Derrick Mason
Encyclopedia
Derrick James Mason is an American football
wide receiver
for the Houston Texans
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Michigan State
.
Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens
where he became the Ravens' all time leading receiver with 5,777 yards. He played for the New York Jets
in 2011 before he was traded to the Texans.
in Detroit, Michigan
. He set a school record for both catches (70) and receiving yards (1,243).
at Michigan State. During his four year career, he set a team record for kick off return yards of 2,384. He also caught eight touchdowns.
after being drafted in the 4th round (98th overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft
. In his rookie season he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders
on August 31. The following season he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns, the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears
on October 25. He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards. In the 1999 season
,Mason gained 1,030 yards returning punts and kickoffs, assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV
where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee's 23–16 loss. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the AFC title game. In the 2000 season
, he led the NFL in punt return yards (662) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1,132 yards (an NFL leading 27 yards per return average), giving him 2,690 combined receiving and special teams yards, breaking the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season previously held by Lionel James
(2,535). He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl
. In 2001, he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns, a career high. Just as he had done the previous season, he went past the 2,000 all purpose yards mark, the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons. The following season he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions, reception yards and touchdowns. In 2003, he started all 15 games and finished the season with 1,303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL. The following season, in 2004, he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns.
as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005. In his first year with the team, he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions, a Ravens franchise season record. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns. Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair
30,000 passing yards for his career in the 19-7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills
. The following year, Mason had 103 receptions for 1087 yards and five touchdowns. Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions in a season.
In 2008, Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl. In 2008, he had 80 receptions for 1037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco
. Mason dislocated his shoulder when he fell after a catch in a game against the Houston Texans
, eventually coming back to finish the contest. Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the Giants. Mason re-aggravated of his injury against Dallas, but finished the game with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with a postseason career-high 12 receptions for 190 yards, including a postseason career long 48 yard touchdown reception.
On November 21, 2010, Mason caught his 900th reception, becoming the 13th receiver in NFL history to do so.
When the NFL announced the new collective bargaining agreement on July 25, 2011, the Ravens announced their intention to release Mason upon the start of free agency to free salary cap
space. He was formally released by the team on July 28.
on October 11, 2011, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
boxing gloves, which he purchased at an auction for his son, Derrick II.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of 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 drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 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 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. 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 Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white...
.
Mason has also played for 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...
where he became the Ravens' all time leading receiver with 5,777 yards. He played for the 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...
in 2011 before he was traded to the Texans.
Early years
Mason attended Mumford High SchoolMumford High School (Michigan)
Located on Detroit's near-northwest side, Samuel C. Mumford High School is operated by the Detroit Board of Education; the school's namesake served twenty-two years on the Board and was a former president of the organization...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He set a school record for both catches (70) and receiving yards (1,243).
College career
Mason played college footballCollege 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 Michigan State. During his four year career, he set a team record for kick off return yards of 2,384. He also caught eight touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans
Mason started his career with the Oilers/TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
after being drafted in the 4th round (98th overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 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 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. In his rookie season he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 31. The following season he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns, the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 25. He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards. In the 1999 season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
,Mason gained 1,030 yards returning punts and kickoffs, assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee's 23–16 loss. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the AFC title game. In the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, he led the NFL in punt return yards (662) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1,132 yards (an NFL leading 27 yards per return average), giving him 2,690 combined receiving and special teams yards, breaking the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season previously held by Lionel James
Lionel James
Lionel 'Little Train' James , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 5th round of the 1984 NFL Draft. Undersized at 5'6" and 171 lbs., James played running back at Auburn University where he shared the backfield with Bo Jackson...
(2,535). He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
. In 2001, he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns, a career high. Just as he had done the previous season, he went past the 2,000 all purpose yards mark, the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons. The following season he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions, reception yards and touchdowns. In 2003, he started all 15 games and finished the season with 1,303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL. The following season, in 2004, he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns.
Baltimore Ravens
Mason signed with the Baltimore RavensBaltimore 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...
as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005. In his first year with the team, he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions, a Ravens franchise season record. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns. Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
30,000 passing yards for his career in the 19-7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The following year, Mason had 103 receptions for 1087 yards and five touchdowns. Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions in a season.
In 2008, Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl. In 2008, he had 80 receptions for 1037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
. Mason dislocated his shoulder when he fell after a catch in a game against the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, eventually coming back to finish the contest. Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the Giants. Mason re-aggravated of his injury against Dallas, but finished the game with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with a postseason career-high 12 receptions for 190 yards, including a postseason career long 48 yard touchdown reception.
On November 21, 2010, Mason caught his 900th reception, becoming the 13th receiver in NFL history to do so.
When the NFL announced the new collective bargaining agreement on July 25, 2011, the Ravens announced their intention to release Mason upon the start of free agency to free salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
space. He was formally released by the team on July 28.
Houston Texans
The Jets traded Mason to the Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 11, 2011, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
NFL records
- All-purpose yards in a single season (2000): 2,659
- Kick return yards in a single postseason (1999): 437
Personal
Mason and his wife, Marci, were married on June 7, 1997 and have 2 children: daughter, Bailee My-Lin (3-24-1999), and son, Derrick James II (7-11-2003). Marci is the "The Derrick Mason Foundation" organization’s Vice President. One of Derrick's most cherished items is a pair of Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
boxing gloves, which he purchased at an auction for his son, Derrick II.