Richard Seymour facts for kids
Seymour with the Oakland Raiders in 2010
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| No. 93, 92 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | October 6, 1979 Gadsden, South Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 317 lb (144 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Lower Richland (Hopkins, South Carolina) |
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| College: | Georgia (1997–2000) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Richard Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is a famous American football player. He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). Richard played for the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. He also played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. The Patriots chose him sixth overall in the 2001 NFL draft.
Richard Seymour played in seven Pro Bowl games. He was also named to five All-Pro teams. He won three Super Bowl championships with the Patriots. During his career, many people thought Richard was one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. He was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
Seymour was picked for the Pro Bowl as both a 3-4 defensive end and a 4-3 defensive tackle. Sometimes, he even played fullback in short-yardage plays. After his football career, he started playing professional poker.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Richard Seymour grew up in Hopkins, South Carolina. He went to Lower Richland High School. In high school, he was a top player. He earned first-team All-Region and All-Area honors.
As a senior, he was the team's best defensive lineman. He was also a team captain. That year, he had 8 sacks and 83 tackles. He helped his team get many awards.
College Football Days
Richard Seymour went to the University of Georgia. He played for the Bulldogs from 1997 to 2000. He was part of a very strong defensive line. Four players from his line later became first-round NFL draft picks.
Richard studied housing and consumer economics. He played in 41 games for the Bulldogs. He started 25 of those games. By the end of his college career, he had 223 tackles. He also had 9.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for losses.
He was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference in 1999 and 2000. In his senior year, he was chosen as a first-team All-American. This is a very high honor in college football.
Freshman and Sophomore Years
In 1997, as a freshman, Seymour played in nine games. He was a right defensive tackle. In 1998, he played in every game as a sophomore. He started four games and had 69 tackles.
Junior and Senior Years
In 1999, Richard started all 11 games as a junior. He led his team with 74 tackles. He also had four sacks and intercepted a pass. He was named SEC defensive player of the week for a great game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
As a senior, Seymour started ten games. He had 78 tackles and 6 sacks. He also earned SEC player of the week honors. This was for his performance against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Playing in the NFL
New England Patriots Years (2001–2008)
The New England Patriots picked Richard Seymour in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. He was the sixth player chosen overall.
First Seasons and Super Bowl Wins
In his first year (2001), Richard played in 13 games. He started 10 of them. He helped the Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams. This earned him his first Super Bowl ring.
In 2002, Seymour started all 16 games. He had 5.5 sacks and an interception. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl game. He also blocked field goals in two games.
In 2003, the Patriots changed their defense. Seymour became a defensive end. He was also named a team captain. He had a career-high eight sacks and 57 tackles. He helped the Patriots win their second championship in three years. They beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Richard was chosen for the 2004 Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro player.
In 2004, Seymour played in 15 games. He scored his first touchdown on a 68-yard fumble return. This happened against the Buffalo Bills. He won his third Super Bowl with the Patriots. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro choice again.
Later Patriots Seasons
Richard signed a new contract with the Patriots in 2006. It was a three-year deal worth $30 million. In 2005, he had four sacks and 46 tackles. He was named to his third straight first-team All-Pro team. He also made his fourth straight Pro Bowl.
In 2006, Richard played in all 16 regular season games. He had four sacks and 40 tackles. He was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl. He was also a second-team All-Pro player.
In 2007, Richard had surgery on his left knee. This kept him out for the start of the season. He returned later and played in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots lost that game to the New York Giants. In 2008, Seymour had a healthier season. He started 15 games for the Patriots.
Oakland Raiders Years (2009–2012)
In 2009, the Patriots traded Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders. He was traded for a first-round draft pick. At first, Richard was not happy about the trade. But he soon reported to the Raiders.
First Seasons with the Raiders
He started his first game with the Raiders on September 14. He had six tackles and two sacks. He started all 16 games in the 2009 NFL season. He finished the year with 47 tackles and four sacks.
In 2010, the Raiders kept Seymour by using the franchise tag. He signed a one-year deal worth $12.4 million. He was a starting left defensive tackle. He was chosen for his sixth career Pro Bowl.
Final Seasons with the Raiders
In 2011, Seymour signed a new two-year, $30 million contract. This made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at the time. In the first game of the 2011 NFL season, he had 2 sacks and 3 tackles. He finished the season with 29 tackles and 6 sacks. He was one of four Raiders chosen for the 2012 Pro Bowl.
In 2012, Richard missed the last eight games due to an injury. In February 2013, the Raiders ended his contract. This made him a free agent. He had offers from other teams, but he decided to retire if he didn't get the contract he wanted.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | |||
| 2001 | NE | 13 | 44 | 25 | 19 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | NE | 16 | 56 | 33 | 23 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 | NE | 15 | 57 | 34 | 23 | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2004 | NE | 15 | 39 | 24 | 15 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 68 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | NE | 12 | 46 | 35 | 11 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006 | NE | 16 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2007 | NE | 9 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | NE | 15 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 8.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | OAK | 16 | 47 | 30 | 17 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 | OAK | 13 | 48 | 36 | 12 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011 | OAK | 16 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2012 | OAK | 8 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 164 | 496 | 324 | 172 | 57.5 | 4 | 8 | 81 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | |
Awards and Honors
Richard Seymour received many awards during his career.
NFL Awards
- 3× Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX)
- 3× First-team All-Pro (2003–2005)
- 2× Second-team All-Pro (2006, 2011)
- 7× Pro Bowl (2002–2006, 2010, 2011)
- NFL 2000s All-Decade Team (This means he was one of the best players of the 2000s)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2001)
- New England Patriots All-2000s Team
- New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team
- New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team
- New England Patriots Hall of Fame
College Awards
- First-team All-American (2000)
- 2× First-team All-SEC (1999, 2000)
Life After Football
Poker Player
| Richard Seymour | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Gadsden, South Carolina, United States |
| Born | October 6, 1979 |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 1 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish |
131st |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | None |
After his football career, Richard Seymour became a professional poker player. He plays poker as a hobby. He has competed in the World Series of Poker main event. In 2019, he finished 131st. In 2023, he finished 284th.
Team Ownership
In October 2024, Richard Seymour bought a small part of the Las Vegas Raiders. This means he is now a part-owner of the team he once played for.
