Dewayne Washington

Dewayne Neron Washington (born December 27, 1972) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first-round pick (18th overall) in the 1994 NFL Draft from North Carolina State University. He is currently the head football coach at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina.[1]

Not to be confused with Duane Washington, Dwayne Washington (American football), or Dwayne Washington (basketball).
Dewayne Washington
Washington while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002.
No. 20, 30
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1972-12-27) December 27, 1972
Durham, North Carolina
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Northern Durham (NC)
College:North Carolina State
NFL Draft:1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:31
INT Yards:569
Touchdowns:5
Player stats at NFL.com

Amateur years

Washington played high school football at Northern High School in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned All-American honors from Sporting News, SuperPrep, and USA Today in 1989. After high school Washington attended North Carolina State, grabbing 3 interceptions his junior year. As a senior, Washington led the team with 4 interceptions, and also recorded 66 tackles (51 solo) as a co-captain.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Dewayne Washington started all 16 games for the Minnesota Vikings as a rookie in 1994. Washington recorded 75 tackles (69 solo), and had 3 interceptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie. Dewayne Washington was named defensive rookie of the year by College and Pro Football Weekly and earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers of America. The Vikings won the NFC Central Division with a 10-6 record, but lost in the first round of the 1994 NFL playoffs.

In 1995, Washington played in 15 games, recording 62 total tackles (57 solo), and had 1 interception for 25 yards. Washington only missed 1 game in his career. For the next 10 NFL seasons, he did not miss a game. He played in a total of 191/192 possible regular season games during his 12-year career.

In 1996, Washington recorded 75 tackles (72 solo). He had 2 interceptions for 27 yards and a touchdown that year.

In 1997, he had 84 tackles (74 solo). He had 4 interceptions that year for 71 yards, but no touchdowns. Washington was a starter for a Vikings that entered the 1997 NFL playoffs as a wildcard team, upsetting the New York Giants in the first round before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On February 25, 1998, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Dewayne Washington as an unrestricted free agent. 1998 proved to be Dewayne's best season in the NFL. In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington had 93 tackles (82 solo). He had 5 interceptions for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns that year. These would be the last interceptions Washington would return for touchdowns in his career.

In 1999, Washington had a career low of 52 tackles (50 solo). However, he did manage to record 4 interceptions.

In 2000, Washington had 78 tackles (70 solo). He matched his career high with 5 interceptions, returning them for 59 yards. On July 19, 2001, the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed Dewayne Washington to a multi-year contract.

In 2001, he had 77 tackles, but only 1 interception for 15 yards. He helped Steelers win the AFC Central with a 13-3 record, advancing to the AFC Conference Championship, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.

In 2002, he had only 55 tackles, and a career low 45 solo tackles. Washington also had 3 interceptions for 51 yards. With a record of 10-5-1, the Steelers lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.

In 2003 Washington began to show signs of aging. That year, he had only 60 tackles (53 solo). He had only 1 interception for the second consecutive year, returning it for only 7 yards. This would be the end of Washington's six-season career in Pittsburgh.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On February 27, 2004, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially cut Dewayne Washington, making him a free agent eligible to sign with any team. On March 9, 2004, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Dewayne Washington to be a nickel back. In 2004, Washington had 2 interceptions and 76 Tackles.

Kansas City Chiefs

In training camp before the 2005 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Washington to a one year-contract. Washington's signing was considered less significant due to the possibility of signing Ty Law before he signed with the New York Jets. Dewayne played almost always on special teams, recording 10 tackles, 9 being solo. Despite a 10-6 record that included 4,000 yards passing by Trent Green and 1,700 yards rushing by Larry Johnson, the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. For the first season in his career, Washington went without an interception and only started one game. In his career, Washington recorded 31 interceptions and recovered 7 fumbles. He returned four interceptions and two fumbles for touchdowns. Washington has started all 8 playoff games he has appeared in.

NFL statistics
YearTeamGamesCombined TacklesTacklesAssisted TacklesSacksForced FumblesFumble RecoveriesFumble Return YardsInterceptionsInterception Return YardsYards per Interception ReturnLongest Interception ReturnInterceptions Returned for TouchdownPasses Defended
1994MIN16756870.001031354581212
1995MIN15625480.0000125252509
1996MIN16756960.00002271427112
1997MIN168474100.00004711827010
1998PIT169379140.001051783678239
1999PIT16525020.00004101018
2000PIT167969100.00005591231024
2001PIT167766111.00101151515018
2002PIT165545100.01103511728017
2003PIT16605370.0000177708
2004JAX16766880.0100200009
2005KC16131210.0110000002
Career191801707941.03503156918815178

[2]

Coaching career

On May 11, 2015, Dewayne was introduced as the new head football coach at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina making his head coaching debut on August 21, 2015 against Green Hope High School.[1] Prior to accepting the head coaching job at Heritage, he served as an assistant coach at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] His assistant coaches included former NFL wide receiver Torry Holt and former NFL running back Willie Parker.

In January 2018, he resigned from the position, wishing to spend more time focusing on his business and family.[3]

Personal life

Since retiring from the NFL, Dewayne has been active within his community. He has participated in various real estate projects which have helped revitalize downtown Durham, NC and started Carolina Skills Academy, a year-round football skills academy available to kids in and around The Triangle. He has also served on the Durham YMCA Board, NC State's Alumni Board and Board of Visitors, and Union Baptist Trustee Board, been involved with the 100 Black Men of America, and volunteered as a coach for Pop Warner football. Currently, Dewayne lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina with his wife, NC State graduate Adama Washington, and their three children.[4]

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References
  1. "Heritage hires Dewayne Washington to coach football, Torry Holt to be assistant". WRAL High School OT. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  2. "Dewayne Washington Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  3. "High school football coaching changes". News and Observer. News and Observer. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  4. "North Carolina State University Leadership Profiles". North Carolina State University. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
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