Derek Stanley (born August 27, 1985) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He was selected by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

in the seventh round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Whitewater The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UW–Whitewater or UWW) is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. As of Fall 2024, the university offers 47 undergraduate majors ...

Early life

Stanley attended

Verona Area High School Verona Area High School (VAHS) is a high school in Verona, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Verona Area School District. Academics Accredited by the North Central Association, VAHS offers a core curriculum in grades 9 through 12 th ...

and was a student and a letterman in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, basketball, and track. In football, he was a two-time All-Area selection and was twice named as an All-Conference selection. The Wisconsin State Journal'' named Stanley Wisconsin's high school football player of the year in 2002, after he amassed more than 2,000 yards rushing in his senior season at Verona Area High School.

College career

Stanley played

at the

. In addition, he was a track All-America and ran a reported 4.32 forty-yard dash.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

The

drafted Stanley in the seventh round (249th overall) in the

. He was assigned No. 19 by the Rams and was signed to a three-year contract in June 2007. In his first game on August 1, 2007, a preseason game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Stanley had four receptions for 61 yards. He was waived from the roster the last round of cuts but was re-signed to the practice squad. On December 14, Stanley was promoted to the active roster. He made his regular season debut two days later against 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

with a 19-yard kickoff return. He appeared in three games for the team, returning 20 kicks for 509 yards and fumbling once. He also had one carry for five yards and a solo tackle on special teams. Stanley spent the first four games of the 2008 regular season on the Rams' practice squad before being signed to the active roster on October 10. The team waived

safety Safety is the state 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 The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Brannon Condren Brannon Condren (born August 19, 1983) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for Troy Trojans foo ...

to make room for Stanley on the roster. His first career reception came on November 2, 2008 against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He made a spectacular 80 yard, one handed grab resulting in a touchdown. He was waived on September 22, 2009 to make room for newly signed Danny Amendola.

Toronto Argonauts

On May 27, 2010, Stanley was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. He was later released by the Argonauts on June 17, 2010.

Coaching career

Stanley was later a wide receivers coach for

Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1832 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution wes ...

References

External links

St. Louis Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Derek 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Madison, Wisconsin American football wide receivers American football return specialists Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks football players St. Louis Rams players Sportspeople from Verona, Wisconsin Lindenwood Lions football coaches Coaches of American football from Wisconsin Toronto Argonauts players Canadian football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from Wisconsin