Shawne Merriman facts for kids
Merriman in 2023
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| No. 56 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 25, 1984 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 261 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Douglass (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Maryland (2002–2004) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984) is a former professional football player. He was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). People called him "Lights Out" because of his strong plays.
Shawne Merriman played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. The San Diego Chargers picked him 12th overall in the 2005 NFL draft. In his first year, he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He made many quarterback sacks in his first three seasons. He also went to three Pro Bowls and was chosen for two All-Pro teams.
Later in his career, injuries made it hard for him to play. The Chargers let Merriman go in 2010. The Buffalo Bills then signed him, but he played very little due to more injuries. He retired from football at the end of the 2012 season.
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Early Life and High School Football
Shawne Merriman grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He got his famous nickname "Lights Out" when he played at Frederick Douglass High School. He was known for his powerful hits on the field.
Merriman played three years on both the varsity football and basketball teams. In basketball, he was one of the top defenders in the Washington, D.C. area. For football, he was named the Maryland Defensive Player of the Year in his senior year. He was also selected to the first-team all-state.
College Football Career
Even though many colleges wanted him, Merriman chose to stay in Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland and played for the Maryland Terrapins football team. In his first year in 2002, Merriman played in 13 games. He finished third on the team with 5 sacks.
He faced some injuries during his second year, but he still played in every game. In his junior year, he became a national star. He was named to the ACC All-Conference team. He also won the "Iron Terp" award for being the strongest player on the team. In 2003, his 41.5-inch vertical jump was the best ever for a Maryland defensive lineman.
Professional Football Journey
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) |
272 lb (123 kg) |
33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.64 s | 1.59 s | 2.67 s | 4.21 s | 40 in (1.02 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
25 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Playing for the San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers picked Shawne Merriman in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He was the 12th player chosen overall. The Chargers got this draft pick from the New York Giants as part of a trade. This trade involved Philip Rivers and Eli Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Merriman signed a big 5-year contract with the Chargers on August 1, 2005.
2005 Season: Rookie Success
Merriman missed some early training camp in his rookie year. He did not start playing until week 7. But once he started, he quickly made 6 sacks in his first 4 games. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl as an outside linebacker.
One of his best games was in week 15. The Chargers beat the Indianapolis Colts, who had not lost a game yet. Merriman had 2 sacks and stopped Peyton Manning for a big loss. This game helped him get a lot of attention and make the Pro Bowl.
On January 4, 2006, Merriman won the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He received most of the votes from sports writers and broadcasters. He played in the 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. He made 3 tackles and forced one fumble.
2006 Season: Leading the League
After missing some games, Merriman started his 2006 season very well. He had 3 sacks and an interception in his first 2 games. He went on to lead the entire league in sacks with 17.5, even though he only played 12 games. He also forced 4 fumbles.
Merriman was known for a special dance he did after each sack. After the Chargers lost to the New England Patriots in the playoffs that season, some Patriots players did Merriman's "Lights Out" dance. Merriman's teammate, LaDainian Tomlinson, said this was disrespectful.
2007 Season: Another Pro Bowl
In 2007, Merriman decided he would not do his sack celebration dance anymore. However, in week 4, he did the dance again after a sack. He said his teammates wanted him to do it to help cheer up the Charger fans.
Merriman finished the 2007 season with 68 total tackles and 12.5 sacks. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row. By this time, he had 39.5 sacks in just three seasons. This was more than any other player from 2005 to 2007. He was also named First-Team All-Pro twice and Second-Team All-Pro once.
2008 Season: Dealing with Injuries
During the 2008 training camp, Merriman had problems with his knee. Doctors told him he had tears in his knee ligaments. They said playing without surgery could cause a serious injury to his career. After getting several opinions, Merriman decided to have surgery. He missed the rest of the 2008 NFL season.
2009 and 2010 Seasons
In the 2009 season, Merriman had a painful foot injury and continued knee problems. He only had four sacks that season.
In 2010, Merriman wanted to stay with the Chargers. The team kept him, but he re-injured his calf early in the season. On October 13, the Chargers placed him on the injured reserve list. This meant he would be released when he got healthy. The Chargers officially let him go on November 2, 2010. He had only four sacks in his last three seasons with San Diego.
Playing for the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills signed Merriman after the Chargers released him. However, he suffered an Achilles injury during his first workout with the Bills. He was placed on the season-ending injury reserve list.
He signed a new two-year contract with the Bills in January 2011. But on October 25, 2011, Merriman was again placed on the Injured Reserve list. This was his second season in a row with a major injury. He finished that season with nine tackles and one sack in five games. In 2012, the Bills released Merriman in August, but then re-signed him in October.
Retirement from Football
On March 5, 2013, Shawne Merriman officially announced his retirement from professional football.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | SD | 15 | 57 | 43 | 14 | 10.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006 | SD | 12 | 63 | 49 | 14 | 17.5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 2007 | SD | 15 | 68 | 54 | 14 | 12.5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2008 | SD | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | SD | 14 | 36 | 26 | 10 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | SD | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | BUF | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | BUF | 10 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 75 | 258 | 197 | 61 | 46 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | 17 | |
Other Appearances and Ventures
Shawne Merriman has appeared in various media and pursued other interests.
- He was on an episode of MTV Exposed.
- In 2007, he was chosen as the cover athlete for the EA Sports video game NFL Tour.
- Merriman appeared in Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" music video.
- He was a pre-show analyst for WrestleMania XXX in 2014.
- He appeared in a Nike football advertisement.
- Merriman had a small role in season 7 of HBO's Entourage.
- He was on Cartoon Network's Destroy Build Destroy with Antonio Gates.
- He showed off his tattoos for PETA's "Ink Not Mink" campaign. This campaign encourages people not to wear animal furs.
- In 2017, he was on MTV's The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros. He played for his charity, the Lights On Foundation.
- In 2018, he appeared as a guest on The Dirty Sports Podcast. He also worked as an NFL analyst for FS1.
In April 2014, Merriman appeared at WrestleMania XXX. There were reports he might join WWE, but he later left the company. In 2017, Merriman became the owner of a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West car for driver Jesse Iwuji. He is a big fan of motorsports. In April 2019, Merriman announced he was starting his own mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion called Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.
