J. P. Darche

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=Kansas City Chiefs
currentnumber=51
currentposition=Long snapper
birthdate=birth date and age|1975|7|9
birthplace=Montréal, Quebec
country=Canada
heightft=6
heightin=0
weight=242
cfldraftyear=1999
cfldraftround=3
cfldraftpick=21
debutyear=2000
debutteam=Seattle Seahawks
college=McGill
undraftedyear=1999
pastteams=
* CFL Toronto Argonauts (1999)
* NFL Seattle Seahawks (2000-2006)
* NFL Kansas City Chiefs (2007-present)
nfl=DAR196394

Jean-Philippe Darche (born on February 28, 1975 in Montréal, Quebec) is an American football long snapper/linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of McGill University. He is the older brother of Mathieu Darche, a left winger in the Buffalo Sabres organization.

Early years

Darche's first love was ice hockey. As a youth, along with hockey, he played Bantam AA inter-city baseball with the St-Laurent Orioles. Hockey was his primary sport until high school, when he started playing American football. Darche's younger brother Mathieu is currently a forward for the Buffalo Sabres.

High school years

Darche attended Collège Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur in Montreal, Canada, and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, after his senior season, he was voted to participate in the Montreal High School All-Star football game.

Junior college years

Darche attended Collège André-Grasset and was an honor student and named Athlete of the Year as a sophomore. His number 44 jersey was retired by the team.

University career

Darche attended McGill University in Montreal where he was a star middle linebacker on McGill Redmen football team for five seasons. He was selected as a co-captain his final two seasons. He concluded his collegiate career as the all-time leading tackler in school history with 272 stops (132 solo). He graduated from McGill with a BSc. in physiology in 1998, then entered McGill Medical School for two years before entering the Canadian Football League in 1999. In '98 he captured the Russ Jackson Trophy as the Canadian university player who best combines athletics with academics and community service.

Pro career

After playing five seasons for McGill, Darche turned pro with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in 1999. He played one season as a long snapper with the Argonauts before signing with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks in 2000, since then Darche has been responsible for the long snaps. He became the second CIAU graduate to play the Super Bowl when he participated in Super Bowl XL in 2006. At the beginning of the 2006 season, he was named one of the Seahawks' captains. He was released by the Seahawks in February 2007 after a hip injury in the 2006 NFL season. In his seven seasons in Seattle, he played in 97 games, recording 18 special teams tackles. He also had one fumble recovery and one forced fumble on special teams. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2007 and currently wears number 51.

External links

* [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/198575 NFL.com stats]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5374 ESPN.com stats]
* [http://www.athletics.mcgill.ca/varsity_sports_article.ch2?article_id=1417 McGill Athletics feature on Darche]
* [http://www.kcchiefs.com/player/jeanphilippe_darche/ Kansas City Chiefs profile]