Derrick Ward
Encyclopedia
Derrick LaRon Ward is an American football
running back
for the Houston Texans
of the National Football League
. He was originally drafted by the New York Jets
in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Fresno State University and Ottawa University
. Ward is the cousin of former New England Patriots
running back J.R. Redmond
.
Ward has also played for the New York Giants
. He earned a Super Bowl ring
with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII
.
in Moreno Valley, California
and was a letterman in football
. In football, as a senior, he posted 1,100 rushing yards, 973 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns, was an All-Riverside County choice, won All-CIF honors, was the Team MVP, and was named the Sun Belt League Offensive MVP. As a junior, he was the Team MVP.
career, he rushed 460 times for 3,152 yards (6.9-yard avg.) and 39 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 96 yards (13.7-yard avg.).
honors the following year despite playing with a broken right hand. He was limited to only seven games for the Bulldogs
in 2000 due to a knee injury. His Fresno State career ended when he was again ruled ineligible to play in 2001 and 2002 due to academics.
single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry (263 attempts). Also had 47 yards on four receptions (11.8-yard avg.) in ten games at Ottawa.
in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
, but never appeared in a game for them.
He was signed by the Giants off the Jets practice squad on October 13, 2004.
Ward had a good season in 2007 rushing for 602 yards on 125 touches averaging 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns.
On March 14, 2008, Ward was re-signed by the Giants.
Because of their success in the backfield during the 2008 season, Ward and his teammates Brandon Jacobs
and Ahmad Bradshaw
were jokingly referred to as Earth (Brandon), Wind (Derrick) and Fire (Ahmad).
On December 21, 2008, Ward led the Giants' rushing attack with 215 rushing yards in a 34-28 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers
to clinch homefield advantage throughout the 2009 NFL Playoffs. He finished the season with 1,025 yards, making him and Brandon Jacobs
the fifth pair of teammates to rush for 1000 yards in a single season. The strong performance by both running backs is credited to high grade run blocking by the Giants offensive line.
on March 2, 2009. He signed a four- year contract worth $17 million. In the 2009 season for the Buccaneers he rushed 114 times for 409 yards and 1 touchdown.
Ward was cut from the team on August 31, 2010.
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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 originally drafted by 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 the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. 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 Fresno State University and Ottawa University
Ottawa University
Ottawa University is a private, non-profit, faith-based liberal arts college located in Ottawa, Kansas. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA...
. Ward is the cousin of former New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
running back J.R. Redmond
J.R. Redmond
Joseph Robert "J.R." Redmond is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League...
.
Ward has also played for 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...
. He earned a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
.
Early years
Ward attended Valley View High SchoolValley View High School (Moreno Valley, California)
Valley View High School is a high school located in Moreno Valley, California and is part of the Moreno Valley Unified School District. The official school colors are red, white, and black. The school's mascot name is the eagles....
in Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city located in Riverside County, California.A relatively young city, its rapid growth in the 1980s and the first decade of the 21st century made it second-largest city in Riverside County by population, and one of the Inland Empire's population centers. As of the 2010 census,...
and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. In football, as a senior, he posted 1,100 rushing yards, 973 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns, was an All-Riverside County choice, won All-CIF honors, was the Team MVP, and was named the Sun Belt League Offensive MVP. As a junior, he was the Team MVP.
College career
For his collegiateCollege 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...
career, he rushed 460 times for 3,152 yards (6.9-yard avg.) and 39 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 96 yards (13.7-yard avg.).
Fresno State
He gained 1,091 yards with 11 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.5-yard avg.) and caught three passes for 49 yards (16.3-yard avg.) in 20 games at Fresno State. Ward was ruled academically ineligible to play at Fresno State in 1998, he earned Freshman All-AmericaAll-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 the following year despite playing with a broken right hand. He was limited to only seven games for the Bulldogs
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
in 2000 due to a knee injury. His Fresno State career ended when he was again ruled ineligible to play in 2001 and 2002 due to academics.
Ottawa
Ward transferred to Ottawa University in Kansas for his final year in 2003, when he set NAIANational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry (263 attempts). Also had 47 yards on four receptions (11.8-yard avg.) in ten games at Ottawa.
New York Giants
Ward was selected by the New York JetsNew 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 the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
, but never appeared in a game for them.
He was signed by the Giants off the Jets practice squad on October 13, 2004.
Ward had a good season in 2007 rushing for 602 yards on 125 touches averaging 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns.
On March 14, 2008, Ward was re-signed by the Giants.
Because of their success in the backfield during the 2008 season, Ward and his teammates Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Jacobs
-New York Giants:Going into the 2006 season Jacobs stated that he studied film of famed power running back Eddie George in an effort to refine his running style. George, like Jacobs, was a large, power running back. In the 2006 season, Jacobs carried the ball 96 times for 423 yards and nine...
and Ahmad Bradshaw
Ahmad Bradshaw
Ahmad Bradshaw is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants...
were jokingly referred to as Earth (Brandon), Wind (Derrick) and Fire (Ahmad).
On December 21, 2008, Ward led the Giants' rushing attack with 215 rushing yards in a 34-28 overtime victory over 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...
to clinch homefield advantage throughout the 2009 NFL Playoffs. He finished the season with 1,025 yards, making him and Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Jacobs
-New York Giants:Going into the 2006 season Jacobs stated that he studied film of famed power running back Eddie George in an effort to refine his running style. George, like Jacobs, was a large, power running back. In the 2006 season, Jacobs carried the ball 96 times for 423 yards and nine...
the fifth pair of teammates to rush for 1000 yards in a single season. The strong performance by both running backs is credited to high grade run blocking by the Giants offensive line.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ward was signed by the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
on March 2, 2009. He signed a four- year contract worth $17 million. In the 2009 season for the Buccaneers he rushed 114 times for 409 yards and 1 touchdown.
Ward was cut from the team on August 31, 2010.