Shaun Michael Cody (born January 22, 1983) 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 ...
nose tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...
. He played
college football for the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
(USC), and was recognized as a consensus
All-American. The
Detroit Lions chose him in the second round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
. He is currently a commentator for the USC football team.
Early years
Cody was born in
Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in ...
. After spending his freshman year at
Damien High School
Damien High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in La Verne, in the U.S. state of California named for Saint Damien of Molokai. The school had its first graduating class in 1963. Each of Damien's freshmen classes draws from an avera ...
in
La Verne, he attended
Los Altos High School in
Hacienda Heights
Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 54,038, up from 53,122 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the ...
, and he played for the Los Altos Conquerors
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 ...
team. Lining up as
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 ...
, Cody recorded 105 tackles and 22 sacks as a senior, while helping Los Altos to a 14–0 record and its second consecutive
CIF
Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries.
Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...
Division VII championship. As a junior, he had 150 tackles, 51 tackles for losses, 35 sacks, 10 deflections and 10 forced fumbles. Cody was recognized 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 ...
'' as its 2000 All-USA Defensive Most Valuable Player. He also played in the first-ever
U.S. Army All-American Bowl game on December 30, 2000.
One of the most-sought after recruits of his class, Cody was particularly heavily recruited by the USC Trojans and their newly hired coaches
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...
and
Ed Orgeron
Edward James Orgeron Jr. (; born July 27, 1961) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU), a position he held from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Orge ...
. Cody was Carroll's first
blue-chip recruit, which attracted other talented players and eventually led to USC's dominance in the early 2000s.
College career
Cody attended the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
, and played for coach Pete Carroll's
USC Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 ...
team from 2001 to 2004. He was a backup defensive lineman for USC's first four games of 2001, and started the last eight at tackle, and posted 39 tackles, including seven for losses (with five sacks), and one fumble recovery. He was a first-team Freshman All-America selection. As a sophomore in 2002, Cody started for his second season at defensive while starting the first six games, and compiled 20 tackles, including one for a loss, a deflection, fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal.
Cody started all thirteen games as a junior defensive tackle in 2003, and had 26 tackles, including 10.5 for losses (with six sacks), plus a forced fumble, a deflection and three blocked field goals. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and received third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. He was recognized as a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and consensus first-team
All-American as a senior in 2004, after he compiled a career-high 45 tackles (29 solo), 10 sacks, 13 stops for losses, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections. He was also a team captain and voted Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
Professional career
2005 NFL Draft
Projected as a late first-round selection 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 ...
'', Cody was ranked as the No. 2 defensive tackle available in the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
, behind only
Travis Johnson. He eventually was the fourth lineman off the boards, after Johnson,
Luis Castillo, and his USC teammate
Mike Patterson.
Detroit Lions
Cody was selected with the fifth pick of the second round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
out of the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
. He played four seasons for the Lions, recording 91 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interceptions in 53 games, before becoming a free agent following the 2008 season.
Houston Texans
An
unrestricted 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 ...
in the 2009 offseason, Cody agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the
Houston Texans on March 23, 2009. In Week 9 against the
Buffalo Bills in 2012, Cody suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs, but later returned to finish the game.
Personal life
Cody participated in a series for
Spike TV entitled ''
Super Agent'', in which a number of sports agents competed to work for him and negotiate his NFL contract.
Cody is the host of
On The Nose, a behind-the-scenes internet video show with a humorous, irreverent style, interviewing several Texans including
Connor Barwin
Connor Alfred Barwin (born October 15, 1986) is an American football executive and former outside linebacker, currently serving as the director of player development for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Cincinnati, and was ...
and
Bob McNair.
References
External links
Official WebsiteDetroit Lions bioHouston Texans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Shaun
American football defensive tackles
All-American college football players
1983 births
Living people
Detroit Lions players
Houston Texans players
USC Trojans football players
People from Hacienda Heights, California
People from Whittier, California