Warrick De'Mon Dunn #28

Player Spotlight....

Running Back

Born.... January 5, 1975 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.

Brief.... Height 5'9" Weight 187lbs

College..... Florida State

NFL Draft..... 1997 / Round: 1 | Pick: 12

Buccaneers Career..... 1997 - 2001 | Acquired by draft

Ended Career By..... Released after the 2008 season

Warrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State. Dunn was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 and earned three Pro Bowl selections in his career. After his playing career, Dunn took a minority stake in the Falcons' ownership group led by Arthur Blank.

With three Pro Bowls under his belt and 1997’s Rookie of the Year award, Warrick Dunn had a solid career. His first several years with the league were spent in Tampa Bay, but after the 2001 season he went to play for Atlanta. He missed that Super Bowl by one year, as the Bucs won it in 2002. He played six successful seasons with the Falcons, but again, no Super Bowls. He produced good numbers on both teams he was a part of, but ultimately it was not enough and he retired after the 2008 season.

Early Years

At Catholic High in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dunn played quarterback, cornerback, and running back. During his sophomore year he helped lead Catholic High to the state 4A championship game for the first time in its history. He was an All-America honorable mention selection by USA Today as a senior.

On January 7, 1993, Dunn's mother, Betty Smothers, an off-duty police officer escorting a businesswoman to a bank to make a night deposit, was ambushed and killed by armed robbers. Three men were sent to prison for the murder, and two remain on death row. Dunn, two days after his 18th birthday, became the head of his family and raised his siblings. Dunn met with one of the convicted men at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2007.

College Career

Dunn played college football at Florida State University, graduating in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in information studies. He was a three-time All-ACC selection.

Dunn's jersey, along with those of other Seminoles players such as Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Charlie Ward, Deion Sanders, and Chris Weinke, has been retired by the university. His number (28) may still be worn by Seminole players, but his jersey will be displayed in the Moore Athletic Center at FSU. He also won a National Championship in 1993 with Florida State.

Track & Field

Warrick Dunn was also an accomplished track and field star, named as an Associated Press All-American as a member of Florida State's Men's 4x100m relay team. Dunn competed on the Seminoles' Track & Field team as a sprinter during all four years he was enrolled at Florida State. His personal best in the 100 meters is 10.3 seconds.

College Statistics

			Rushing				Receiving
Season	Team	GP	Att	Yards	Avg	TDs	Rec	Yards	TDs
1993	Florida State	12	68	511	7.5	4	25	357	6
1994	Florida State	11	152	1,026	6.8	8	34	308	1
1995	Florida State	11	166	1,242	7.5	13	43	294	3
1996	Florida State	11	189	1,180	6.2	12	30	355	2
College Totals		45	575	3,959	6.9	37	132	1,314	12

Professional Career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (First Stint)

Dunn was selected in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his rookie season Dunn made an immediate impact for the Buccaneers squad. As the year finished he was selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team and was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dunn spent the next four years of his career in Tampa Bay where he was named to the Pro Bowl twice (1997, 2000).

Atlanta Falcons

A free agent in the 2002 offseason, Dunn signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Once again, he made a positive impact on his team with 9 total TDs and in that year, he led the league with a 5.4 yards per carry average. Dunn scored the most rushing touchdowns in his career, 9, in the 2004 season despite splitting carries with T.J. Duckett and also led the team in rushing with 1,106 yards. Having led his team in rushing yards again in 2005, Dunn was named the NFC's Pro Bowl team, marking his third selection to the team. For his career, Dunn has only missed 10 games and has a total of 2,256 carries for 9,461 yards 43 touchdowns and a 4.2 average. Dunn finished his first 10 seasons with over 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. During the 2007 season, with Falcons starting quarterback Byron Leftwich out with a high ankle sprain, Dunn served as the third string emergency quarterback behind Joey Harrington and Chris Redman, a position he played in high school.

On March 3, 2008, the Falcons released Dunn per his request. This came a day after the Falcons signed former San Diego Chargers backup running back Michael Turner. On December 17, 2009 he became a minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Second Stint)

On March 10, 2008, Dunn returned to the Buccaneers after signing a two-year, $6 million contract. In week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, Dunn had his first 100-yard game since re-joining the Buccaneers. Dunn was released by the Buccaneers on February 25, 2009.

Personal Life

Dunn established the Homes for the Holidays (HFTH) program in 1997, and started Warrick Dunn Charities (WDC) in 2002 as a way to grow programs and services. The HFTH program rewards single-parent families for reaching first-time homeownership. HFTH recipient families are chosen through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity affiliates and WDC with complete home furnishings and down-payment assistance. As of July 2012, HFTH has assisted over 150 single parents and over 300 dependents in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Tampa and Tallahassee. By providing families with a positive home environment, WDC believes that children can thrive educationally, socially and economically.

Dunn's achievements have been recognized over the years. He received a Giant Steps Award in civic leadership from former President Bill Clinton for his program. In 2005, Dunn was presented with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award; named after the Chicago Bears running back who died in 1999, the award is the only NFL award that recognizes a player for his community service as well as for his excellence on the field. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dunn challenged all NFL players, except for those who play for the New Orleans Saints, to donate at least $5,000 to the effort. The effort received over $5 million in contributions.

In 2007, Dunn, along with Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken, Jr., founded Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization that helps professional athletes, sports industry professionals and fans get involved in charitable causes. For his exceptional involvement on and off the field, Dunn was awarded with the 2009 Bart Starr Award. He also received a Jefferson Award for Outstanding Athlete in Service and Philanthropy in 2011.

Writing

Dunn's 2008 autobiography, Running For My Life ISBN 978-0-06-143264-4, details his mother's murder and his battles with depression throughout his life.

Career Highlights & Awards

1993.... National champion
1994.... First-team All-ACC
1995.... First-team All-ACC
1996.... First-team All-ACC
1996.... Second-team All-American
1997.... NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
1997.... Pro Bowl
2000.... Pro Bowl
2004.... Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
2005.... Pro Bowl

Warrick De'Mon Dunn #28 Buccaneers statistics

1997		1998		1999		2000		2001		2008
Games	Starts	Games	Starts	Games	Starts	Games	Starts	Games	Starts	Games	Starts
16	10	16	14	15	15	16	14	13	12	15	6

Rushing
Season	No.	Yards	Avg	LG	TD
1997	224	978	4.4	76	4
1998	245	1,026	4.2	50	2
1999	195	616	3.2	33	0
2000	248	1,133	4.6	70	8
2001	158	447	2.8	21	3
2008	186	786	4.2	40	2
Total	1,256	4,986	4.0	76	19
Receiving
Season	No.	Yards	Avg	LG	TD
1997	39	462	11.8	59	3
1998	44	344	7.8	31	0
1999	64	589	9.2	68	2
2000	44	422	9.6	45	1
2001	68	557	8.2	31	3
2008	47	330	7.0	36	0
Total	306	2,704	8.8	68	9
Kick Returns
Season	No.	Yards	Avg	LG	TD
1997	6	129	21.5	30	0
1998	1	25	25.0	25	0
1999	8	156	19.5	34	0
Total	15	310	20.7	34	0
Punt Returns
Season	No.	Yards	Avg	LG	TC
1997	6	48	9.6	25	0
Total	6	48	9.6	25	0

Warrick De'Mon Dunn #28 Career Highlights

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