.jpg) Black with theFlorida Gators in 2008 | |||||||||||||
| No. 43 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1988-12-12)December 12, 1988 (age 36) Lakeland, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 184 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Lakeland | ||||||||||||
| College | Florida | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2011: 5th round, 151st overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Ahmad Black (born December 12, 1988)[1] is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for theTampa Bay Buccaneers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida Gators, and was a member of aBCS National Championship team. Black was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the2011 NFL draft. Black officially retired from the NFL on April 9, 2017.[citation needed]
Black was born inLakeland, Florida, and he attendedLawton Chiles Middle Academy and laterLakeland High School. As a sophomore playing for the Florida Class 5Ahigh school football powerhouse Lakeland Dreadnaughts, he recorded 71tackles and 10interceptions, and 71 tackles with six interceptions as a junior. As a Dreadnaught senior, Black recorded 82 tackles and four interceptions.
Black accepted an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coachUrban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from2007 to2010.[2]
As a freshman, Black played in seven games as acornerback for the Gators and recorded seven tackles. As a sophomore in 2008, Blackstarted all 14 games atstrong safety and made 59 tackles and seven interceptions for 191 return yards and twotouchdowns, and was recognized as a second-teamAll-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. Black caught his seventh interception in the Gators' 24–14 win over theOklahoma Sooners in the2009 BCS National Championship Game.
Following his senior season in 2010, he was a first-team All-SEC selection and received first-teamAll-American honors from Rivals.com and second-team honors from theAssociated Press. To end his college career, he had two interceptions, returning one 80 yards for a touchdown against Penn State in the Outback Bowl, earning Player of the Game honors.[3]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 4.77 s | 1.68 s | 2.72 s | 4.20 s | 6.85 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | 18 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Black was selected in the fifth round of the2011 NFL draft with the 151st overall pick by theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[6][7] He was cut on September 3, 2011, re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad two days later, and later activated to the active roster. As a rookie, he appeared in four games during the 2011 regular season, with five tackles and a recovered fumble.[8] On October 1, 2013, he was released again by the Buccaneers, and was eligible for free agency after clearing waivers.[9]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sack | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2011 | TAM | 04 | 00 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | TAM | 16 | 01 | 36 | 30 | 6 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 17 | 34 | 0 | 5 |
| 2013 | TAM | 04 | 02 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 24 | 3 | 53 | 41 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 17 | 34 | 0 | 5 | |
On May 23, 2021, Black was named the defensive backs coach atMulberry High School inMulberry, Florida. On March 2, 2022, Black was named the defensive backs/safeties coach atLakeland High School inLakeland, Florida.[citation needed]
Black currently is employed by Lakeland Regional Health and advocates for healthcare in the Polk County community.[citation needed]
On November 6, 2012, theTampa Bay Times reported that Black was cited by police for possession of less than 20 grams ofmarijuana.[10]
