Vonta Leach
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Leach with the Houston Texans | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | November 6, 1981 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Lumberton, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 262 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Rowland (NC) South Robeson | ||||||||||
| College: | East Carolina | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2004 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Terzell Vonta Leach (pronounced VON-tay LEECH; born November 6, 1981) is a former American football fullback who played for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at East Carolina.
Leach also played for the New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens.
Early years
Leach attended East Carolina University, where he played for the East Carolina Pirates football team from 2000 to 2003. He became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Leach earned his degree in 2010 after completing his online classes.[1]
Professional career
Green Bay Packers
Leach spent the first three years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and compiled 5 receptions for 19 yards. He was released by the Packers on September 13, 2006.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints claimed him off waivers the next day but he was eventually released.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans signed Leach on October 9, 2006.
On March 19, 2007, Leach signed a four-year, $8 million restricted free agent offer sheet with the New York Giants.[2] However, the Texans matched the Giants' offer and Leach returned to Houston. Leach scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on December 13, 2007 in a 31–13 win over the Detroit Lions. After helping pave the way for teammate Arian Foster's breakout 2010 campaign, Leach was voted into the 2011 Pro Bowl, his first Pro Bowl selection. On January 24, 2011, Leach was also selected to the Associated Press's NFL All-Pro Team.[3] Leach was announced as the 65th ranked player on the 2011 NFL Top 100, and was ranked 45th, higher than Peyton Manning, on the 2012 NFL Top 100.
Baltimore Ravens
Leach signed a three-year, $11 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on July 31, 2011, making him the highest paid fullback in the NFL.[4] While paving the way for Ray Rice, Leach also amassed 12 carries for 35 yards, plus 15 receptions for 69 yards. This performance earned him another Pro Bowl appearance in 2011.
Leach was announced the Fullback for the AFC Division in the 2013 Pro Bowl—his 3rd selection for the Pro Bowl—but was not able to play because the Ravens had qualified for Super Bowl XLVII with their victory over the New England Patriots in the 2012 AFC Championship. Leach earned his first NFL Championship in Super Bowl XLVII when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34–31.
On June 10, 2013, Leach announced on Twitter that he may be cut or traded because he cannot reach a compromise on his reduced contract.[5]
On July 29, 2013, Leach re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens.[6]
On September 5, 2013, Leach scored the first touchdown of the 2013 NFL season in a game against the Denver Broncos. Leach gradually saw his playing time decrease as the 2013 season progressed and he was only used in a dozen snaps over the last 3 games of the year.
On February 27, 2014 the Ravens released Leach, making him an unrestricted free agent.[7]
References
- ↑ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7344921.html
- ↑ Giants' 4-year offer sheet worth about $1.6M for Leach-ESPN Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ Brady, AFC players dominate selections on AP All-Pro Team-NFL.com Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ Vonta Leach chooses the Ravens-NBC Sports Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ Vonta Leach: My time with Baltimore Ravens is up
- ↑ Mink, Ryan (July 29, 2013). "Vonta Leach Re-Signs With Ravens". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ↑ Patra, Kevin (February 27, 2014). "Vonta Leach, Jameel McClain cut by Baltimore Ravens". NFL.com. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
External links
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