Willie Middlebrooks

Not to be confused with baseball player Will Middlebrooks or English cricketer Willie Middlebrook.

Willie Middlebrooks
No. 23, 25
Date of birth (1979-02-12) February 12, 1979 (age 45)
Place of birthMiami, Florida, U.S.
Career information
StatusRetired
CFL statusInternational
Position(s)CB
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
US collegeMinnesota
NFL draft2001 / round: 1 / pick: 24
Drafted byDenver Broncos
Career history
As player
2001–2004Denver Broncos
2005San Francisco 49ers
2006Denver Broncos*
2008–2010Toronto Argonauts
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career stats

Willie Frank Middlebrooks[1] (born February 12, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).

Middlebrooks was named first-team all-state as a senior at Homestead High School in Homestead, Florida. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In 1999, he was named Second-Team All-Big Ten. In 2000, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten Conference, but missed the final four games of the season with a fractured ankle. Prior to the 2001 NFL Draft, he was regarded as the best man-coverage player in the Big Ten, with speculation that he would be drafted in the first round, despite his recent injury.

He was the 24th overall pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2001 NFL draft.[2] He began his career with the Broncos, then played for the San Francisco 49ers before returning to Denver in 2006.

Middlebrooks signed as a free agent with the Argonauts on April 28, 2008.[3] He was named defensive player of Week One of the 2008 CFL season with nine tackles and an interception of a long pass from Winnipeg's Kevin Glenn near the end of the fourth quarter.[4]

On June 1, 2011, Middlebrooks announced his retirement after sustaining a serious neck injury he received nearing the end of the 2010 CFL season. [5]

References

  1. ^ "Willie Middlebrooks Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Willie Middlebrooks #23 Defensive Back". Roster. Toronto Argonauts Football Club. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  4. ^ "Calvillo takes top offensive honours". Montreal Gazette. July 3, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  5. ^ "Argos' Lemon Unfazed About Having to Compete for Starting Job". TSN.


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