Deshea Townsend

Deshea Townsend

Townsend jumps for a pass — December 20, 2007
Arizona Cardinals
Defensive Backs Coach
Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: September 8, 1975 (1975-09-08) (age 36)
Place of birth: Batesville, Mississippi
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Weight: 183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117
Debuted in 1998 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Last played in 2010 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
As player: Pittsburgh Steelers (1998–2009) Indianapolis Colts (2010)
As coach: Arizona Cardinals (2011–present) Assistant Defensive Backs Coach
Career highlights and awards
2× Super Bowl champion (XL, XLIII)
Career NFL statistics as of 2010
Tackles	369
Sacks	15.5
INTs	21
Stats at NFL.com

Trevor Deshea Townsend (born September 8, 1975) is a former defensive back in the National Football League, and is currently a defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals and most recently a player for the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round (117th overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft.

Early years

A native of Batesville, Mississippi, Deshea played high school football for the South Panola Tigers, where he was the teammate of fellow future Alabama Crimson Tide star Dwayne Rudd. Townsend played quarterback at South Panola and led the team to the 1993 Mississippi State 5A championship and an undefeated 15-0 record.

College career

Along with Rudd, Townsend continued his career in college at the University of Alabama where both became members of the Theta Delta Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, in 1995. He majored in business management.

Professional career

Townsend making a tackle in 2005

A twelve year veteran of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Townsend grew from a special teams player and nickel back (and initially known in Pittsburgh as the player to wear Rod Woodson's number 26 after he left the Steelers) into a solid starter for the Steelers at cornerback. Townsend is known for his outside speed as a pass rusher. Townsend has recorded 322 tackles, 15.5 quarterback sacks, and 18 interceptions during his ten years as a Steeler. He also had a key sack on Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during the final minutes of Super Bowl XL, which helped secure the Steelers eventual victory. He was re-signed by the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in March 2006.

During the 2008 season, Townsend accepted the reduced role from starting cornerback to the nickel package.

In August 2010, Townsend joined the Indianapolis Colts.^[1] On 9 November 2010, he was waived by the Colts.^[2] For the season, Townsend played in all eight Colts games to that date (no starts) with 10 tackles and no interceptions or sacks.^[3] Deshea resides in Oxford, MS and is married with three kids.

Coaching career

In February 2011, Townsend was hired as assistant defensive backs coach of the Arizona Cardinals, joining former coach Ray Horton.^[4]

References

1. ^ Hayes, Reggie (August 8, 2010). "Townsend saddles up with Colts". The News-Sentinel. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10220/1078522-66.stm. 
2. ^ http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40096580/ns/sports-player_news/
3. ^ http://www.nfl.com/players/desheatownsend/profile?id=TOW776442
4. ^ "Cardinals hire former Steeler Townsend as coach". February 10, 2011. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_722268.html. 

External links

• Deshea Townsend at NFL.com
• ESPN.com Deshea Townsend player card
• The Deshea Townsend Show on KDKA/CW

Persondata
Name	Townsend, Deshea
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 8, 1975
Place of birth	Batesville, Mississippi
Date of death
Place of death