Darren Sharper

Darren Sharper during the Vikings 2008 Training Camp.
No. 42
Safety
Personal information
Date of birth: (1975-11-03) November 3, 1975 (age 36)
Place of birth: Richmond, Virginia
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College: William & Mary
NFL Draft: 1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60
Debuted in 1997 for the Green Bay Packers
Last played in 2010 for the New Orleans Saints
Career history
Green Bay Packers (1997–2004) Minnesota Vikings (2005–2008) New Orleans Saints (2009–2010)
Roster status: Retired
Career highlights and awards
5× Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009) 6× All-Pro selection (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010) Super Bowl champion (XLIV) 2× NFC Champion (1998, 2009) NFC Interception Leader (2005) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team College awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
Tackles 635 Sacks 7.5 INTs 63 INT TDs 11 Stats at NFL.com

Darren Mallory Sharper (born November 3, 1975 in Richmond, Virginia) is a retired American football safety of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary.

Sharper is a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints. He is the younger brother of former NFL linebacker Jamie Sharper.

Early years[link]

Sharper attended Hermitage High School in Richmond, Virginia, graduating in 1993.^[1]

College career[link]

Sharper played college football at William & Mary, where he was a teammate of current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator and current Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. In high school Sharper had primarily played quarterback, and he wanted to be a quarterback at William & Mary as well, until his college coach, Jimmye Laycock, told Sharper that he had the potential to make the NFL as a defensive back.^[1] During his career he earned All-America honors twice and was named first-Team All-Yankee Conference three times. As a senior he was the Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Year after intercepting 10 passes. He finished his college career with a school record 24 career interceptions and a I-AA record 468 career interception return yards. He also set the school record with 1,037 career punt return yards.

College awards and honors[link]

• 3× First-team All-Yankee (1994–1996)
• 2× I-AA All-American (1995–1996)
• Yankee Conference Defensive P.O.Y. (1996)

Professional career[link]

Green Bay Packers[link]

Sharper was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. During his rookie season he played in 14 games, finishing with 19 tackles and two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns. The first of which was a 50-yard return in week 10 to help the Packers to a 20–10 victory over the Detroit Lions. His play helped Green Bay reach Super Bowl XXXII which they lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 31–24. During his second season he started all 16 games for the Packers, finishing with 73 tackles. In 1999 he started all 16 games for the second consecutive season finishing with a career high 113 tackles and three interceptions.

Sharper's breakout season was in 2000. He finished the season with 92 tackles and a league leading nine interceptions, and made his first career Pro Bowl. Sharper had another great season in 2001 finishing with 94 tackles and six interceptions.

In 2002 Sharper made his second Pro Bowl after intercepting seven passes for a league high 233 interception yards in only 13 games. In 2003 he finished with 82 tackles and five interceptions. During his last season with the Packers in 2004 he totaled 70 tackles and four interceptions and led the league in defensive touchdowns with two.

On March 10, 2005 the Packers released Sharper. He finished his eight-year career in Green Bay, fifth in Packer history with 36 career interceptions, 616 tackles, six sacks, 677 interception yards, and five touchdowns.^[2]

Minnesota Vikings[link]

Sharper signed with the Minnesota Vikings on March 12, 2005.^[3] Sharper made an immediate impact for the Vikings intercepting nine passes for a league high 276 interception yards and two defensive touchdowns, in only 14 games. His great play earned him a trip to his third Pro Bowl. During his second season with the Vikings in 2006 he made 67 tackles and four interceptions. On November 11, 2006 in a game against the Miami Dolphins, Sharper bumped a member of the officiating crew, but he was not immediately penalized, later the following week the NFL fined him $15,000 for the infraction.^[4]

Sharper made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in 2007, after totaling 63 tackles and four interceptions. On September 16, 2007, Sharper became the 22nd player in NFL history to intercept 50 passes.^[5] In 2008 Sharper recorded 69 tackles and one interception.

He finished his four-year career in Minnesota with 18 interceptions, 250 tackles, 359 interception yards, three touchdowns, and a sack.

New Orleans Saints[link]

2009 season[link]

An unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season, Sharper signed a one year deal with the New Orleans Saints on March 18, 2009.^[6]

On October 4, 2009, Sharper returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, the longest in Saints history. It was also his second 95+ yard interception return for a touchdown for the season. On October 25, Sharper returned his third interception for a touchdown on the season, a team record. At the end of Week 8, on Monday Night Football, Sharper intercepted a pass from Atlanta's Matt Ryan to help keep the Saints' perfect record. It was his seventh interception of the season. On November 30, once again on Monday Night Football, Sharper intercepted a desperation pass from New England's Tom Brady and returned it 35 yards, which would have left him 4 yards short of the NFL record for interception return yards in a season, set by Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens in 2004, but the interception was called back due to a penalty.

Sharper then broke that record in a December 27 game against Tampa Bay, intercepting Josh Freeman's pass and returning it 21 yards. This gave him 9 interceptions on the year and 376 return yards (including 3 interceptions returned for touchdowns). It was the 63rd interception of Sharper's NFL career, tying him for sixth on the all-time list.^[7] His 376 interception return yards broke the NFL single season record of 358 previously held by Ed Reed. Sharper also shares an NFL record with Deion Sanders for most games with 50+ interception return yards (9) and owns the NFL record for most games with 75+ interception return yards (6).

For his performance in 2009, Sharper was selected for his fifth Pro Bowl and as a first team All-Pro. On February 7, 2010, Sharper earned his first Super Bowl ring as the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV by a score of 31–17. Characteristically of the play of New Orleans defense all season, the game was decided when cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted a Peyton Manning pass late in the 4th quarter and returned it 74 yards for the winning touchdown.

2010 season[link]

Sharper had micro-facture arthroscopic surgery on his left knee during the off-season. On March 5, 2010, Sharper became an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to sign with another team. However, on May 3, Sharper re-signed with the Saints for the 2010 season.^[8] On September 3, Sharper was placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, causing him to miss the first six weeks of the 2010 NFL season. He was activated on October 24,^[9] but he later missed another two games after a further injury. He was selected as a second team All Pro, despite having missed much of the season.

Retirement[link]

After workouts with the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers without a contract offer, Sharper reportedly announced his retirement after a 14 year career. He finished with 63 career regular season interceptions, placing him sixth all time. He took 11 of them back for touchdowns, which ranks him second only to Hall of Famer Rod Woodson & Charles Woodson, with 12.^[10]

Life after football[link]

After retiring, Sharper did some work for both ESPN and NFL Network as an analyst. He'll join WWL-TV in New Orleans as an analyst for the New Orleans Saints beginning in August. [Link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Green Bay Packers bio
• Minnesota Vikings bio
• New Orleans Saints bio

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2009)

Look up Darren in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Darren a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from a Gaelic surname meaning "great", or from an anglicization of the Irish firstname Darragh or Dáire meaing "oak tree". According to other theories, it is a variant of Darrell, which originated from the French surname D'Airelle meaning "of Airelle". Darren has several spelling variations including: Daren, Darin, Daryn, Darrin, and Darryn.

In the United Kingdom, its popularity peaked during the 1970s but declined sharply afterwards.^[1]

People with the given name Darren[link]

Sports[link]

• Darren Bennett, played both Australian Rules football and American football professionally
• Darren Bent English football (soccer) player currently playing for Aston Villa
• Darren Braithwaite, British sprinter
• Darren Byfield, English football (soccer) player currently playing for Solihull Moors
• Darren Campbell, retired English sprint athlete
• Darren Collins, English football (soccer) player currently playing for Brackley Town
• Darren Clarke, Irish professional golfer.
• Darren Currie, English football (soccer) player currently playing for Hendon
• Darren Drozdov, retired professional wrestler who competed in the WWF from 1998 until 1999.
• Darren Ferguson, Scottish former football (soccer) player and currently manager
• Darren Fletcher, Scottish football (soccer) player currently playing for Manchester United
• Darren Gilford, Maltese athlete specializing in both the 100 metres and the 4x100 metre relay races
• Darren Gough, English cricketer
• Darren Huckerby, English former football (soccer) player
• Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league player
• Darren Lange, freestyle swimmer from Australia
• Darren Mackie Scottish football (soccer) player currently playing for Aberdeen
• Darren O'Dea, Irish football (soccer) player currently playing for Leeds United
• Darren Pang, Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Blackhawks
• Darren Purse, English football (soccer) player currently playing for Plymouth Argyle
• Darren Ritchie, Scottish long jumper
• Darren Rumble, Canadian ice hockey defenseman
• Darren Sharper, American football free safety who plays for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League
• Darren Smith, Australian rugby league player
• Darren Turcotte, retired professional ice hockey player

Television, Film, Art[link]

• Darren Aronofsky, American filmmaker
• Darren Bennett (dancer), professional dancer
• Darren Bett, weatherman for the BBC
• Darren Boyd, British actor
• Darren Day, English actor, singer, and television presenter
• Darren Grant, American Film and Music Video Director
• Darren Jordon, main newsreader on BBC 1
• Darren McGavin, American actor
• James Darren, American television and film actor, television director, and singer
• Darren Osborne, character in British soap Hollyoaks
• Darren Star, American television/film producer and screenwriter
• Darren Leadfoot, also known as Shiny Wax, a character in Cars
• Darren Criss, American actor and singer, "Blaine Anderson" in "Glee"

Music[link]

• DARREN, singer-songwriter
• Darren Hayes, singer-songwriter, formerly of the group Savage Garden
• Darren Jessee, drummer for the rock group Ben Folds Five
• Darren Miller, former singer for the electronic group backandtotheleft
• Darren Robinson (musician), guitarist and background singer in the Californian band Phantom Planet
• Darren Robinson (rapper), member of the 80s rap group The Fat Boys
• Darren Wilson, drummer of the Chicago-based indie-rock group The Hush Sound

Science[link]

• Darren Naish, vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer

Writing[link]

• Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series

See also[link]

• Darron
• Derren

References[link]

1. ^ [1]

External links[link]

• Babynamesworld - Origin and Meaning of the Name Darren
• BehindtheName - Origin and History of the Name Darren

Javon Lataff Walker (born October 14, 1978 in Galveston, Texas) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

Walker has also played for the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. He was selected to the Pro Bowl with the Packers in 2004.

Early years[link]

Javon played for St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. Walker holds the record from his high school for most career touchdowns, most touchdowns in a game, and longest play from scrimmage. Walker was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the eighth round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft, and spent three years in the minor leagues of the organization.

College career[link]

Walker attended Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, where he was Deion Branch's teammate, before enrolling at Florida State University.

Professional career[link]

Green Bay Packers[link]

After being drafted by the Green Bay Packers, Walker became the fourth player in the history of the NFL to have 100 receiving yards in each of his first two playoff games (2002 vs. Atlanta, 2003 vs. Seattle). He was selected to the NFC's Pro Bowl team for the first time for the 2004 season, following a breakout year.

After the 2004 season, Walker, backed by new agent Drew Rosenhaus, stated that he would not play for the Green Bay Packers again and would retire if he was not traded. Walker had been at odds with the organization since management refused to renegotiate his contract that had two years remaining on it after his Pro Bowl season in 2004, when he caught 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. "I just don't like the way the organization runs itself", Walker told ESPN.com. "They want players to come up there and play hard and work hard, but when it comes time to be compensated, it's like, 'We forgot what you've done.'" Walker also said quarterback Brett Favre's comments on his plans to hold out for a better contract last year made living in Wisconsin difficult, and he felt it was unfair that the team let Favre interfere with Walker's squabble with management. "There's an unwritten rule that players stick together," Walker said. Walker said he would not show up for training camp or come back at all for the final season of his contract regardless of whether Favre decided to retire or return. He said he'll repay the Packers the prorated portion of his signing bonus to leave Green Bay. "Why should I risk another year of getting beat up playing for a team that I don't want to play for? That's stupid", Walker said. Walker said he'll be ready for the 2006 season wherever he lands. "If I'm going to go out and take hits, it's going to be for a team that I love playing for", Walker said. "I'm not going to grandstand. I just want the Packers to give me peace of mind."

Ted Thompson released the following statement regarding the interview:

"During his time as a Green Bay Packer, Javon Walker has been well thought of by everyone here. I like Javon, certainly as a person and as a player. That said, Javon is under contract, which he signed as a 2002 first-round draft choice. That contract is governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was negotiated between the National Football League and the National Football League Players’ Association, and we expect him to honor it. There have been several highly publicized cases of player discontent in the National Football League. I don’t anticipate us making any concessions in this matter. We will continue to stay the course, and the Green Bay Packers will have no further comment on this topic."

Walker eventually backed off of his threats to hold out and reported to camp. In the first game of the 2005 season, Walker injured his ACL on a pass from Favre. The Packers placed Walker on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Denver Broncos[link]

The Packers traded Walker to the Denver Broncos for a second round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft on April 29, 2006. He signed a five-year deal worth more than $40 million, including roster bonuses totaling $15 million in 2007 and 2008. Walker recovered from his previous injury, and was productive during the 2006 season. He caught sixty-nine passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. Following the Broncos' season finale against the San Francisco 49ers, Walker was in a vehicle that was shot at in downtown Denver, killing teammate Darrent Williams. After Williams was shot, he fell into Walker's lap. In memory of Williams, Walker wore a hair style called the "fro-hawk", made famous by Williams, to begin the 2007 season.^[1] Walker said in an interview with Andrea Kremer of HBO's Real Sports that the attacks likely stemmed from a confrontation with bar patrons involving rookie wideout Brandon Marshall and his cousin.

On February 29, 2008, the Broncos released Walker after being unable to trade him.^[2]

Oakland Raiders[link]

On March 4, 2008, the Oakland Raiders signed Walker to a six-year, $55 million contract that included $16 million in guaranteed money.^[3] In November 2008, Walker announced that he'd miss the rest of the season due to injury. For the season, Walker played in eight games, had 15 receptions for 196 yards and one touchdown.

For the 2009 season, Walker played in only three games and had no statistics. He was released on March 8, 2010.

For his two seasons of employment with the Raiders, Walker collected $21 million.^[4]

Minnesota Vikings[link]

On August 23, 2010, It was reported Walker would sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who had also tried out Brandon Jones to make up the depth at Wide Receiver. Jones would later sign with the Seattle Seahawks. As of August 24 Walker has signed with the Minnesota Vikings. This signing was largely brought about due to the situation with Vikings' Star Wide Receiver Sidney Rice having to undergo hip surgery and missing half of the upcoming football season and health concerns about Wide Receiver Percy Harvin who suffers from recurring Migraines.

Walker was released September 5, 2010 before the regular season opener.

Suspension[link]

On December 11, 2010, Walker was suspended by the NFL for four games.^[5] Although four-game suspensions are handed out by the league for violating either the league's substance abuse policy or steroids policy, it is unclear which applies to Walker's situation.^[6]

Because Walker (currently a free agent) would have to serve the suspension only after he is signed by another team, it is thought that the suspension effectively ends his NFL career since it is highly unlikely a team would sign him then allow him to sit for four weeks.^[7]

Robbery incident[link]

Just after 7 A.M. on June 16, 2008, Walker was found unconscious in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a street just off the Las Vegas Strip. The previous evening, he had been at Body English, a nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, and left at approximately 5 A.M. the following morning. After being found unconscious, Walker was taken to a local hospital with what police described as "significant injuries," including a concussion and a broken face. He was listed in fair condition and released from the hospital on June 18.^[8][9]

Police said Walker was the victim of an apparent robbery, as a large amount of cash and some jewelry were taken from him.^[10] Police arrested two suspects, one in late June (Arfat Fadel)^[11] and the other in early July.^[12] On July 7, 2010, Deshawn Lamont Thomas, an 11-time convicted felon, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for his part in the crime.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Denver Broncos bio
• Green Bay Packers bio
• Oakland Raiders bio

Football:

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • ESPN • Pro-Football-Reference

Baseball:

• Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube

Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982 in Prattville, Alabama) is an American football safety with the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama. After he was drafted, Harper earned the starting strong safety job and held it until week 5 of his rookie season when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Harper was able to come back strong after his injury-riddled rookie season and has not missed a game since. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl berth and helped lead the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, FL.

High school[link]

Harper went to high school in Prattville, Alabama where he was a quarterback, safety, and returner for Prattville High School. He led the Lions to a 9-2 record his senior season. One of those losses came from rival Sidney Lanier High School in the regional championship game. Harper was a first Team All State performer and was also selected to the Alabama-Mississippi All Star Game.

College career[link]

Harper attended The University of Alabama. He was a four-year letterman and a three-year starter and finished his college football career with 302 tackles, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and 3.5 sacks. As a senior, he was a first team All-Southeastern Conference cat. As a junior, he was a second team All-Southeastern Conference selection. As a sophomore, he led the team with 114 tackles and also had an interception and a fumble recovery.^[1]

Professional career[link]

Drafted in the second round by the Saints, Harper started five games in 2006 but was put on injured reserve on October 10. Harper started 16 games in 2007 and 15 games in 2008. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl berth and helped lead the New Orleans Saints to the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami, FL.^[1]

Awards and championships[link]

• 2009 - Super Bowl Champion
• 2009 - Named to first NFL Pro Bowl
• 2007 - Ed Block Courage Award

Community work[link]

Harper and his mother, Princess Harper, founded the Harper's Hope Foundation in 2009. The primary goal of the foundation has been, “to strengthen families and enhance their emotional, social, and spiritual health through educational programs, enrichment activities, and economic development.”^[2]

In July 2010 the foundation hosted its first annual "A Sainted Weekend" Celebrity Golf Tournament and Silent Auction.

Harper became a member of School of the Legends (SOTL) in 2010.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Roman Harper on Twitter
• New Orleans Saints bio
• Roman Harper ESPN Profile
• Roman Harper Yahoo Sports Profile
• Roman Harper Fox Sports