Cory Redding
Encyclopedia
Cory Bartholomew Redding (born November 15, 1980) is an American football
defensive end
for the Baltimore Ravens
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions
in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Texas
.
Redding has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
.
, the son of Carl Benjamin Redding and Mary Zerlene Brantley.
Redding played football at North Shore High School
. In his senior year in 1999, he was named USA Today
's Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-America
n choice. He also excelled in track and field, winning the state Class 5A title in the discus
as a junior and senior (career best toss of 193'9").
for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas
. During his four years there, he was a two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection and played in every game, including a string of 35 consecutive starts on the defensive line.
He finished his collegiate career with 201 tackles (123 solos), 21 sacks (174 yards) and 53 stops (third on the school's career-record list) for losses of 249 yards.
Redding was drafted
by the Detroit Lions
in the 3rd round (66th overall).
He became the starter at left defensive end prior to the 2004 season. In 2005, he played in all 16 games and set a career high with 42 tackles (29 solo). He emerged in 2006 as one of the best inside pass-rushers in the NFL after moving from defensive end to tackle.
On February 22, 2007, the Lions placed the franchise tag
on Redding and he was designated as the team's non-exclusive franchise player. On July 16, the Lions and Redding agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract. The deal included over $16 million in guaranteed money. The move came amid a bit of controversy, as it made Redding the highest paid defensive tackle in the league.
Redding was placed on season-ending injured reserve
with injuries to his knee and groin on December 12, 2008.
fifth-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks
for linebacker
Julian Peterson
. He was expected to play defensive end on 1st and 2nd downs and play defensive tackle on 3rd downs for extra pass rush.
on March 22, 2010.
Redding intercepted a tipped pass by Drew Brees
in a week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints
on December 19, 2010 to help seal a big win for the Ravens. It was his first career interception.
In a divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
on January 15, 2011, Redding scored his first career touchdown after recovering a fumble by Ben Roethlisberger
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
.
Redding has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
Early years
He was born in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, the son of Carl Benjamin Redding and Mary Zerlene Brantley.
Redding played football at North Shore High School
North Shore Senior High School (Texas)
North Shore Senior High School is a 10th 11th and 12th grade campus with the addition of 10th grade , which originally opened in 1965, but relocated to a new campus in the spring of 1999. The original North Shore Senior High campus still remains operational as the North Shore 9th grade center...
. In his senior year in 1999, he was named USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
's Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n choice. He also excelled in track and field, winning the state Class 5A title in the discus
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
as a junior and senior (career best toss of 193'9").
College career
Redding played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. During his four years there, he was a two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection and played in every game, including a string of 35 consecutive starts on the defensive line.
He finished his collegiate career with 201 tackles (123 solos), 21 sacks (174 yards) and 53 stops (third on the school's career-record list) for losses of 249 yards.
Detroit Lions
In the 2003 NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
Redding was drafted
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the 3rd round (66th overall).
He became the starter at left defensive end prior to the 2004 season. In 2005, he played in all 16 games and set a career high with 42 tackles (29 solo). He emerged in 2006 as one of the best inside pass-rushers in the NFL after moving from defensive end to tackle.
On February 22, 2007, the Lions placed the franchise tag
Franchise Tag
In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag and one...
on Redding and he was designated as the team's non-exclusive franchise player. On July 16, the Lions and Redding agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract. The deal included over $16 million in guaranteed money. The move came amid a bit of controversy, as it made Redding the highest paid defensive tackle in the league.
Redding was placed on season-ending injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
with injuries to his knee and groin on December 12, 2008.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 14, 2009, Detroit traded him and a 20092009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
fifth-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
for linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Julian Peterson
Julian Peterson
Julian Thomas Peterson is a free agent linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State...
. He was expected to play defensive end on 1st and 2nd downs and play defensive tackle on 3rd downs for extra pass rush.
Baltimore Ravens
Redding signed a two-year contract with the Baltimore RavensBaltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
on March 22, 2010.
Redding intercepted a tipped pass by Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
in a week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
on December 19, 2010 to help seal a big win for the Ravens. It was his first career interception.
In a divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
on January 15, 2011, Redding scored his first career touchdown after recovering a fumble by Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.