 Ward with theHouston Texans in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 44, 34, 28, 32 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1980-08-30)August 30, 1980 (age 45) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Valley View(Moreno Valley, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College |
| ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2004: 7th round, 235th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Derrick Laron Ward (born August 30, 1980) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theNew York Jets in the seventh round of the2004 NFL draft and played for theNew York Giants,Tampa Bay Buccaneers andHouston Texans. He playedcollege football forFresno State Bulldogs andOttawa Braves.
Ward earned aSuper Bowl ring with the Giants inSuper Bowl XLII. He is the cousin of former Patriots running backJ.R. Redmond.
Ward attendedValley View High School inMoreno Valley, California, and was aletterman infootball. In football, as a senior, he posted 1,100 rushing yards, 973 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns, was an All-Riverside County choice, won All-CIF honors, was the Team Co/MVP, and was named the Sun Belt League Offensive MVP.
For hiscollegiate career, he rushed 460 times for 3,152 yards (6.9-yard avg.) and 39 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 96 yards (13.7-yard avg.).
He gained 1,091 yards with 11 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.5-yard avg.) and caught three passes for 49 yards (16.3-yard avg.) in 20 games atCalifornia State University, Fresno. Ward was ruled academically ineligible to play at Fresno State in 1998, he earned FreshmanAll-America honors the following year despite playing with a broken right hand. He was limited to only seven games for theBulldogs in 2000 due to a knee injury. His Fresno State career ended when he was again ruled ineligible to play in 2001 and 2002 due to academics.
Ward transferred toOttawa University inKansas for his final year in 2003, when he setNAIA single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry. Also had recorded 47 yards on four receptions, in ten games at Ottawa.
Ward was selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the2004 NFL draft with the 235th overall pick.[1]
On September 5, 2004, Ward was released by the Jets.[2]
Ward had a good season in 2007 rushing for 602 yards on 125 touches, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns.
On March 14, 2008, Ward was re-signed by the Giants.
Because of their success in the backfield during the 2008 season, Ward and his teammatesBrandon Jacobs andAhmad Bradshaw were jokingly referred to as Earth (Jacobs), Wind (Ward) and Fire (Bradshaw).[3]
On December 21, 2008, Ward led the Giants' rushing attack with 215 rushing yards in a 34–28 overtime victory over theCarolina Panthers to clinch homefield advantage throughout the2009 NFL Playoffs. He finished the season with 1,025 yards, making him andBrandon Jacobs the fifth pair ofteammates to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. The strong performance by both running backs is credited to high grade run blocking by the Giants offensive line.
While playing with the Giants, Ward was a resident ofWeehawken, New Jersey.[4]
Ward was signed by theTampa Bay Buccaneers on March 2, 2009. He signed a four-year contract worth $17 million.[5] In the 2009 season for the Buccaneers he rushed 114 times for 409 yards and 1 touchdown.Ward was cut from the team on August 31, 2010.[6]
On September 4, 2010, Ward was signed by the Houston Texans.On July 3, 2012, Ward announced his retirement via Twitter.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2004 | NYG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | NYG | 14 | 0 | 35 | 123 | 3.5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 8 | 0 |
| 2006 | NYG | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | NYG | 8 | 5 | 125 | 602 | 4.8 | 44 | 3 | 26 | 179 | 6.9 | 17 | 1 |
| 2008 | NYG | 16 | 3 | 182 | 1,025 | 5.6 | 51 | 2 | 41 | 384 | 9.4 | 48 | 0 |
| 2009 | TAM | 14 | 1 | 114 | 409 | 3.6 | 28 | 1 | 20 | 150 | 7.5 | 38 | 2 |
| 2010 | HOU | 16 | 0 | 50 | 315 | 6.3 | 38 | 4 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 | 12 | 0 |
| 2011 | HOU | 12 | 1 | 45 | 154 | 3.4 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 93 | 10 | 551 | 2,628 | 4.8 | 51 | 12 | 96 | 787 | 8.2 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2008 | NYG | 1 | 0 | 12 | 46 | 3.8 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 4.8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | HOU | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 12 | 46 | 3.8 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 4.8 | 8 | 0 | ||
On December 18, 2023, Ward was arrested inNorth Hollywood on suspicion of robbery. Ward was being held in custody by theLos Angeles Police Department in lieu of $250,000 bail.[7]