Joey Porter facts for kids
Porter with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006
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| No. 55 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | March 22, 1977 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Foothill (Bakersfield, California) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Colorado State | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1999 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. (born March 22, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who also worked as a coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Porter played college football for the Colorado State Rams. He was then drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1999 NFL draft.
Porter was a star player known for his energy and strong defensive skills. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl four times and won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. After retiring as a player, he became a coach. His son, Joey Porter Jr., was drafted by the Steelers in 2023, following in his father's footsteps.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Porter grew up in Bakersfield, California, where he attended Foothill High School. He was a talented athlete who played multiple sports. In football, he was a star wide receiver and running back.
During his senior year, he led his team to a 9–2 record and a spot in the playoffs. He was so good that he was named to the All-Section and All-State teams. Besides football, Porter also played basketball and soccer.
College Football Career
Porter went to Colorado State University and played for the Rams. He started his college career playing on offense as an H-back. However, he switched to the defensive line in his third year and quickly became a star.
As a defensive player, he was excellent at tackling the quarterback, which is called a sack. He had 22 sacks in his college career. In his senior year alone, he had 15 sacks, which tied a school record. His great performance earned him All-American honors. He studied exercise and sport science in college.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
241 lb (109 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.68 s | 1.65 s | 2.74 s | 4.41 s | 7.37 s | 39.0 in (0.99 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
27 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers (1999–2006)
The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Porter in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. He initially wore the number 95 but switched to 55 to create his own identity. He chose 55 to honor his childhood hero, Junior Seau.
Early Success
In his first season, Porter played well on special teams and got more time on defense as the year went on. He scored his first touchdown by recovering a fumble and running it back 46 yards.
By 2000, Porter became a key player on the defense. He recorded 10.5 sacks and, along with teammate Jason Gildon, set a team record for most sacks by a pair of players. He was even named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October.
Becoming a Star
In 2002, Porter had one of the best games of his career against the Oakland Raiders. He had seven tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. One of his interceptions was returned for 84 yards. For this amazing performance, he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. At the end of the season, he was selected for his first Pro Bowl.
In 2003, Porter missed two games after being injured as an innocent bystander before the season started. He still managed to record five sacks that year.
Super Bowl Champion
Porter had a great comeback season in 2004, earning his second trip to the Pro Bowl. He continued his excellent play in 2005, helping the Steelers reach and win Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks. That season, he had 10.5 sacks and was selected to his third Pro Bowl.
In his final season with the Steelers in 2006, Porter recorded seven sacks and scored a touchdown on an interception return.
Miami Dolphins (2007–2009)
In 2007, Porter signed a five-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. After a solid first season, he had an incredible year in 2008. He led the AFC with a career-high 17.5 sacks.
His performance helped the Dolphins make a huge turnaround, from a 1-15 team in 2007 to an 11-5 division champion in 2008. For his efforts, Porter was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl. He served as a team captain in 2009 before being released in 2010.
Arizona Cardinals (2010–2011)
Porter joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2010. In his first year with the team, he had 50 tackles and five sacks. An injury limited his playing time in 2011, and he played in only six games.
Retirement as a Steeler
On July 19, 2012, Porter announced his retirement from the NFL. He wanted to retire with the team where his career began. On August 3, 2012, he signed a special one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fum & Int | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Int | |||
| 1999 | PIT | 16 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | PIT | 16 | 60 | 42 | 18 | 10.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | PIT | 15 | 61 | 47 | 14 | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | PIT | 16 | 89 | 61 | 28 | 9.0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2003 | PIT | 14 | 66 | 50 | 16 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | PIT | 15 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | PIT | 16 | 57 | 39 | 18 | 10.5 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 2006 | PIT | 14 | 55 | 40 | 15 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | MIA | 16 | 66 | 57 | 9 | 5.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | MIA | 16 | 48 | 37 | 11 | 17.5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | MIA | 14 | 41 | 34 | 7 | 9.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | ARI | 14 | 50 | 38 | 12 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | ARI | 6 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 188 | 689 | 516 | 173 | 98.0 | 25 | 10 | 12 | |
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Porter began a new career as a coach. In 2013, he joined the coaching staff at his old college, Colorado State.
In 2014, he returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive assistant. The next year, he was promoted to outside linebackers coach. He coached for the Steelers for four seasons.
During a playoff game in 2016, Porter went onto the field during an injury timeout. This led to a penalty against the other team, which helped the Steelers win the game. After this, the NFL created a new rule, nicknamed the "Joey Porter Rule," which says assistant coaches cannot go onto the field.
In 2022, Porter was hired as the linebackers coach for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL.
Personal Life
Porter and his wife, Christy, have four children: two sons, Joey Jr. and Jacob, and two daughters, Jasmine and Jayla.
Joey Jr. is also a talented football player. He plays cornerback and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL draft. This made him a teammate on the same team where his father became a star.
Images for kids
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Porter during a Steelers game in 2006
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Porter (#55) with fellow 2009 Dolphins team captains Chad Pennington, Jason Taylor and Jason Ferguson.
