 Townsend jumps for a pass — December 20, 2007 |
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| No. 26 Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Cornerback | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: September 8, 1975 | |
| Place of birth: Batesville, Mississippi | |
| Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 183 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Alabama | |
| NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117 | |
| Debuted in 1998 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of week 17, 2008 | |
| Tackles | 342 |
| Sacks | 15.5 |
| INTs | 20 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Trevor "Big Play" Deshea Townsend (born September 8, 1975) is a defensive back who is currently playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round (117th overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft.
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Early years
A native of Batesville, Mississippi, Deshea played high school football for the South Panola Tigers, where he was the teammate of fellow future Alabama Crimson Tide star Dwayne Rudd. Townsend played quarterback at South Panola and led the team to the 1994 Mississippi State 5A championship and an undefeated 15-0 record.
College career
Along with Rudd, Townsend continued his career in college at the University of Alabama where both became members of the Theta Delta Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., in 1995. He majored in business management.
Professional career
A ten year veteran of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Townsend grew from a special teams player and nickel back (and initially known in Pittsburgh as the player to wear Rod Woodson's number 26 after he left the Steelers) into a solid starter for the Steelers at cornerback. Townsend is known for his outside speed as a pass rusher. Townsend has recorded 322 tackles, 15.5 quarterback sacks, and 18 interceptions during his ten years as a Steeler. He also had a key sack on Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during the final minutes of Super Bowl XL, which helped secure the Steelers eventual victory. He was re-signed by the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in March 2006.
During the 2008 season, Townsend accepted the reduced role from starting cornerback to the nickel package. However, his contributions to the NFL's best defense did not stop. After Townsend returned an interception 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in 2008, ESPN personality Chris Berman (while reporting the highlights of the game on SportsCenter) gave Townsend the nickname Deshea "Stadium" Townsend, named after Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets.
External links
- Deshea Townsend at NFL.com
- ESPN.com: Deshea Townsend player card
- The Deshea Townsend Show on KDKA/CW
- Steelers Player Bio
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