Eric Swann

Eric Swann
No. 98
Position: Defensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1970-08-16) August 16, 1970
Place of birth: Sanford, North Carolina
Career information
High school: Western Harnett High School
College: Wake Technical Community College
NFL Draft: 1991 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 by the Phoenix Cardinals
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 463
Sacks: 46.5
Forced fumbles: 6
Interceptions: 2
Touchdowns: 1
Player stats at NFL.com

Eric Jerrod Swann (born August 16, 1970) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 317 lbs. defensive tackle, Swann never attended college and was drafted from a semi-professional football team called the Bay State Titans located in Lynn, Massachusetts. He played in ten NFL seasons from 1991–2000 for the Cardinals and Carolina Panthers.

High school

Swann played high school football at Western Harnett High School and graduated in 1989.[1] During his high school years, he was state runner-up in shot-put and discus throwing, recording distances of 54' 02" and 152' 06", respectively.[2]

Semi-pro career

Swann was bound for North Carolina State University, but was ruled academically ineligible. Rather than enrolling at NC State as a Proposition 48 student, Swann instead opted to attend Wake Technical Community College.[3] In 1990, he left Wake Technical to join the semi-pro Bay State Titans in Lynn, Massachusetts with a $5 an hour salary.[4][5]

Professional career

On April 24, 1991, Swann signed a five-year contract with the Phoenix Cardinals; the team became the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.[5] In 1995 and 1996, Swann was named an NFL All Pro and to those years' Pro Bowl teams.

In 1998, Swann re-signed with the Cardinals for a five-year, $25 million contract with a $7.5 million signing bonus.[6] At that point in time, it was the richest contract ever signed by a Cardinals player in the history of the franchise.[7] Because he was recovering from knee surgeries, Swann did not practice with the Cardinals in the 1999 training camp period.[8] In 1999, he played nine games and had four sacks and a 42-yard interception.[9]

The Cardinals waived Swann on July 11, 2000.[10] Two weeks later, he signed a one-year, veterans' minimum deal with the Carolina Panthers along with Reggie White.[11]

Eric Swann agreed in 2007 to play for the Hudson Valley Saints, who are a member of the North American Football League.[12]

Eric Swann was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame 1998.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Past Shrine Bowl Players in the Pros". HighSchoolOT.com. WRAL. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ http://footballtalentadvisors.com/blog/tag/eric-swann/
  3. ↑ Teel, David (August 5, 1989). "Fierce Area Recruiter Vacates Deacons' Staff". The Daily Press. Newport News, Va. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  4. ↑ Duckworth, Ed (September 15, 1996). "Tobin building confidence". The Providence Journal. pp. C8. Six years ago, the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder dropped out of Wake Technical College in Raleigh, N.C., to play for the Lynn, Mass.-based Bay State Titans of the short-lived Minor League Football System.
  5. 1 2 "Cardinals Sign No. 1 Choice, A Former Semipro Player". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 1991. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Swann Re-signs With Cardinals". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 12, 1998. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  7. ↑ The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/keyword/eric-swann. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ "Swann dives back in". CNNSI.com. Associated Press. July 22, 1999. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Eric Swann". NFL. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. July 12, 2000. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  11. ↑ "N.F.L.: TRAINING CAMPS ROUNDUP; Searcy May Miss Year". The New York Times. July 25, 2000. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  12. ↑ Houghtaling, Eric (July 14, 2007). "Saints marching back in". The Daily Freeman. Kingston, N.Y. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008.
  13. ↑ http://www.americanfootballassn.com/forms/2010HallofFameListing.pdf
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