Darian Durant
Encyclopedia
Darian Bernard Durant is a professional American 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...

 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...

 who plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...

 of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 (CFL). He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

. After his college career, he held school records for completion percentage, touchdowns, passing yards, total offense and completions. Durant was signed as a free agent by the Roughriders in 2006, and became the club's full-time starting quarterback in 2009. He was named a CFL West Division All-Star in 2009. His brother Justin
Justin Durant
Justin Durant is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...

 plays 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...

 as a 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...

.

Early life

Durant was born on August 19, 1982, in Florence, South Carolina
Florence, South Carolina
-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...

 to Betty and Israel Durant. He has three brothers and a sister. His younger brother, Justin
Justin Durant
Justin Durant is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...

, plays for the NFL's
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...

 Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

, and his older brother, Keyshawn, was a quarterback at South Carolina State.

High school

Durant attended high school at Wilson High School in Florence, South Carolina
Florence, South Carolina
-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...

. During his senior year of high school, he led the team to South Carolina's 4-A state semi-finals. Durant set a school record with 2,446 passing yards and tied his own record with 25 touchdown passes, which was set during his sophomore season. He was named a Super Prep All-America, Honorable Mention All-America by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

and Prep Star All-Region selection. He also played in the South Carolina All-Star game, where he completed 9 of his 11 passing attempts for 215 yards.

College

Durant signed a letter of intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...

 to play college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

 in 2000. In 2001, during his first NCAA season, Durant established school freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...

 records with 17 touchdown passes, 142 completions, 1843 passing yards and 1971 yards of total offense. His freshman records for passing yards and completions were broken in 2007 by T.J. Yates. During his freshman season, Durant was named Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 (ACC) Rookie of the Week five times. He finished second overall in ACC Rookie of the Year voting to Florida State quarterback Chris Rix
Chris Rix
Christopher Charles Rix is a former NCAA Division I Filipino-American football quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles football team. Rix is also widely known as a coach and sportscaster.- Early life:...

. As a freshman, Durant split time with Ronald Curry
Ronald Curry
Ronald Antonio Curry is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at North Carolina....

, helping the team to a victory in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He was awarded the Jeffrey Cowell Memorial Award as the team's top freshman.

After his college career, Durant was one of the most accomplished athletes in the school's history. He held 51 offensive records at the school. During his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...

 season, Durant set the school's single game record for passing yards with 417 during a victory against Arizona State. In his junior year, he set single season records with 389 passing attempts, 234 completions and 2,551 passing yards. Durant had set UNC records with 1,159 passing attempts, 701 completions, 68 passing touchdowns, 8,755 passing yards and 9,630 yards of total offense. While playing football at the University of North Carolina, Durant completed a degree in African American studies.

Baltimore Ravens

Durant was undrafted in the 2005 National Football League (NFL) Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

, but signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

 and attended their training camp. Durant was briefly on the team's practice roster, but was cut during the 2005 season because of concerns about his size.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Durant was placed on the Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades was the most recent name of a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, seven years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded...

 negotiation list in 2003, by future Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...

 general manager Eric Tillman. After the Renegades folded, his rights were obtained by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...

 and later dealt to the Roughriders in a trade that included Corey Holmes
Corey Holmes
Corey Holmes is a former professional Canadian football running back and the current mayor of Metcalfe, Mississippi.- College career :...

. Durant signed with the team on May 11, 2006. During the 2006 season
2006 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2006 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished 3rd place in the West division with a 9–9–0 record. They appeared in the West Final where they lost to the eventual Grey Cup champions BC Lions.-CFL Draft:-Preseason:-Season schedule:-Roster:...

, he served as the team's backup quarterback for eight games, completing a single pass for 14 yards and recording a single rushing attempt for 20 yards in a game against Hamilton. Durant was on the team's practice roster for the remaining ten games.

During the 2007 season
2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 2nd place in the West division with a 12–6–0 record, which was their highest finish since 1988 when they also finished 2nd...

, Durant spent the entire season on the active roster, and was available for all of the Roughrider regular season and playoff games, but did not see any game action while serving as the team's third string quarterback. Durant was on the sidelines as starting quarterback Kerry Joseph
Kerry Joseph
Kerry Tremaine Joseph is a quarterback who is currently playing for the Edmonton Eskimos. He was born in New Iberia, Louisiana....

 led Roughriders to a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...

 in the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...

.

Joseph was traded to the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...

 prior to the 2008 season
2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 2nd place in the West division with a 12–6 record for the second consecutive year. It was their 51st season in the Canadian Football League...

, leaving the club without an incumbent quarterback. During the season, the Roughriders tried four different starting quarterbacks including Durant, Steven Jyles
Steven Jyles
Steven Jyles is a professional Canadian football quarterback currently playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Edmonton Eskimos in 2006...

, Michael Bishop and Marcus Crandell
Marcus Crandell
Marcus Crandell is a Canadian football coach and former quarterback who is the current Offensive Coordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos....

. Durant started four games for the Riders during the season, and played in four others. He had seven passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown during the season. Crandell was released during the season and Bishop was also released shortly after the Roughriders season was finished. In January 2009, Durant signed a new contract with the Roughriders rather than becoming a free agent.

Durant entered the 2009 season
2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders attempted to win their 4th Grey Cup championship but lost to the Alouettes in the Grey Cup final....

 as the club's starting quarterback, but head coach Ken Miller
Ken Miller (football coach)
Ken Miller is the Head Coach and Vice President of Football Operations for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He served as the Roughriders head coach between 2008 and 2010, leading the team to appearances in the Grey Cup in 2009 and 2010...

 gave backup Jyles significant playing time as well. Durant made the most of his opportunity, becoming the first Roughrider quarterback to start all 18 games since Kent Austin
Kent Austin
Richard Kent Austin is the Head Coach for the Cornell University Big Red football team. Prior to this, he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels football team. He is the former Head Coach of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders...

, who last played for the club in 1993. Durant was named the Roughriders nominee for CFL Most Outstanding Player, and was selected a West Division All-Star at quarterback. He was also named the Roughriders' Wireless Age Most Popular Player. Durant led the Roughriders to the Grey Cup, where they were defeated by the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...

 on a last second field goal. He finished the 2009 season with 4,348 passing yards and 501 rushing yards. Durant threw 24 touchdown passes during the season and also had 21 interceptions, leading the CFL. Heading into the 2010 season
2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 53rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders attempted to win their 4th Grey Cup championship, but they lost to the Montreal Alouettes...

, Durant wanted to cut down on his interceptions, although he tried to be optimistic, "I throw [sic] 21 picks last year and I guarantee every guy with better stats than me wishes they were in the Grey Cup."

In a Grey Cup rematch to kick off the 2010 CFL season
2010 CFL season
The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it is the 53rd season of the league. Edmonton is scheduled to host the 98th Grey Cup on November 28...

, Durant and the Roughriders staged a second half comeback to defeat the Alouettes in overtime. Durant threw five touchdown passes and picked up 478 passing yards during the game. For his efforts, he was named the CFL's Offensive Player of the Week. At the halfway point of the season, Durant had thrown 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, while rushing for another five touchdowns. The CFL named Durant Offensive Player of the Month for September after a month where he passed for 1387 yards and five touchdowns. After Game 17 versus the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...

, Durant became only the second Roughrider quarterback to throw for over 5000 yards in a season, with the first being former head coach Kent Austin
Kent Austin
Richard Kent Austin is the Head Coach for the Cornell University Big Red football team. Prior to this, he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels football team. He is the former Head Coach of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders...

. Durant was selected as the Roughriders' nominee for the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award.

Durant's teammates and coaches describe him as a fierce competitor, who battles through injuries and illnesses. Durant's consistency on the field was one of the reasons he earned the Roughriders' starting quarterback position, along with his ability to run for yards when his pass protection breaks down.

Personal life

Durant has a tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...

 on his left biceps reading "Against all odds – I'm gonna shine", which Durant believes explains his life. In conjunction with a local Ford dealer, and to commemorate the Roughriders' 100th anniversary, Durant lent his name to a limited edition Ford F-150 truck that was sold in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...

. The Durant limited edition featured a Durant license plate, his DD4 logo, Roughriders mud flaps and embossed head rests. There are only four of the trucks available, and $500 from the sale of each truck goes to support Durant's charity of choice, KidSport.

Statistics

  Passing   Rushing
Year Team Games Started Att Comp Pct Yards TD Int Rating Att Yards Avg Long TD Fumb
2006
2006 CFL season
-2006 Rogers CFL Awards:* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Geroy Simon , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions...

SSK
2006 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2006 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished 3rd place in the West division with a 9–9–0 record. They appeared in the West Final where they lost to the eventual Grey Cup champions BC Lions.-CFL Draft:-Preseason:-Season schedule:-Roster:...

8 0 1 1 100.0 14 0 0 143.8 1 20 20.0 20 0 0
2007
2007 CFL season
The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 50th season of the league, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on...

SSK
2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 2nd place in the West division with a 12–6–0 record, which was their highest finish since 1988 when they also finished 2nd...

18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2008
2008 CFL season
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 51st season for the league. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL...

SSK
2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 2nd place in the West division with a 12–6 record for the second consecutive year. It was their 51st season in the Canadian Football League...

15 4 129 77 59.7 1,122 7 6 86.8 27 204 7.6 25 1 1
2009
2009 CFL season
The 2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern professional Canadian football. Officially, it was the 52nd season of the Canadian Football League. The Montreal Alouettes won the 97th Grey Cup on November 29 with a last second 28–27 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders...

SSK
2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders attempted to win their 4th Grey Cup championship but lost to the Alouettes in the Grey Cup final....

18 18 561 339 60.4 4,348 24 21 83.4 60 501 8.4 25 3 6
2010
2010 CFL season
The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it is the 53rd season of the league. Edmonton is scheduled to host the 98th Grey Cup on November 28...

SSK
2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 53rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders attempted to win their 4th Grey Cup championship, but they lost to the Montreal Alouettes...

18 18 644 391 60.7 5,542 25 22 87.2 80 618 7.7 35 7 13
2011
2011 CFL season
The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the league. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on...

SSK
2011 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2011 Saskatchewan Roughriders season is the 54th season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders finished 4th place in the West division with a 5–13 record and were eliminated from the playoffs after a loss to the BC Lions on October 16, 2011...

18 15 489 299 61.1 3,653 18 14 84.5 55 381 6.9 22 2 9
CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 totals
95 55 1,824 1,107 60.7 14,679 74 63 85.3 223 1,724 7.7 35 13 29

External links

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