Shawn Springs

Infobox NFLactive
currentteam=Washington Redskins
currentnumber=24
currentposition=Cornerback


width=182
caption=Shawn Springs during the 2005 season.
birthdate=birth date and age|1975|3|11
birthplace=Williamsburg, Virginia
heightft=6
heightin=0
weight=204
debutyear=1997
debutteam=Seattle Seahawks
highlights=
* Pro Bowl (x2)
college=Ohio State
draftyear=1997
draftround=1
draftpick=3
pastteams=
* Seattle Seahawks (1997-2003)
* Washington Redskins (2004-present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Tackles
statvalue1=336
statlabel2=Sacks
statvalue2=7.5
statlabel3=INTs
statvalue3=31
nfl=SPR379648

Shawn Springs (born March 11, 1975 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American football player who currently plays cornerback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted out of Ohio State University by the Seattle Seahawks with the third overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

Early years

Shawn Springs was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. Prior to attending Springbrook High School, Springs was a standout athlete at Orange High School in Cleveland, Ohio. At Springbrook, he was an all-state selection in football at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring where he played running back and cornerback. His father, Ron Springs, played running back for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ohio State University

When he graduated he decided to play college football at the Ohio State University. He started all 37 games after being redshirted his freshman year. He earned All-Big ten honors as a sophomore and junior and also earned an All-Academic selection.

NFL

Shawn Springs was considered one of the best college cornerbacks in the country and was drafted 3rd overall in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

Springs was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1998, just his second season in the NFL, after starting all 16 games and recorded 76 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 2 defensive touchdowns. He played well in Seattle, but was quite susceptible to injuries missing 19 games (13 of them in his last three seasons in Seattle).Fact|date=September 2007 He was suspended for 4 games during the 2001 season for violating the NFLs steroid policy. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9506E6D9163DF93BA15752C1A9679C8B63|title= N.F.L.: ROUNDUP; 4-Game Suspension For Seattle's Springs|date=2001-11-28|publisher=Reuters via New York Times]

Springs was signed as a free agent on March 4, 2004 by the Washington Redskins. In his first season in Washington he led the team in interceptions with 5, and sacks with 6. He was the first cornerback to lead his team in sacks and interceptions in NFL history. Despite his performance in 2004, he was voted 3rd alternate to the Pro Bowl.

In the 2005 season Springs played much of the season hurt and caught 1 interception and also had 50 tackles in 15 starts. However, many NFL officials believe that his lackluster stats were primarily due to opposing teams throwing the football away from his direction.Fact|date=September 2007

The 2006 season saw Springs on the bench for most of the year battling nagging injuries while the Redskins compiled a 5-11 season.

However, the 2007 season was considered a success. Although Springs started off slow, he ended the season with 62 tackles and 4 interceptions, all in the last 4 regular season games, as he helped the Redskins make the playoffs.

References

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3952 Shawn Springs ESPN.com]
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SPRINSHA01 Current Stats]