| No. 23 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | (1978-05-29)May 29, 1978 (age 46) Calumet Park, Illinois, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Richards(Oak Lawn, Illinois) | ||||
| College: | Tennessee | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2000: 2nd round, 49th pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Dwayne Lewis Goodrich (born May 29, 1978) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers.
Goodrich attendedHarold L. Richards High School inOak Lawn, Illinois.[1] Under head coach Gary Korhonen, he played on offense as a tailback and on defense as adefensive back for thefootball team.[2] He also practicedtrack, competing in the100 and200 metres.[citation needed]
As a senior, he had 41 tackles, six interceptions, 18 passes defensed and 61 carries for 563 yards. He helped his team win 22 out of his last 25 games, receiving Parade All-America, USA Today All-America and Prep Football Report National Defensive Player of the Year honors.[citation needed]
Goodrich accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Tennessee, to play under head coachPhillip Fulmer.[3] He played for the Volunteers from 1996 to 1999 and was a three-year starter.[4][5] He was a backupcornerback as a true freshman, making 17 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 fumble recoveries (led the team).
As a sophomore, he started 10 out of 12 games, tallying 45 tackles (seventh on the team), 4 interceptions (second on the team), 6 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries.
As a junior, he registered 41 tackles (2 for loss), 3 interceptions (second on the team) and 10 passes defensed (led the team). He became noteworthy after the1999 Fiesta Bowl against theFlorida State Seminoles. He was assigned to coverFlorida Statewide receiverPeter Warrick.[6] In the second quarter of the game, Goodrich intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown.[7] The play helpedTennessee win the game by a score of 23–16 and thenational championship.[8] Goodrich was the defensive MVP of the game.[9]
As a senior in1999, he was named one of the team captains.[10] He suffered a back injury before the start of the season, which would limit his play going forward.[11] He posted 34 tackles (one for loss), 3 interceptions (tied for second on the team), 6 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He was suspended for violating team rules for the fourth game againstAuburn University. He received second-teamAll-SEC honors.[12]
He also practicedtrack & field as a freshman and sophomore, recording times of 10.5 seconds in the100 metres and 21.7 seconds in the200 metres.
TheDallas Cowboys entered the2000 NFL draft without a first-round pick because of the trade that sent two first round choices to theSeattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiverJoey Galloway.[13] The team madecornerback a top draft priority, after considering the imminent departure ofDeion Sanders and the injury history ofKevin Smith andKevin Mathis.
Goodrich was selected in thesecond round (49th overall) after dropping because of a poor senior season,[14] which would be the first of their threecornerbacks selections.Kareem Larrimore, who was taken in the fourth round (109th overall) andMario Edwards who was taken in the sixth round (180th overall), were the other two.[15]
As a rookie, Goodrich suffered a strained left hamstring intraining camp, that put him so far behind that he did not make his professional debut until November 5 against thePhiladelphia Eagles. He appeared in five games that season.[16]
In2001, he suffered a torn rightachilles tendon intraining camp and was placed on theinjured reserve list on August 28. In2002, he was mostly a reserve player and got a chance to start in his first NFL game. He appeared in 11 games that year.[17]
On February 20,2003, Goodrich was waived after he was involved in ahit and run accident that killed two people.[18] In three seasons he started in only one game and had no interceptions.[19]
On January 14, 2003, Goodrich was involved in ahit and run accident that killed two people.[20] On January 15, he was arrested on charges ofvehicular manslaughter in relation to the accident. Goodrich struck and killed two motorists who were trying to rescue a man from a burning car on a North Dallas freeway.[21] Though witnesses claimed Goodrich was going 100 mph, the state's accident reconstruction expert at trial estimated that Goodrich's car struck the victims and driver door of the wreckage at a considerably lower speed of between 54 mph and 80 mph.[22]
On September 8, 2003, he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and fined$20,000 for the accident. He was convicted on two counts ofcriminally negligent homicide.[23]
On January 9, 2006, prosecutors and relatives of the deceased victims successfully sought to add five years to his original seven and a half-year prison sentence.[24] In court proceedings on January 9, 2006, in Dallas, the sole surviving victim of the January 2003 accident, Shuki Josef, requested permission to approach Goodrich to shake his hand. The gesture resulted in an emotion-filled embrace between the two men as Josef stated that he forgave Goodrich.[25]
During the trial, Goodrich was not proven to have been intoxicated at the time of the incident. Goodrich lost his brother Walter to a motorcycle accident in 2004.[20] He was released from prison on October 5, 2011, after serving eight years due to his conviction of two counts ofcriminally negligent homicide.[26]