Donovin Darius

Donovin Darius (born August 12 1975 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 25th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse.

College career

Darius is a notable graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, New Jersey.^[1] Darius played at Syracuse University, setting the team record for tackles by a defensive back with 379. He had a well deserved reputation as one of the hardest "clean" hitters in college football. He was a Big East All-Conference player in 1995 and 1996, and also lettered in indoor and outdoor hurdles, graduating in 1997 with a degree in exercise science and a minor in coaching.

Professional career

Darius was selected 25th overall in the 1998 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the highest pick ever by the team for a defensive back. He was the sixth defensive back selected, behind Tebucky Jones, Duane Starks, and others. He was named to the All-Rookie team and led Jaguar defensive backs with 108 tackles in 14 games. In 1999 he switched to strong safety and continued to sharpen his skills as a defensive force. In 2004, Darius led the secondary in tackles for a seventh straight season and posted career highs in forced fumbles and interceptions. His season ending injury in 2005 stopped his consecutive start streak at 37, and is looking to come back in 2006 with another outstanding year. In 2004, Darius was fined $75,000 for pulling off an extremely dangerous clothesline tackle on Green Bay Packer wide receiver Robert Ferguson. However Darius later apologized to Ferguson for the incident and visited him at the hospital, offering his condolences.(see [1]). Darius is considered to be one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. Prior to his release, he had been with the Jaguars longer than any other active player along with running back Fred Taylor. Darius signed a three-year extension on August 29, 2005 which is good through 2008. However, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the Jaguars' second game of the 2005 NFL season and was placed on injured reserve. On November 20, 2006, during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, he broke his leg and missed the rest of the 2006 season. On June 14, 2007, Darius was released by the Jaguars. Donovin signed with the Oakland Raiders on July 11th, 2007, but was released right before traning camp.

He was signed by the Dolphins on September 11, 2007 but released in October.

References

Sources

• Donovin Darius biography provided by jaguars.com
• Donovin Darius profile provided by CBS SportsLine