Derrick Burgess
Derrick Burgess

Derrick Lee Burgess was born in Lake City, South Carolina on August 12, 1978. He stands 6 feet and 2 inches tall and weighs 260 lbs. As a child he and his family moved to Greenbelt, Maryland. As a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, he was an all-state selection at outside linebacker. He collected 102 tackles, four sacks, an interception and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown that season, earning him team MVP and defensive player of the year honors. He was selected to compete in the Chesapeake Classic All-Star Game that year. He earned two letters in basketball, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds over his junior and senior seasons. Also, he hosted a number of football camps in his hometown of Lake City during the summer season.

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During his collegiate years, he became a part of the All-America and All-SEC selection while taking up a Business major at College Mississippi. He finished his career at Ole Miss with 166 tackles, 40 tackles for losses and 17.5 sacks. He was a third team All-America choice by Football News and first team All-SEC selection as a senior. He bagged the third rank on the team as a senior with a career-high 60 tackles and led the squad with 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.

Derrick currently plays as a defensive end for the Oakland Raiders. He is known as the fast, aggressive young defensive lineman who emerged as one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL in his first season with the Raiders. He was among the top free agent signings in pro football in 2005. He has played in 45 league games with 27 starts in five seasons and has tallied 152 tackles (103 solos) and 24.5 sacks. He earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in his first season in Oakland when he led the NFL in sacks with 16.0. He became the first Raider to lead the league in sacks since the sack became an official stat in 1982. He set a new franchise single-season record with 16.0 sacks, eclipsing Sean Jones' total of 15.5 set in 1986. And also set an NFL record for most games with multiple sacks by a veteran player in his first year with a new team, doing so six times.

Derrick was originally a third round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001 after going to college at Ole Miss. Appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and had 6 quarterback sacks. In 2002, however, he broke his foot in the first game of the season and missed the rest of the year due to a torn achilles tendon.

In 2004, he returned healthy and started 12 regular season games for the Eagles, recording 2 1/2 sacks. He had earned more success in the postseason, where he recorded 3 quarterback sacks, including the Eagles' only sack in Super Bowl XXXIX.

He was signed by the Raiders for the 2005 season, originally signed to be a backup. By the middle of the season, he worked his way into the lineup. Thanks to his success as a pass rusher. He had 6 notable quarterback sacks over a 3 game span. Quickly, he became particularly hot at the end of the season and recorded 9 over the final 7 games of the year. The last sack would break Sean Jones' team record for sacks in a single season. His 16 sacks overall led the NFL and earned him his first Pro Bowl bid.