Terrance Copper
Encyclopedia
Terrance Terrel Copper is an American football
wide receiver
for the Kansas City Chiefs
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys
as an undrafted free agent. He played college football
at East Carolina
.
Copper has also played for the New Orleans Saints
and Baltimore Ravens
.
(159) and receiving yards (2,826). He also had 27 touchdown
s. Copper was a three-time all-conference and all-area selection and set season records with 55 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in 1997. He had 25 catches for 402 yards and three scores as a freshman, 55 grabs for 1,000 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, 38 snags for 683 yards and seven TDs in his junior season and 41 receptions for 741 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.
He earned honorable mention All-America
honors from USA Today
. Copper was also selected to play in the Shrine Bowl and East/West All-Star game his senior season.
with 87 receptions (an ECU single season record) for 897 yards and had a pair of touchdowns. He also returned 27 punts
for 124 yards. As a junior, he hauled in 30 passes for 395 yards and returned 30 punts for 328 yards.
and had 7 receptions for 84 yards. Copper appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2005, playing primarily on special teams. He totaled 11 special teams tackles
and added 16 kickoff returns for 307 yards (19.2 avg.)
) for the New Orleans Saints
and started his first NFL game on November 5, 2006 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. He had a career high with 6 receptions for 92 yards during a start the next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers
. Copper finished the 2006 season
with 23 receptions for 385 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Copper was cut by the New Orleans Saints
on October 14, 2008 after the team signed defensive end
Jeff Charleston
. He was re-signed just four days later when defensive tackle Montavious Stanley
was placed on injured reserve
. The Saints released Copper again to activate suspended guard
Jamar Nesbit
.
on October 29, 2008 after wide receiver
Demetrius Williams
was placed on injured reserve
.
on March 17, 2009. He was re-signed on March 7, 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...
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 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...
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 signed by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
as an undrafted free agent. 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 East Carolina
East Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
.
Copper has also played for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and 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...
.
Early years
Copper was a 2000 graduate of Washington High School. He finished his high school career as the school's career-leader in receptionsReception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
(159) and receiving yards (2,826). He also had 27 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. Copper was a three-time all-conference and all-area selection and set season records with 55 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in 1997. He had 25 catches for 402 yards and three scores as a freshman, 55 grabs for 1,000 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, 38 snags for 683 yards and seven TDs in his junior season and 41 receptions for 741 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.
He earned honorable mention 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 from 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...
. Copper was also selected to play in the Shrine Bowl and East/West All-Star game his senior season.
College career
Copper finished his college career with 139 receptions (3rd in ECU history) and 1,683 receiving yards (5th in ECU history). As a senior he led Conference USAConference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
with 87 receptions (an ECU single season record) for 897 yards and had a pair of touchdowns. He also returned 27 punts
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
for 124 yards. As a junior, he hauled in 30 passes for 395 yards and returned 30 punts for 328 yards.
Dallas Cowboys
In 2004 Copper played in 10 games for the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and had 7 receptions for 84 yards. Copper appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2005, playing primarily on special teams. He totaled 11 special teams 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....
and added 16 kickoff returns for 307 yards (19.2 avg.)
New Orleans Saints
Copper played in 15 games (4 startsStarting 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...
) for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and started his first NFL game on November 5, 2006 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa 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...
. He had a career high with 6 receptions for 92 yards during a start the next week against 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...
. Copper finished the 2006 season
2006 New Orleans Saints season
The 2006 New Orleans Saints season began with the team trying to improve on their 3-13 record in 2005. All of the team's 2006 regular season home games were played in the Louisiana Superdome, which had been damaged all of the previous season by Hurricane Katrina...
with 23 receptions for 385 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Copper was cut by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
on October 14, 2008 after the team signed defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Jeff Charleston
Jeff Charleston
Jeffrey David Charleston is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. He was re-signed just four days later when defensive tackle Montavious Stanley
Montavious Stanley
Montavious Stanley is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville....
was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
. The Saints released Copper again to activate suspended guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
Jamar Nesbit
Jamar Nesbit
Jamar Kendric Nesbit is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at South Carolina...
.
Baltimore Ravens
Copper was signed by 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...
on October 29, 2008 after 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...
Demetrius Williams
Demetrius Williams
Demetrius Terrell Williams is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
Kansas City Chiefs
Copper signed with the Kansas City ChiefsKansas 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...
on March 17, 2009. He was re-signed on March 7, 2010.