Dwight Freeney

Dwight Freeney

Freeney with the Falcons in 2016
No. 93 Atlanta Falcons
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1980-02-19) February 19, 1980 (age 37)
Place of birth:	Hartford, Connecticut
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	268 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:	Bloomfield (CT)
College:	Syracuse
NFL Draft:	2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (2002–2012) San Diego Chargers (2013–2014) Arizona Cardinals (2015) Atlanta Falcons (2016–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XLI) 7× Pro Bowl (2003–2005, 2008–2011) 3× First-team All-Pro (2004, 2005, 2009) Second-team All-Pro (2003) AFC Defensive Player of the Year (2005) NFL sacks leader (2004) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Unanimous All-American (2001) 2× First-team All-Big East (2000, 2001)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2016
Total tackles: 329 Sacks: 122.5 Forced fumbles: 47 Fumble recoveries: 4 Pass deflections: 16 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 19, 1980) is an American football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse, where he earned unanimous All-American honors, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. With the Colts, Freeney won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears. He also played for the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.

Freeney was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Freeney was a four-sport letterman, earning four letters in baseball in which he was coached by Alphonso Ford; four in basketball; three in football, in which he played both ways; and one in soccer, in which he played goalie in his freshman year before switching over to football. Freeney holds the record for sacks at his high school and used to hold the record for most sacks in a high school career in the Connecticut record book. (Record now held by Mark Evanchick of Darien HS) Bloomfield High retired his No. 44 football jersey. During his youth, Freeney idolized New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Freeney received an athletic scholarship to attend Syracuse University, where he played for the Syracuse Orange football team from 1998 to 2001. A two-year starter for the Orangemen, he set a school record with 17.5 sacks in his senior season and his 34 career sacks rank second in school history to Tim Green (45.5). Freeney was the school's premier pass rusher, and once had a string of 17 consecutive games with at least one sack. Against Virginia Tech, Freeney sacked elusive Hokies quarterback Michael Vick 4.5 times in one game.