Courtney Watson (born September 18, 1980, in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

) 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 ...

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, ...

who played in the NFL for two seasons with 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 ...

, who drafted him in the second round of the

2004 NFL Draft The 2004 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 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...

out of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

High school career

Courtney Watson played high school football at Riverview High School in

. Watson played wide receiver as a freshman and sophomore, before switching to

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in his junior season. In his first year at the position, he rushed for more than 1,100 yards, earning All-League and All-Sarasota honors, while also being awarded team Most Valuable Player. As a senior, Watson rushed for 1,220 yards on 133 carries (9.2 yards per carry) and scored 15 touchdowns, while also handling kickoff and punt return duties and serving as a team captain. At the end of the season, he received All-League and All-Sarasota honors, he was named team MVP for a second straight year and he was selected to play in the Florida Shrine Bowl. While at Riverview he also competed in basketball, captaining the team as a senior and twice earning All-League and All-Sarasota honors, and he was a member of the track and field team.

College career

In 1999 Courtney Watson enrolled at the

to play for head coach Bob Davie and the Fighting Irish football team. He was redshirted his freshman year while being converted into a

. In 2000 Watson spent most of his time on special teams, while serving as a backup to All-American linebacker

Anthony Denman Anthony Ray Denman (born October 30, 1979) is a former American football linebacker who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seven ...

. After Denman got drafted 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 pla ...

in the 2001 NFL Draft, Watson received the starting job for the 2001 season. In the season opener against

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, in his first career start, he recorded 18 tackles and he was named MVP of the game. He ended the season second on the team in tackles (76) and tackles for loss (13). In 2002 Watson led the team in tackles (90) and he was tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (10) and interceptions (4). In his final season at Notre Dame, in 2003, he led again the team in tackles (117) and he was second on the team in tackles for loss (15).

Professional career

Watson was drafted in the second round of the

by the

and he signed a five-year, $2.98 million contract with the team. In the season opener of the

2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With New England as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling o ...

he recorded 11 tackles. He ended the season with 57 tackles and two sacks in twelve games (eight starts). In the 2005 NFL season he played in nine games, with six starts, recording 37 tackles and one sack. During the 2006 offseason, he was traded to 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 ...

for linebacker Eddie Moore. However, this trade was rejected when Eddie Moore failed a physical for the Saints. On June 6, 2006, Watson was traded to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for TE

Tim Euhus Tim Euhus (born October 2, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State. College career Euhus attended Oregon ...

. On August 22, 2006, he was released by the Bills. He was picked up by the Houston Texans two days later. However, he was released by the team before the start of the season.

References

External links

Saints linebacker arrested on DWI charge

NFL.com: Courtney Watson

New Orleans Saints official site profile: Courtney Watson

NFL.com Draft Profile: Courtney Watson

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Courtney 1980 births American football linebackers Living people New Orleans Saints players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida) alumni