 Driver in 2014 | |||||||||
| No. 80 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1975-02-02)February 2, 1975 (age 50) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Milby(Houston, Texas) | ||||||||
| College | Alcorn State (1995–1998) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1999: 7th round, 213th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Donald Jerome Driver (born February 2, 1975) is an American former professionalfootballwide receiver who played for theGreen Bay Packers of theNational Football League (NFL). After playingcollege football forAlcorn State University, Driver was picked by Green Bay in the seventh round of the1999 NFL draft. He spent his entire 14-seasonNFL career with the Packers and holds the franchise's all-time records for most career receptions and receiving yards. Driver was a member of the Packers team that wonSuper Bowl XLV. Every year in Cleveland, Driver holds the Donald Driver Football Camp for local kids which is held at the Cleveland High School Football field. Upon retirement, he wonseason 14 ofDancing with the Stars.
Driver was born inHouston, Texas, on February 2, 1975. He was the middle child of five siblings. Driver's parents, Marvin Driver Jr. and Faye Gray, divorced when he was just a young boy.[1] Donald had a tough childhood living out of a U-Haul truck for a period of time during his early teens, after a collection agency confiscated his family's possessions. Donald spent multiple nights in motel rooms that his mother had purchased with food stamps. Driver and his older brother, Marvin III, began stealing cars and selling drugs during their teenage years in order to make it from day to day. Driver was quoted byUSA Today stating, "You try to do anything you can to provide for your family." At 14, Driver moved in with his grandmother, Betty Lofton, and his life started to turn around.[1]
Driver shined as an athlete early in his years at Milby High School in Houston. He lettered four times each in track, football, basketball and baseball. He was a Texas All-State honorable mention in football, where he played at the wide receiver,defensive back and kickoff return positions.[2]
Driver attendedAlcorn State University in Mississippi, where he lettered in both football and track & field. He finished hiscollege football career at Alcorn State with 88 receptions for 1993 yards (19.69 yards per catch). He was a five-time "Athlete of the Year" in his conference for his track and football prowess.
Driver is a member ofAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[3]
Driver is a decorated track athlete. He is an Olympic-classhigh jumper, being able to jump 7 ft 6.5 in (2.30 m).[4] He qualified for the 1996 Olympic Field Trials in the high jump.
He competed for theAlcorn State Braves track team, where he excelled in the high jump and earned all-conference honors his senior year. He leaped 2.30 meters in the high jump, 15.62 meters in thetriple jump and 7.75 meters in thelong jump.
Driver was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the seventh round of the1999 NFL draft with the 213th overall pick.[5] He spent his entire career with the Packers.
Known as one of the most consistent wide receivers in the game,[6] Driver was not particularly productive his first three seasons in Green Bay (1999–2001), as he remained behind wide receiversAntonio Freeman andCorey Bradford on the depth chart. With the departure of Freeman and Bradford, Driver blossomed in a starting role.
Driver was solid throughout his career, often posting 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Driver had the most catches in theNFL in the middle of the field in 2006. He set a career high for single-game yards on November 12, 2006, when he caught six passes for 191 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown against theMinnesota Vikings.[7] Driver finished the2006 season in the top five of the league in reception yardage with 1,295 yards.[8] He also recorded the most receptions in his career with 92, earning a spot in the2007 Pro Bowl.[9]On December 16, 2007, during a 33–14 victory over theSt. Louis Rams, veteran Green BayquarterbackBrett Favre brokeDan Marino's all-time record of 61,361 career passing yards. The new record came on a seven-yard completion to Driver.[10] Driver was selected for the2008 Pro Bowl.[11]
In the NFC Championship game on January 20, 2008, against theNew York Giants, Driver had the longest play in the Packers' playoff history, with a 90-yard touchdown catch from Favre.[12]
On October 18, 2009, Driver became theGreen Bay Packers' all-time leading receiver in receptions, with 596. He went on to catch six more balls for 107 yards in a 26–0 home victory over theDetroit Lions.[13] On September 8, 2011, Driver caught four balls for 41 yards in the opening game against theNew Orleans Saints and was only one yard short of becoming the Packers' all-time leader in receiving yards. Driver finally broke the Packers' all-time receiving yardage record on September 18, 2011, against the Carolina Panthers after he caught a 10-yard pass fromAaron Rodgers, surpassingJames Lofton.
On February 6, 2011, Driver was injured on his second reception ofSuper Bowl XLV.[14] Out with an ankle sprain, Driver returned for the game's final plays, as the Packers defeated thePittsburgh Steelers 31–25. Driver finished Super Bowl XLV with two receptions for 28 yards.[15] Despite losing playing time toGreg Jennings andJordy Nelson, Driver was a veteran presence for a young Packers receiving corps led by NFL MVP QBAaron Rodgers in the twilight of Driver's career.
On January 31, 2013, Driver announced his retirement onESPN2Mike and Mike in the Morning after spending his entire 14-season career with the Packers.[16] He missed only eight games in his career outside of his rookie season, the last one being November 18, 2012.[17]
On February 6, 2013, the Packers hosted a public retirement ceremony for Driver. This was the first public retirement ceremony held for a Packers player. It was hosted in theLambeau Field Atrium with comments made byMark Murphy,Ted Thompson,Mike McCarthy, and Driver. The event sold out in 14 minutes and hundreds of fans were in attendance. The mayor of Green Bay presented Driver with a key to the city, announcing that thereceiver statue in downtown Green Bay would be refurbished to wear a No. 80 Driver jersey. The street leading to the statue was also renamed "Donald Driver Way."[18]
On July 22, 2017, Driver was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[19][20]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 1999 | GB | 6 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 12 | 1 |
| 2000 | GB | 16 | 21 | 322 | 15.3 | 49 | 1 |
| 2001 | GB | 13 | 13 | 167 | 12.8 | 37 | 1 |
| 2002 | GB | 16 | 70 | 1,064 | 15.2 | 85 | 9 |
| 2003 | GB | 15 | 52 | 621 | 11.9 | 41 | 2 |
| 2004 | GB | 16 | 84 | 1,208 | 14.4 | 50 | 9 |
| 2005 | GB | 16 | 86 | 1,221 | 14.2 | 59 | 5 |
| 2006 | GB | 16 | 92 | 1,295 | 14.1 | 82 | 8 |
| 2007 | GB | 16 | 82 | 1,048 | 12.8 | 47 | 2 |
| 2008 | GB | 16 | 74 | 1,012 | 13.7 | 71 | 5 |
| 2009 | GB | 16 | 70 | 1,061 | 15.2 | 71 | 6 |
| 2010 | GB | 15 | 51 | 565 | 11.1 | 61 | 4 |
| 2011 | GB | 16 | 37 | 445 | 12.0 | 35 | 6 |
| 2012 | GB | 13 | 8 | 77 | 9.6 | 26 | 2 |
| Career | 205 | 743 | 10,137 | 13.6 | 85 | 61 | |
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2001 | GB | 2 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2002 | GB | 1 | 3 | 64 | 21.3 | 25 | 1 |
| 2003 | GB | 2 | 8 | 91 | 11.4 | 23 | 0 |
| 2004 | GB | 1 | 7 | 78 | 11.1 | 16 | 0 |
| 2007 | GB | 2 | 8 | 159 | 19.9 | 90 | 1 |
| 2009 | GB | 1 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 28 | 0 |
| 2010 | GB | 4 | 14 | 169 | 12.1 | 24 | 0 |
| 2011 | GB | 1 | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 16 | 1 |
| Career | 14 | 49 | 675 | 13.8 | 90 | 3 | |
Driver is married to Betina Driver. They have three children: Cristian, Christina, and Charity.[21] His son Cristian is a wide receiver forMinnesota,[22] which he transferred to after playing cornerback atPenn State.[23] Driver is aChristian.[24][25]
Since 2004, Driver has co-hosted the statewide Packer analysistelevision seriesInside the Huddle with Donald Driver withWLUK-TV's sports director Drew Smith. Every Thursday, Driver discusses football with John Mercure on Wisconsin's Afternoon News with John Mercure on AM 620WTMJ.[citation needed] He previously served as host to the annual Offense vs. Defense softball game featuring members of the Green Bay Packers.
As a well-known athlete in the state of Wisconsin, Driver has been featured in marketing campaigns for companies such asMcDonald's,AirTran Airways,Kwik Trip,Goodwill,Jani-King andTime Warner Cable.
Throughout his career, Driver was very active off the field, making over 300 charitable appearances since his rookie season in 1999. In the spring of 2001, Donald and his wife Betina created the Donald Driver Foundation, which offers assistance to ill children with unmanageable hospital bills, provides housing for the homeless, and donates to a variety of local charities. In December 2003, the foundation put two previously homeless families in new, fully furnished homes.
Donald has also donated much of his time and efforts to such institutions as Children's Hospital of Wisconsin andGoodwill Industries. In 2001, Driver was awarded the "Community Service Award" by the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his outstanding community involvement. In 2005, he was awarded the Ed Block Courage award by his Green Bay teammates. Driver was also named the 2013 AMVETS Humanitarian of the Year.[26]
Driver is the author of three children's books,Quickie Handles a Loss,Quickie Makes the Team andQuickie Goes to the Big Game. The books are based on Driver's bedtime storytelling to his three children, and are sold statewide in Wisconsin. He has stated that "Quickie" is a nickname his mother gave him because, when she would chase him around the house, she could never catch him. In 2013, Driver released his official memoir,Driven, which included many personal stories about both his childhood and career with the Packers.[27] Two weeks after the book's release, it made theNew York Times Bestsellers list.[28] In 2017, Driver released a health and fitness book,The 3D Body Revolution: The Ultimate Workout + Nutrition Blueprint to Get Healthy and Lean, which featured 25 recipes and 36 exercises. Following its release,The 3D Body Revolution was featured as a #1 new release in Amazon's exercise injuries and rehabilitation category.
On February 28, 2012, it was announced that Driver would join the cast ofDancing with the Stars forseason 14, paired with professional dance partnerPeta Murgatroyd. Driver's high energy and athleticism were repeatedly praised by the judges, though Driver was also notorious for not getting a perfect score, until their freestyle, from the judges. Driver and Murgatroyd made it all the way to the finale, and despite competitions from fellow finalistsWilliam Levy andKatherine Jenkins, Driver and Murgatroyd were declared winners on the season finale on May 22, 2012.
In March 2014, Donald Driver created the Donald Driver Driven To Achieve Awards. Since then, the Driven to Achieve Awards have honored 18 recipients and have given away over $1 million.[29]
Driver currently splits his time between his home state ofTexas andMilwaukee,Wisconsin, purchasing a $3 million Milwaukee loft in 2022 from fellow Wisconsin athleteJabari Parker.[30] He operates a nonprofit called the Donald Driver Foundation in both Wisconsin and Texas, and serves as the current cultural ambassador for Milwaukee'sMarcus Center for the Performing Arts, in addition to business ventures.[30]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Dancing with the Stars (US) winners Season 14 (Spring 2012 withPeta Murgatroyd) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
