Leigh Bodden at a game in Denver on October 11, 2009
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No. 28, 26, 23 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Date of birth: | September 24, 1981 | ||||||||||||
Place of birth: | Hyattsville, Maryland | ||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
College: | Duquesne | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2003 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Roster status: | Retired | ||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Tackles: | 345 |
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Sacks: | 0 |
Interceptions: | 18 |
Forced fumbles: | 8 |
Pass deflections: | 70 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Leigh Edmond Bodden (born September 24, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Duquesne. Bodden has also played for the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Bodden was born in Hyattsville, Maryland. He attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville. In 1998, his final season with the Wildcats, Bodden helped lead his school to a 10-2 record.
The holder of nearly every Duquesne University interception record, Bodden picked off seven passes in his senior season, 2002, under head coach Greg Gattuso, including a school record-tying three interceptions versus Iona College. Duquesne's defense was ranked number one in all of NCAA Division I-AA in 2002 in total and scoring defense and second in pass and pass efficiency defense. He also owns three records for the school's men's track and field team and was the Atlantic 10 Conference long jump champion in 2002.
In his final season with Duquesne, Bodden was an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division I-AA All-American and the 2002 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League Defensive Player of the Year. He also was a consensus All-American as a junior. In total, he caught 28 interceptions during his time at Duquesne, second in the nation during that period.
Despite his strong collegiate career, Bodden received little press and went undrafted in 2003. However, Bodden made the 53-man roster of the Cleveland Browns out of training camp in 2003 and contributed heavily as a special teams player and nickel cornerback, playing in 13 games in his rookie year. He recorded his first career NFL interception against the Arizona Cardinals off a fourth-quarter pass by Josh McCown.