career
He played college foo ...
and drafted
Cameron Sutton and
Brian Allen with their third and fifth-round picks respectively in the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
, giving Golson ample competition for a roster spot after missing the previous two seasons with injuries. On July 30, Golson was carted off the field on the first day of padded practice for the third season in a row. As a consequence of his injury, he did not play in any of the Steelers' four preseason games. As a result, Golson was waived by the Steelers on September 2, 2017.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On November 15, 2017, Golson was signed to 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) NFC South, South divisio ...
' practice squad, but was released a week later.
Oakland Raiders
On April 6, 2018, Golson signed with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. He was released on May 23, 2018.
References
External links
Ole Miss Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golson, Senquez
Living people
1993 births
People from Pascagoula, Mississippi
Players of American football from Mississippi
Ole Miss Rebels football players
American football cornerbacks
Ole Miss Rebels baseball players
All-American college football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Oakland Raiders players