Devard Darling

Devard Darling

No. 84     Houston Texans
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: April 16, 1982 (1982-04-16) (age 29)
Place of birth: Nassau, Bahamas
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College: Washington State
NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
Debuted in 2004 for the Baltimore Ravens
Career history
Baltimore Ravens (2004–2007) Kansas City Chiefs (2008–2009) Omaha Nighthawks (2010) Houston Texans (2011–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
N/A
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008
Receptions	37
Receiving Yards	578
Receiving TDs	4
Stats at NFL.com

Devard Loran Darling (born April 16, 1982) is a Bahamian-American wide receiver of American football who is currently a member of the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University and Washington State. His twin brother, Devaughn Darling, died in 2001 due to football practice conditions at Florida State.

Darling has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Early years

Born in the Bahamas, Darling attended Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas and won three varsity letters in football, two in track, and one in basketball. In football, he won All-District honors and was named the 28th best prospect in the state of Texas by SuperPrep. He also attended the Nassau Christian Academy before relocating to the United States. He is the younger brother of Bahamian track athlete Dennis Darling and the brother-in-law of his wife Tonique Williams-Darling.

College career

Darling attended Florida State University until the death of his identical twin brother, Devaughn Darling. After his brother died during a practice, due to exhaustion, possibly tied to a sickle cell trait, FSU doctors would not clear him medically to return to the football team. He subsequently transferred to Washington State University, and finished his career with 105 receptions for 1,630 yards (15.7 yards per reception average) and 30 receiving touchdowns.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Devard Darling was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He signed a three-year contract worth about $1.5 million with the team on July 26, 2004. He was placed on injured reserve on October 29 due to a heel injury. Darling missed most of 2005 and 2006 to injuries as well. He was tendered to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on March 1, 2007. On September 27, he was fined $7,500 by the league for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received in week 3 after following Yamon Figurs into the stands following a touchdown. He had a breakout game on November 18, 2007 against the Cleveland Browns with four catches for 107 yards and his first NFL touchdown.

Darling has 20 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns in his career with the Ravens.

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 11, 2008, Darling signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. On September 7, Darling broke free for what looked to be a game-tying touchdown against the New England Patriots, but he was tackled on 5-yard line. Kansas City ended up losing the game. He ultimately would score only one touchdown while with the Chiefs. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2009. He was released by the Chiefs on March 3, 2010.^[1]

Omaha Nighthawks

Darling was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on September 8, 2010.^[2]

Houston Texans

On August 8, 2011 Darling signed with the Houston Texans.

References

1. ^ Released from Chiefs
2. ^ "UFL Transactions". OurSportsCentral.com. United Football League. 2010-09-08. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4088285. Retrieved 2010-09-08. 

External links

• Kansas City Chiefs bio
• Washington State Cougars bio
• [1]
• The story of the Darling twins was related at length in the article "Soul Survivor" by Gary Smith for Sports Illustrated [December 2, 2002 issue], later reprinted in the book The Greatest Football Stories Ever Told (pp. 19–37), Ed. Eric Noe.

Persondata
Name	Darling, Devard
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 16, 1982
Place of birth	Nassau, Bahamas
Date of death
Place of death