Derrick Gardner (American football) facts for kids
| No. 30, 31 | |
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| Position: | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 10, 1977 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Oakland (CA) Skyline |
| College: | California |
| Undrafted: | 1999 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Player stats at PFR | |
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |
Derrick A. Gardner (born March 10, 1977) is a former American football player. He played as a defensive back, which is a position that helps stop the other team from scoring. Derrick played one season with the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL). He also played college football at the University of California, Berkeley. After his playing career, he became a football coach.
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Early Life and High School Football
Derrick Gardner grew up in Oakland, California. He played high school football for the Skyline High School Titans. In 1995, he was named "player of the game" in a special California-Texas all-star game. He helped his team win by catching an opponent's pass (an interception) and running it 46 yards for a touchdown! In his senior year, he was named an all-state player. He had five interceptions that season.
College Football Career
Derrick played college football for the California Golden Bears. He was on the team from 1995 to 1998. During his junior year, he led the Golden Bears in interceptions with two. He was a very important player, starting his last 31 games for the team. Even as a freshman in 1995, he started a game against the Stanford Cardinal. He once scored a touchdown by picking up a fumbled ball and running 72 yards! Throughout his college career, he made 160 tackles.
Professional Football Career
After college, Derrick Gardner signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL) in 1999. He played in seven games for the Falcons during the 1999 season.
In 2000, he played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. His team won the World Bowl 2000, which is like the championship game for that league. In 2001, Derrick played for the San Francisco Demons in the XFL. He also returned to play for the Rhein Fire in 2001. Later, in 2002, he joined the Los Angeles Avengers in the Arena Football League. He played for them until 2003.
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Derrick Gardner started coaching. In 2005, he became an assistant coach at his old high school, Skyline High School. He coached there until 2008.
In 2009, he became the Director of Football Operations for the East West Shrine Game. This is a special game where college players show off their skills for NFL teams. In 2010, he worked as a scouting intern for the Seattle Seahawks. He helped them find new players.
In 2011, Derrick went back to his college, the University of California, Berkeley. He worked there as a leader for the strength training program. Since 2012, he has been an assistant coach at Laney College. He coaches the cornerbacks, which are defensive players. His coaching at Laney College was even shown on the Netflix show Last Chance U.
