Dewayne Washington
Encyclopedia
Dewayne Neron Washington (born December 27, 1972 in Durham, North Carolina
) is a former American football
cornerback
in the National Football League
. He played for the Minnesota Vikings
(1994
–1997
), the Pittsburgh Steelers
(1998
–2003
), the Jacksonville Jaguars
(2004
), and the Kansas City Chiefs
(2005
) . He was a first-round pick (18th overall) in the 1994 NFL Draft
from North Carolina State University
.
at Northern High School in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned All-American honors from Sporting News, SuperPrep, and USA Today
in 1989. After high school Washington attended North Carolina State, grabbing 3 interception
s his junior year. As a senior, Washington led the team with 4 interceptions, and also recorded 66 tackles
(51 solo) as a co-captain
.
all 16 games for the Minnesota Vikings
as a rookie
in 1994. Washington recorded 75 tackles (69 solo), and had 3 interceptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdown
s as a rookie. Dewayne Washington was named defensive rookie of the year by College and Pro Football Weekly and earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly
and Pro Football Writers of America
. The Vikings won the NFC Central Division with a 10-6 record, but lost in the first round of the 1994 NFL playoffs.
In 1995, Washington played in only 15 games, recording 62 total tackles (57 solo), and had 1 interception for 25 yards. For the next 10 NFL seasons, he did not miss a game and he played in a total of 191/192 possible regular season games during his career.
In 1996, Washington recorded 75 tackles (72 solo). He had 2 interceptions for 27 yards and a touchdown that year.
In 1997, he had 84 tackles (74 solo). He had 4 interceptions that year for 71 yards, but no touchdowns. Washington was a starter for a Vikings that entered the 1997 NFL playoffs as a wildcard
team, upset
ting the New York Giants
in the first round before falling to the San Francisco 49ers
in the divisional playoffs.
signed Dewayne Washington as an unrestricted free agent. 1998 proved to be Dewayne's best season in the NFL. In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington had 93 tackles (82 solo). He had 5 interceptions for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns that year. These would be the last interceptions Washington would return for touchdowns in his career.
In 1999, Washington had a career low of 52 tackles (50 solo). However, he did manage to record 4 interceptions.
In 2000, Washington had 78 tackles (70 solo). He matched his career high with 5 interceptions, returning them for 59 yards. On July 19, 2001, the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed Dewayne Washington to a multi-year contract.
In 2001, he had 77 tackles, but only 1 interception for 15 yards. He helped Steelers win the AFC Central with a 13-3 record, advancing to the AFC Conference Championship, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots
.
In 2002 he had only 54 tackles, and a career low 46 solo tackles. With a record of 10-5-1, the Steelers lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In 2003 Washington began to show signs of aging. That year, he had only 55 tackles (51 solo). He had only 1 interception for the second consecutive year, returning it for only 7 yards. This would be the end of Washington's six-season career in Pittsburgh.
eligible to sign with any team. On March 9, 2004, the Jacksonville Jaguars
signed Dewayne Washington to be a nickel back. In 2004, Washington had 2 interceptions.
, the Kansas City Chiefs
signed Washington to a one year-contract. Washington's signing was considered less significant due to the possibility of signing Ty Law
before he signed with the New York Jets
. Dewayne played almost always on special teams, recording 10 tackles, 9 being solo. Despite a 10-6 record that included 4000 yards passing by Trent Green
and 1700 yards rushing by Larry Johnson, the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. For the first season in his career, Washington went without an interception and only started one game. In his career, Washington recorded 31 interceptions and recovered 7 fumble
s. He returned four interceptions and two fumbles for touchdowns. Washington has started all 8 playoff games he has appeared in.
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
) is a former 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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
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 played for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
(1994
1994 Minnesota Vikings season
-Awards and honors:* Cris Carter, Led NFL in receptions* Cris Carter, All-Pro selection* Cris Carter, Pro Bowl selection* Warren Moon, Pro Bowl Selection 1994* Warren Moon, NFL Leader, Passing Yards, -Milestones:...
–1997
1997 Minnesota Vikings season
1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth...
), the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(1998
1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1998 season marked the first time since 1991 that the Steelers failed to reach the playoffs. Pittsburgh finished 7–9 after starting the season 5–2, losing their last five games to knock themselves out of the playoffs...
–2003
2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 10–5–1 record from 2002 in which they lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional round of the playoffs....
), 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...
(2004
2004 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2004 season brought about Jack Del Rio's second year as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Byron Leftwich's first full year as a starter...
), and the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(2005
2005 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2005 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 10–6 record, but no playoff berth. The Chiefs became the sixth 10–6 team to fail to qualify for the playoffs since the NFL introduced the wild card....
) . He was a first-round pick (18th overall) in the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 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, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
from North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
.
Amateur years
Washington played high school footballHigh 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....
at Northern High School in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned All-American honors from Sporting News, SuperPrep, and 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...
in 1989. After high school Washington attended North Carolina State, grabbing 3 interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
s his junior year. As a senior, Washington led the team with 4 interceptions, and also recorded 66 tackles
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....
(51 solo) as a co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
.
Minnesota Vikings
Dewayne Washington startedStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
all 16 games for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
as 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...
in 1994. Washington recorded 75 tackles (69 solo), and had 3 interceptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s as a rookie. Dewayne Washington was named defensive rookie of the year by College and Pro Football Weekly and earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
and Pro Football Writers of America
Pro Football Writers Association
Technically known as the Pro Football Writers of America, this organization purports to be "The official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public." Goals of the organization include improving access to practices and locker rooms,...
. The Vikings won the NFC Central Division with a 10-6 record, but lost in the first round of the 1994 NFL playoffs.
In 1995, Washington played in only 15 games, recording 62 total tackles (57 solo), and had 1 interception for 25 yards. For the next 10 NFL seasons, he did not miss a game and he played in a total of 191/192 possible regular season games during his career.
In 1996, Washington recorded 75 tackles (72 solo). He had 2 interceptions for 27 yards and a touchdown that year.
In 1997, he had 84 tackles (74 solo). He had 4 interceptions that year for 71 yards, but no touchdowns. Washington was a starter for a Vikings that entered the 1997 NFL playoffs as a wildcard
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
team, upset
Upset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...
ting 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 the first round before falling to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the divisional playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On February 25, 1998, the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
signed Dewayne Washington as an unrestricted free agent. 1998 proved to be Dewayne's best season in the NFL. In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington had 93 tackles (82 solo). He had 5 interceptions for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns that year. These would be the last interceptions Washington would return for touchdowns in his career.
In 1999, Washington had a career low of 52 tackles (50 solo). However, he did manage to record 4 interceptions.
In 2000, Washington had 78 tackles (70 solo). He matched his career high with 5 interceptions, returning them for 59 yards. On July 19, 2001, the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed Dewayne Washington to a multi-year contract.
In 2001, he had 77 tackles, but only 1 interception for 15 yards. He helped Steelers win the AFC Central with a 13-3 record, advancing to the AFC Conference Championship, where they were defeated by the 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...
.
In 2002 he had only 54 tackles, and a career low 46 solo tackles. With a record of 10-5-1, the Steelers lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In 2003 Washington began to show signs of aging. That year, he had only 55 tackles (51 solo). He had only 1 interception for the second consecutive year, returning it for only 7 yards. This would be the end of Washington's six-season career in Pittsburgh.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On February 27, 2004, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially cut Dewayne Washington, making him a free agentFree 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....
eligible to sign with any team. On March 9, 2004, 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...
signed Dewayne Washington to be a nickel back. In 2004, Washington had 2 interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs
In training camp before the 2005 NFL season2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
signed Washington to a one year-contract. Washington's signing was considered less significant due to the possibility of signing Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
before he signed with 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...
. Dewayne played almost always on special teams, recording 10 tackles, 9 being solo. Despite a 10-6 record that included 4000 yards passing by Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
and 1700 yards rushing by Larry Johnson, the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. For the first season in his career, Washington went without an interception and only started one game. In his career, Washington recorded 31 interceptions and recovered 7 fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
s. He returned four interceptions and two fumbles for touchdowns. Washington has started all 8 playoff games he has appeared in.