Brandon Short
Encyclopedia
Brandon Darrell Short is a former professional American football
linebacker
in the National Football League
. He was an All-America
n at Penn State University
and played in Super Bowl XXXV
.
Pennsylvania Big School Player-of-the-Year as a senior at McKeesport Area High School
in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
after compiling 171 tackles, eight sack
s, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and one blocked punt and leading the team to the class AAAA state championship and a 15-0 record. He lettered four times in both football
and basketball
. He was named to the USA Today Top 25 high school players in the country, a consensus All-American and was the 1995 Big 33 MVP. A superb basketball player as well, Short was a member of a McKeesport team that attained the No.1 state ranking his senior year. He lettered four times in both basketball and football.
and two time captain of the team. He was named defensive MVP
of the 1998 Citrus Bowl
, and All-Big Ten
as a senior and junior.
Red Shirt Freshman Season
Short played on five snaps as a true freshman in Penn State's first game with Texas Tech. The following week he broke a bone in his foot and spent most of the rest of the season in rehabilitation, practicing but not playing in the final month of the season to earn a medical red shirt.
Short earned All-America
honors as a senior in 1999
. He and teammate LaVar Arrington
were the first teammates to be chosen as finalists for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker
. Together they made up one of the most fearsome linebacker duos ever to play at "Linebacker U", capping their senior season with a 24-0 shutout
of Texas A&M
in the 1999 Alamo Bowl
. Short led the team with 103 tackles and four sack
s that season.
Freshman Season
Short started every game at rush end/linebacker and led the Nittany Lions with 12 tackles for -50 yards, while his 3.5 sacks for -20 yards was among the team's best. His tackle total was 48 (20 solo) and he caused and recovered a fumble, blocked a field goal and broke up two passes. He was in for 812 plays. Everything began to click for Short as he got used to his new position and he totaled a season-high 10 tackles, and caused and recovered a fumble in the season finale with Michigan State. His play in the Fiesta Bowl included six stops, among them two tackles for loss (-11 yards) and a sack.
Sophomore Year
On the original list of Butkus Award candidates, Short made stops (42 solo), fourth on the team, despite missing the better part of three games with an ankle injury. He started eight regular season games and was in for 563 snaps. Short anchored a defense that while bending and giving up some yardage, managed to hold six teams to 17 points or less. He recorded 12 tackles for losses, tied for second on the team, with 2.5 sacks, an interception and three pass breakups. Short earned team Defensive MVP honors in the Citrus Bowl.
Junior Year
Short led the Lions resurgence and topped the squad in tackles en route to first-team All-Big Ten honors. He recorded 67 tackles (49 solo) with 15 tackles for -42 yards. and 5.5 sacks. A semi-finalist for the Butkus Award. Short tied his career high with 10 stops (8 solo) at Minnesota, including a career best 3 sacks to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and ABC Player of the Game honors.
Short earned his Bachelor of Science
degree in marketing from Penn State University in 1999.
(#105 overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft
played 5 seasons for the New York Giants and two for the Carolina Panthers.
In his rookie year saw action in 11 regular season games and was inactive for five games because of an ankle injury. Appeared in all three of the Giants postseason contest, including Super Bowl XXXV
.
Short's biggest claim-to-fame may be his infamous 2002 training camp cafeteria fistfight with teammate Jeremy Shockey
. The two players brawled after Shockey, a rookie
, refused to sing his college fight song
—a training camp hazing
ritual.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E7D61E3BF931A3575BC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8362182/Strahan-answers-all-the-tough-questions
Short was in the news again after he broke New York Jets
quarterback
Chad Pennington
's wrist
during a tackle in the 2003 Giants-Jets preseason game
. Pennington would miss the first six games of the 2003 season
.http://www.nysun.com/sports/with-umenyiora-out-giants-could-call-strahan/84533
Short signed as a free agent
with the Carolina Panthers
in 2004, and appeared in all 32 games at strongside linebacker with Carolina
in 2004 and 2005. He tallied 70 tackle
s and helped the Panther's defense collect 38 take-aways, which tied a team record. He returned to the New York Giants
in April 2006
, signing as a free agent
.
in 2010 and currently works at Goldman Sachs
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n at Penn State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and played in Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
.
High school career
Short was named Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Pennsylvania Big School Player-of-the-Year as a senior at McKeesport Area High School
McKeesport Area High School
McKeesport Area High School is a public high school located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, in the United States.The school, which is located at 1960 Eden Park Boulevard, serves students from Dravosburg, McKeesport, South Versailles, Versailles, and White Oak....
in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
after compiling 171 tackles, eight sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and one blocked punt and leading the team to the class AAAA state championship and a 15-0 record. He lettered four times in both football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. He was named to the USA Today Top 25 high school players in the country, a consensus All-American and was the 1995 Big 33 MVP. A superb basketball player as well, Short was a member of a McKeesport team that attained the No.1 state ranking his senior year. He lettered four times in both basketball and football.
College career
Short was a four-year starter at Penn StatePennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and two time captain of the team. He was named defensive MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the 1998 Citrus Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
, and All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
as a senior and junior.
Red Shirt Freshman Season
Short played on five snaps as a true freshman in Penn State's first game with Texas Tech. The following week he broke a bone in his foot and spent most of the rest of the season in rehabilitation, practicing but not playing in the final month of the season to earn a medical red shirt.
Short earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors as a senior in 1999
1999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
. He and teammate LaVar Arrington
LaVar Arrington
LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...
were the first teammates to be chosen as finalists for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
. Together they made up one of the most fearsome linebacker duos ever to play at "Linebacker U", capping their senior season with a 24-0 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
of Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in the 1999 Alamo Bowl
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is a major American college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It matches the second choice team from the Pacific-12 Conference and the third choice team from the Big 12 Conference.Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been...
. Short led the team with 103 tackles and four sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s that season.
Freshman Season
Short started every game at rush end/linebacker and led the Nittany Lions with 12 tackles for -50 yards, while his 3.5 sacks for -20 yards was among the team's best. His tackle total was 48 (20 solo) and he caused and recovered a fumble, blocked a field goal and broke up two passes. He was in for 812 plays. Everything began to click for Short as he got used to his new position and he totaled a season-high 10 tackles, and caused and recovered a fumble in the season finale with Michigan State. His play in the Fiesta Bowl included six stops, among them two tackles for loss (-11 yards) and a sack.
Sophomore Year
On the original list of Butkus Award candidates, Short made stops (42 solo), fourth on the team, despite missing the better part of three games with an ankle injury. He started eight regular season games and was in for 563 snaps. Short anchored a defense that while bending and giving up some yardage, managed to hold six teams to 17 points or less. He recorded 12 tackles for losses, tied for second on the team, with 2.5 sacks, an interception and three pass breakups. Short earned team Defensive MVP honors in the Citrus Bowl.
Junior Year
Short led the Lions resurgence and topped the squad in tackles en route to first-team All-Big Ten honors. He recorded 67 tackles (49 solo) with 15 tackles for -42 yards. and 5.5 sacks. A semi-finalist for the Butkus Award. Short tied his career high with 10 stops (8 solo) at Minnesota, including a career best 3 sacks to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and ABC Player of the Game honors.
Short earned his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in marketing from Penn State University in 1999.
Professional career
A fourth-round pick of the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(#105 overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
played 5 seasons for the New York Giants and two for the Carolina Panthers.
In his rookie year saw action in 11 regular season games and was inactive for five games because of an ankle injury. Appeared in all three of the Giants postseason contest, including Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
.
Short's biggest claim-to-fame may be his infamous 2002 training camp cafeteria fistfight with teammate Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Charles Shockey is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
. The two players brawled after Shockey, a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, refused to sing his college fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
—a training camp hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
ritual.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E7D61E3BF931A3575BC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8362182/Strahan-answers-all-the-tough-questions
Short was in the news again after he broke New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
's wrist
Wrist
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as 1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand;...
during a tackle in the 2003 Giants-Jets preseason game
National Football League exhibition season
The National Football League preseason refers to the period each year during which NFL teams play several not-for-the-record exhibition games before the actual "championship" or "regular" season starts. Beginning with the featured Pro Football Hall of Fame game in early August, five weekends of...
. Pennington would miss the first six games of the 2003 season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
.http://www.nysun.com/sports/with-umenyiora-out-giants-could-call-strahan/84533
Short signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
in 2004, and appeared in all 32 games at strongside linebacker with Carolina
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
in 2004 and 2005. He tallied 70 tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s and helped the Panther's defense collect 38 take-aways, which tied a team record. He returned to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in April 2006
2006 in sports
2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia...
, signing as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
.
Personal
Short was an NFL analyst for Daily News Live, a current T.V. show with NY media panels who analyze NY sports on the SNY Network in NYC. He obtained MBA degree from Columbia Business SchoolColumbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
in 2010 and currently works at Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
.
External links
- "Short returns to Giants to join linebacking corps" ESPN.com, April 19, 2006
- Lettiere joins with Giants linebacker Brandon Short to record safety PSA New Jersey Department of Transportation press release, April 28, 2003