Sean Weatherspoon

Sean Weatherspoon

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Weatherspoon with the Falcons in 2013
No. 56 Atlanta Falcons
Position: Outside linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-12-29) December 29, 1987
Place of birth: Greenville, South Carolina
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school: Jasper (TX)
College: Missouri
NFL draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Butkus Award finalist (2009)
  • 3× First-Team All-Big 12 (2007–2009)
  • Third-Team All American (2008)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2015
Total tackles: 296
Sacks: 8.0
Forced fumbles: 1
Pass deflections: 15
Interceptions: 2
Defensive touchdowns: 1
Player stats at NFL.com

Franklin De'Sean "Sean" Weatherspoon (born December 29, 1987), is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Missouri, and was drafted by the Falcons with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Arizona Cardinals.

Early years

Weatherspoon attended Jasper High School in Jasper, Texas, where he was a versatile athlete who was an accomplished three-sport star in Texas, including as a linebacker in football. Sean was the 2006 recipient of the defensive Willie Ray Smith Award. He was named the Texas District 22-3A player of the year as a senior; after making 98 tackles in 2005 for the Jasper Bulldogs. Sean had 8 tackles for loss in 2005, and added 4 quarterback sacks along with 2 interceptions from his linebacker position as well. His high school football career also included a 2nd-Team All-State pick. Sean also played receiver on offense, and had 27 catches for 428 yards and 7 TDs. He was a 1st-Team All-District selection as a junior in 2004 at linebacker, after registering 105 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 QB sacks and 3 interceptions. He was named the 22-3A defensive newcomer of the year as a sophomore in 2003; when he amassed 101 stops, 3 tackles for loss, 1 QB sack and 2 interceptions. He was an All-District performer as a guard in basketball.

In track & field, Weatherspoon was an All-State high jumper. At the 2005 District 22-3A Championships, he won the high jump event with a leap of 1.89 meters (6-2), and ran the fourth leg on the Bulldogs 4 × 200 relay, helping them earn a first-place finish with a school-record time of 1:30.62 minutes.[1] He posted personal-best leaps of 1.97 meters (6-5) in the high jump and 6.40 meters (20-11) in the long jump. He also competed as a sprinter, running the 200-meter dash in 22.9 seconds.[2] In addition, he was also timed at 4.5 sec in the 40-yard dash.

Considered only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, Weatherspoon was not ranked among the best linebacker prospects in the nation.[3] He chose Missouri over Iowa State, Houston, Tulane, and TCU, among others.

College career

One of only four true freshmen to play for the Tigers in 2006, Weatherspoon saw action in all 13 games, primarily on various special teams units, and was named Mizzou's special teams player of the year, as he led the team with 9 tackles on kickoff coverage. Weatherspoon was listed as the backup on the depth chart at middle linebacker to senior co-captain Dedrick Harrington, and had 17 tackles in all for the season.

As a sophomore, Weatherspoon became a starter at weakside linebacker and blossomed into a leader on the field, under the tutoring of Coach Dave Steckel.[4] He led the team with 130 tackles, and also broke up 8 passes on the year (2nd-most on the team). Weatherspoon received All-Big 12 First Team honors by the Associated Press, San Antonio Express-News, and Rivals.com in 2007.

In 2008, Weatherspoon finished the season with 155 tackles, which were the 2nd-most in Missouri single-season history, trailing only to Travis McDonald (164 in 1994). He also had 18.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (2 of which he returned for touchdowns), and also broke up 7 passes. In the 2008 Alamo Bowl, Weatherspoon was named the game's defensive MVP after registering 17 tackles. He announced after the game that he had filed for the 2009 NFL Draft, but just to see where he would rank, and that he would return for his senior season.[5]

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Weatherspoon was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 19th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.[6]

Atlanta Falcons

2010

In his rookie season, Weatherspoon recorded 42 tackles and one sack. He played in only 11 games while starting 5.[7]

2011

Weatherspoon then became the Falcon's starting outside linebacker. Without missing a start, he finished the season with 115 tackles, four sacks, and one fumble recovery.

2012

Weatherspoon was named the Falcons' defensive captain at the beginning of the season. He ended his 2012 campaign with 95 tackles, three sacks and his first career interception. He played in and started 13 games.

2013

In 2013, Weatherspoon missed 10 regular season games due to injury. He finished the season with 38 tackles, one interception and his first career touchdown.

2014

On June 10, 2014, the Falcons announced that Weatherspoon would miss the entire 2014 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.[8]

Arizona Cardinals

2015

On March 11, 2015, Weatherspoon signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.[9]

Second stint with Falcons

2016

On March 10, 2016, Weatherspoon agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Atlanta Falcons.[10]

NFL stats

Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2010 ATL 11 42 34 8 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2011 ATL 16 115 82 33 4.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
2012 ATL 13 95 70 25 3.0 1 1 0 1 6 6 6 0 4
2013 ATL 7 38 26 12 0.0 0 0 0 1 71 71 71 1 2
Career 47 290 212 78 8.0 1 2 0 2 77 39 71 1 15

[11]

Key

Personal

Sean was born to Develous Weatherspoon and Elwanda Martin Weatherspoon in Greenville, South Carolina in 1987.[12] He has an older sister Wanda and two older brothers Douglas and Develous Jr. Sean is the second cousin of former WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon. The family originated in Pineland, Texas and moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 1984. The family moved back to Texas in 1988, settling in Jasper, Texas.

References

External links

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