William Edwards Blackmon (born October 27, 1984) 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 ...
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
and
return specialist
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
. 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 ...
for the
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisio ...
, and was drafted in the fourth round of the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. He has also played for 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. ...
,
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
,
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
,
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 ...
, and briefly for the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
.
Early life
Blackmon was born in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
but grew up in
Cranston. He was raised by his father and grandmother after his mother died from
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...
when he was 6 years old.
Blackmon attended
Bishop Hendricken High School
Bishop Hendricken High School (or Hendricken) is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
Founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1959, and named ...
in
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...
. At Hendricken, Blackmon earned 2001 All-America first-team honors from USA Today, ESPN.com, SuperPrep and PrepStar as a senior. He was named Gatorade Rhode Island Player of the Year after his senior season.
Blackmon excelled in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and
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 won 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 ...
in the Rhode Island state meet with a time of 10.87 seconds.
Professional career
Green Bay Packers
Blackmon had a 57-yard punt return touchdown and a fumble-return touchdown as the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
wrapped up the
NFC North
The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...
title with a 38-7 win on December 10, 2007 over 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 ...
. They were the first and second touchdowns of his career. He became just the fourth player in NFL history to accomplish the feat of a kick and fumble return in the same game, and the first since 1974. In 9 games, he recorded 4 solo tackles and a pass deflected.
In the first game of his 2008 season with the Packers, Blackmon returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. He was later named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1.
In week 10 of the 2008 NFL season, against the Minnesota Vikings once again, Blackmon returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown.
Blackmon was released on an injury settlement from the Packers during 2010 roster cutdowns.
New York Giants
Blackmon signed with 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. ...
on October 29, 2010. After being placed on injured reserve, the Giants waived Blackmon on January 2, 2011. Then on November 23, 2011, after the Giants secondary got depleted with injuries, Blackmon re-signed with the team. He won a Super Bowl ring when the Giants defeated the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in
Super Bowl XLVI
Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
. He was released in the off-season and was signed by the
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...
of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
but never played for them.
Seattle Seahawks
On February 13, 2013, Blackmon signed with the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. He was released by the team on August 27, 2013.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On August 28, 2013, Blackmon was signed by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. On November 10, 2013, in a game 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 h ...
, he caused and recovered a
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...
fumble and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown, helping the Jaguars secure their first win of the season. He was released on February 26, 2015.
Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
On March 9, 2015, Blackmon signed a deal to return to the Seattle Seahawks. He was released for final roster cuts before the start of the season on September 6, 2015.
Washington Redskins
Blackmon signed a one-year contract with 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 ...
on September 15, 2015. After testing the free agency market for the 2016 offseason, Blackmon re-signed with the Redskins on a two-year contract on March 14, 2016. Early in the 2016 offseason, the Redskins moved him from the cornerback position to free safety. He recorded his first interception of the season against
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
quarterback
Matt Barkley
Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...
in the team's Week 16 win.
On September 2, 2017, Blackmon was released by the Redskins.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On July 24, 2018, Blackmon signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. He was cut from the team's roster on July 30, 2018. Blackmon was then activated by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and made his CFL debut as starting corner on September 2, 2018 in a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in which he recorded 4 tackles and forced one fumble. It was Blackmon's only game in the CFL; he retired shortly afterwards and accepted a job on
NFL Network
NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NFL ...
. He served as a studio analyst for
Sky Sports UK telecasts for weeks 1 through 8 of the 2019 NFL season.
References
External links
Official websiteJacksonville Jaguars bioWashington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackmon, Will
1984 births
Living people
Bishop Hendricken High School alumni
Sportspeople from Cranston, Rhode Island
Players of American football from Providence, Rhode Island
Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island
American football cornerbacks
American football safeties
American football wide receivers
American football return specialists
Boston College Eagles football players
Green Bay Packers players
New York Giants players
Arizona Rattlers players
Seattle Seahawks players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Washington Redskins players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Canadian football defensive backs
American players of Canadian football