Renaldo Hill
Encyclopedia
Renaldo Hill is an American football
safety who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Michigan State
.
Hill has also played for the Oakland Raiders
, Miami Dolphins
, and Denver Broncos
. He is the younger brother of former NFL defensive back Ray Hill
.
in Detroit, Michigan, where he was a four-year starter at defensive back. He was also named to the school’s academic honor roll on two occasions.
, the first two years of which he played under former head coach Nick Saban
. Hill started all 35 games in which he played during that time at right cornerback, and concluded his career with 182 total tackles, 11 stops for loss, nine interceptions and 36 passes defensed.
Hill had a career-high five interceptions during his first season in 1998. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference
selection the following year when he amassed 57 tackles, an interception and 13 passes defensed. His senior season in 2000, Hill was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in his when he posted 71 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
in the seventh round (202nd overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft
. He played in 14 games in his rookie season, including one start, and recorded 22 tackles, three passes defensed and a half-sack. He added five special teams tackles. He had five tackles and the first half-sack of his career on a five-yard sack of Philadelphia Eagles
quarterback
Donovan McNabb
. Hill's first pro start came against the New York Giants
on December 15. He was inactive for the final two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
In 2002 Hill appeared in 14 contests, including seven starts at cornerback, and missed two games with a foot injury. He posted 66 tackles, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed, a sack and two fumble recoveries on the year, while also contributing 11 stops on special teams. He collected a season-high 10 tackles against the San Diego Chargers
when he came off bench in first quarter to replace an injured Duane Starks
. Hill went on to start each of the next four games in Starks’ spot. In 16-13 win against the Carolina Panthers
on October 6, he recovered a pair of Panthers fumbles - the first Cardinal to do that since Michael Bankston
on October 17, 1993. Hill's first career interception came against the Dallas Cowboys
on October 20 when he picked off a Quincy Carter
pass in the end zone during Arizona’s 9-6 win. He recorded an eight-yard sack of Marc Bulger
against the St. Louis Rams
, which was the first full sack of his career. Hill also intercepted a Jeff Garcia
pass in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers
on December 21.
Hill started all 14 games in which he played at cornerback in 2003, posting 67 tackles, five interceptions for 119 yards in returns including a touchdown, seven passes defensed, two sacks and a forced fumble. His interception ranked second on the team behind only Dexter Jackson's six. Hill missed two games during the season with a sprained ankle.
During the season, Hill intercepted a pair of Marc Bulger
passes in one game, including one returned 70 yards for a score. He also picked off Quincy Carter, Jon Kitna
and Trent Dilfer
during the season. His two sacks came against Bulger and Kitna.
Hill played in 13 games in 2004 with ten starts at cornerback, and was inactive for three contests in 2004. On the year, he collected 46 tackles, an interception, nine passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble. His lone interception of the year occurred on October 24 against the Seattle Seahawks
, as he picked off a Matt Hasselbeck
pass in the Cardinals’ 25-17 victory. His only sack of the season came against then-Rams quarterback Chris Chandler
.
in 2005, Hill signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders
. The deal included a base salary of $565,000 and a $25,000 signing bonus. It was also heavily based on incentives, which could have allowed Hill to earn as much as $1.4 million.
Hill played in all 16 games during his lone season with the Raiders, opening three games at free safety and ten contests as the nickel cornerback behind Charles Woodson
and Nnamdi Asomugha
. He recorded 89 tackles, an interception and five passes defensed on the year, while also tallying three special teams stops. His only interception of the year came against the Cleveland Browns
on December 18 when he snared a Charlie Frye
pass.
Thanks in part to the contract holdout of rookie defensive back Jason Allen, Hill was able to win the starting free safety job before the regular season began. He went on to start all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2006 and finished third on the team (behind linebackers Zach Thomas
and Channing Crowder
) with 83 tackles. Hill also had two interceptions, which tied him with Jason Taylor for the team lead, and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown. Hill picked off Detroit Lions
quarterback Jon Kitna
and Chicago Bears
quarterback Rex Grossman
during the season (both in wins by the Dolphins). He also returned a Chester Taylor
fumble forced by Matt Roth
48 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 24-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings
.
During training camp, Hill initially lost his job to recently signed free agent Chris Crocker. Eventually, though the secondary was exposed during the first two weeks particularly in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals
, giving up pass plays of 50 or more yards. In Week 3, Hill got the free safety job once again, and it paid huge dividends as the secondary play became more solid and it also helped Miami earn its first victory of the season against the Patriots. Renaldo Hill also proved to be solid in run support, finishing with 74 tackles. He nabbed three interceptions.
Hill played in Denver for two seasons before being released on July 30, 2011.
, who also played at Michigan State and with the Dolphins as well (1998–2000). They are the third set of brothers to have played for the Dolphins, joining the Blackwoods (safety Glenn
, 1979–87; safety Lyle
, 1981–86) and the Ayanbadejos (fullback
Obafemi
, 2003; linebacker
Brendon
, 2003–04).
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...
safety who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. 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 Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
.
Hill has also played for the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He is the younger brother of former NFL defensive back Ray Hill
Ray Hill (American football)
Raymond Millous Hill is a former college and professional American football player. He was a defensive back at Michigan State, and played four seasons in the NFL, splitting three seasons between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills...
.
Early years
Hill attended Chadsey High SchoolChadsey High School
Chadsey Senior High School was a public secondary school in Detroit, Michigan.-History:Chadsey Senior High School was named in honor of Charles E. Chadsey - Superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools, 1912–1919; Chadsey High was constructed and organized in 1931...
in Detroit, Michigan, where he was a four-year starter at defensive back. He was also named to the school’s academic honor roll on two occasions.
College career
Hill was a three-year letterman (1998–2000) for the Michigan State SpartansMichigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white...
, the first two years of which he played under former head coach Nick Saban
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...
. Hill started all 35 games in which he played during that time at right cornerback, and concluded his career with 182 total tackles, 11 stops for loss, nine interceptions and 36 passes defensed.
Hill had a career-high five interceptions during his first season in 1998. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
selection the following year when he amassed 57 tackles, an interception and 13 passes defensed. His senior season in 2000, Hill was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in his when he posted 71 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
Arizona Cardinals
Hill was originally drafted by the Arizona CardinalsArizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round (202nd overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He played in 14 games in his rookie season, including one start, and recorded 22 tackles, three passes defensed and a half-sack. He added five special teams tackles. He had five tackles and the first half-sack of his career on a five-yard sack of Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
. Hill's first pro start came against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 15. He was inactive for the final two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
In 2002 Hill appeared in 14 contests, including seven starts at cornerback, and missed two games with a foot injury. He posted 66 tackles, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed, a sack and two fumble recoveries on the year, while also contributing 11 stops on special teams. He collected a season-high 10 tackles against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
when he came off bench in first quarter to replace an injured Duane Starks
Duane Starks
Duane Lonell Starks is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
. Hill went on to start each of the next four games in Starks’ spot. In 16-13 win against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on October 6, he recovered a pair of Panthers fumbles - the first Cardinal to do that since Michael Bankston
Michael Bankston
Michael Bankston is a former Defensive Tackle / Defensive End of the NFL. Bankston played for the Phoenix Cardinals/Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals. He attended Sam Houston State University for college....
on October 17, 1993. Hill's first career interception came against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on October 20 when he picked off a Quincy Carter
Quincy Carter
Lavonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
pass in the end zone during Arizona’s 9-6 win. He recorded an eight-yard sack of Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, which was the first full sack of his career. Hill also intercepted a Jeff Garcia
Jeff Garcia
Jeffrey Jason "Jeff" Garcia is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State University....
pass in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
on December 21.
Hill started all 14 games in which he played at cornerback in 2003, posting 67 tackles, five interceptions for 119 yards in returns including a touchdown, seven passes defensed, two sacks and a forced fumble. His interception ranked second on the team behind only Dexter Jackson's six. Hill missed two games during the season with a sprained ankle.
During the season, Hill intercepted a pair of Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
passes in one game, including one returned 70 yards for a score. He also picked off Quincy Carter, Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
and Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
during the season. His two sacks came against Bulger and Kitna.
Hill played in 13 games in 2004 with ten starts at cornerback, and was inactive for three contests in 2004. On the year, he collected 46 tackles, an interception, nine passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble. His lone interception of the year occurred on October 24 against 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...
, as he picked off a Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
pass in the Cardinals’ 25-17 victory. His only sack of the season came against then-Rams quarterback Chris Chandler
Chris Chandler
Christopher Mark Chandler is a retired American football player, who played as a quarterback in the National Football League for 17 seasons. He is known for leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 14-2 season in 1998, followed up with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII.-Early years:Chris Chandler was...
.
Oakland Raiders
As an unrestricted free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 2005, Hill signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The deal included a base salary of $565,000 and a $25,000 signing bonus. It was also heavily based on incentives, which could have allowed Hill to earn as much as $1.4 million.
Hill played in all 16 games during his lone season with the Raiders, opening three games at free safety and ten contests as the nickel cornerback behind Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
and Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is an American cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played college football for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley...
. He recorded 89 tackles, an interception and five passes defensed on the year, while also tallying three special teams stops. His only interception of the year came against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 18 when he snared a Charlie Frye
Charlie Frye
Charles Frye, , is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Akron.-Early years:...
pass.
Miami Dolphins
On March 16, 2006 Hill agreed to a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. The contract was worth $6 million and included a $2 million signing bonus. The move reunited him with then-Dolphins head coach Nick Saban, who was the head coach at Michigan State during Hill's first two seasons with the Spartans.Thanks in part to the contract holdout of rookie defensive back Jason Allen, Hill was able to win the starting free safety job before the regular season began. He went on to start all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2006 and finished third on the team (behind linebackers Zach Thomas
Zach Thomas
Zachary Michael Thomas is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Tech....
and Channing Crowder
Channing Crowder
Randolph Channing Crowder, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American...
) with 83 tackles. Hill also had two interceptions, which tied him with Jason Taylor for the team lead, and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown. Hill picked off 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...
quarterback Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
during the season (both in wins by the Dolphins). He also returned a Chester Taylor
Chester Taylor
Chester Lamar Taylor also known as "Che Tay" is an American football running back of the National Football League who is currently on the Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
fumble forced by Matt Roth
Matt Roth
Matthew M. Roth is an American football defensive end and outside linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
48 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 24-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
.
During training camp, Hill initially lost his job to recently signed free agent Chris Crocker. Eventually, though the secondary was exposed during the first two weeks particularly in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, giving up pass plays of 50 or more yards. In Week 3, Hill got the free safety job once again, and it paid huge dividends as the secondary play became more solid and it also helped Miami earn its first victory of the season against the Patriots. Renaldo Hill also proved to be solid in run support, finishing with 74 tackles. He nabbed three interceptions.
Denver Broncos
On February 27, 2009, Hill signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Denver Broncos. The contract included $3 million guaranteed.Hill played in Denver for two seasons before being released on July 30, 2011.
Trivia
Renaldo is the younger brother of Ray HillRay Hill (American football)
Raymond Millous Hill is a former college and professional American football player. He was a defensive back at Michigan State, and played four seasons in the NFL, splitting three seasons between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills...
, who also played at Michigan State and with the Dolphins as well (1998–2000). They are the third set of brothers to have played for the Dolphins, joining the Blackwoods (safety Glenn
Glenn Blackwood
Glenn Allen Blackwood was a safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League. Blackwood attended the University of Texas. His brother Lyle Blackwood also played in the NFL, and they were teammates from 1981 through 1986 with the Miami Dolphins...
, 1979–87; safety Lyle
Lyle Blackwood
Lyle Vernon Blackwood played safety position in the National Football League and is best known for teaming alongside his brother, Glenn Blackwood with the Miami Dolphins as part of the notorious "Killer B's" defense...
, 1981–86) and the Ayanbadejos (fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Obafemi
Obafemi Ayanbadejo
Obafemi Devin Ayanbadejo [] is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at San Diego State....
, 2003; 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...
Brendon
Brendon Ayanbadejo
Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins....
, 2003–04).