Fred Weary (defensive back)

This article is about the former NFL defensive back. For the NFL offensive lineman of the same name, see Fred Weary (offensive lineman).

Fred Weary
No. 42, 24, 32
PositionCornerback
Personal information
Born (1974-04-12) April 12, 1974
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight181 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolMandarin (Jacksonville)
CollegeFlorida
NFL draft1998: 4th round, 97th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Tackles223
Interceptions7
Forced fumbles2
Interception yards154
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Joseph Frederick Weary (born April 12, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s and 2000s. Weary played college football for the Florida Gators football, was a member of a national championship team, and earned consensus All-American honors. Thereafter, he played professionally for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams of the NFL.

Early life

Weary was born in Jacksonville, Florida.[2] He attended Mandarin High School in Jacksonville,[3] where he played for the Mandarin Mustangs high school football team.

College career

Weary received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1994 to 1997.[4] As a junior, Weary was a starter on the Gators' 1996 team that defeated the Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the 1997 Sugar Bowl to win the Bowl Alliance national championship.[4] As a senior team captain and defensive back for the Gators, Weary had six interceptions, and fifteen in his college career—the most in school history.[4] He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1996 and 1997, and a consensus first-team All-American in 1997.[4][5] He finished his four-year college career with fifteen interceptions and thirty-five blocked passes.[4]

Professional career

Weary was chosen in the fourth round (ninety-seventh pick overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.[6] He played for the Saints from 1998 to 2001.[7] During his second and third seasons with the Saints, Weary became a regular starter at right cornerback; his fourth year, however, he only started in a single game.[2]

Weary finished his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 and the St. Louis Rams in 2003, seeing only limited playing time in a backup role.[2] In his six NFL seasons, Weary appeared in eighty-three regular season games, and started twenty-five of them; he recorded 191 tackles, seven interceptions, and one interception return for a touchdown.[2]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD Lng FF FR Yds TD
1998 NOR 14 1 34 28 6 0.0 2 64 1 63 0 0 0 0
1999 NOR 16 11 68 61 7 0.0 2 49 0 27 0 4 60 1
2000 NOR 12 12 55 48 7 2.0 2 27 0 27 2 0 0 0
2001 NOR 14 1 20 18 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002 ATL 16 0 34 27 7 0.0 1 14 0 14 0 0 0 0
2003 STL 11 0 12 10 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
83 25 223 192 31 2.0 7 154 1 63 2 4 60 1

See also

References

  1. ^ "Transactions". NFL.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Fred Weary. Retrieved Marsh 4, 2011.
  3. ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Fred Weary. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 77, 88, 93–94, 97, 98, 125, 149, 153–154, 186 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  5. ^ 2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  6. ^ "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  7. ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Fred Weary. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
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