Takeo Spikes
Encyclopedia
Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American football
linebacker
for the San Diego Chargers
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
13th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Auburn
.
A two-time Pro Bowl
selection and two-time All-Pro
selection, Spikes has also played for the Buffalo Bills
, Philadelphia Eagles
, the San Francisco 49ers
, and currently San Diego Chargers.
he earned All-America
n honors from Parade
and USA Today
and was named Georgia's "Mr. Football" by state coaches as a senior. Spikes was also named Georgia Player of the Year as a senior.
, majoring in liberal arts. In the 1997 campaign, he led Auburn with 136 tackles as Auburn advanced to the SEC
Championship. Spikes was college teammates with productive tailback Stephen Davis
.
and was drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals
. In his rookie season he started all the preseason games and all the regular season games. He became the first rookie to lead the Bengals in tackles since James Francis
led them in 1990. He also led the team by total snaps played on offense and defense, which added up to 997.
In 1999 he was the team captain, playing in all his games as a Right Inside Linebacker and a Right Linebacker. He forced four fumbles and recovered four, leading the team in that as well.
In 2000 he played every game as a Right Linebacker and recorded 128 tackles. He passed the 100 tackle mark for the third straight time and led the team in tackles and fumble recoveries.
2001 Spikes started at RLB for all of the 15 games he played that season. He once again led the team in solo and total tackles in the 2001 campaign. Spikes missed Game 5 because of his father's (Jimmie) death.
2002 was his final season with the Bengals, as he played all 16 games. In his tenure with the Bengals, he played 79 of a possible 80 games, missing one for his father's funeral. He led the team in solo and total tackles once again and scored his second defensive TD by way of fumble recovery.
appearance and started all 16 games once more. He recorded 126 tackles, with the addition of a pair of sacks, a pair of interceptions, and a pair of fumble recoveries.
On September 25, 2005, Spikes suffered a season-ending tear to his right Achilles' tendon while tackling Michael Vick
during the Bills 24-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. In 2006, while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Spikes played in 12 games while missing 4 games early in the season due to a hamstring injury. During the first series of the first game of the year, Spikes made a blind side sack on Patriots
QB Tom Brady
, forcing a fumble which was recovered by Bills LB London Fletcher
for a touchdown. The sack and forced fumble were Spikes' only of the season.
. The deal sent Spikes and Kelly Holcomb
to the Eagles for Darwin Walker
and a 2008 draft pick.
After an effective first season as an Eagle, Spikes season was cut short in week 14 when he suffered a torn rotator cuff
injury against the Dallas Cowboys
, a game the Eagles won 10-6. He was released by the Eagles on March 6, 2008.
on the same day they released linebacker
Brandon Moore. Spikes was assigned No. 51, with Dontarrious Thomas
changing from 51 to 56 - the number previously worn by Moore. On February 27, 2009 Takeo was resigned to a 2 year contract. He was injured on November 1, 2009.
on July 26, 2011.
He was named after Japan's 66th Prime Minister Takeo Miki
after Spikes' parents saw a news report. Miki's successor, who was appointed the nation's 67th Prime Minister on December 24, 1976 a week after Takeo was born, was also Takeo (Fukuda)
. Takeo's younger cousin Brandon Spikes
plays football for the New England Patriots.
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...
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...
for 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...
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 Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
13th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. 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 Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
.
A two-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection and two-time All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
selection, Spikes has also played for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 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...
, 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...
, and currently San Diego Chargers.
Early years
In high school at Washington County High School in Sandersville, GeorgiaSandersville, Georgia
Sandersville is a city in Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Washington County...
he earned 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 honors from Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
and 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...
and was named Georgia's "Mr. Football" by state coaches as a senior. Spikes was also named Georgia Player of the Year as a senior.
College career
Takeo entered AuburnAuburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, majoring in liberal arts. In the 1997 campaign, he led Auburn with 136 tackles as Auburn advanced to the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Championship. Spikes was college teammates with productive tailback Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis (American football)
Stephen Lamont Davis is a former American football running back in the National Football League. Davis will be the Carolina Panthers' minority coaching intern for the 2010-11 season.-College career:...
.
Cincinnati Bengals
Spikes entered the 1998 NFL Draft1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
and was drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. In his rookie season he started all the preseason games and all the regular season games. He became the first rookie to lead the Bengals in tackles since James Francis
James Francis (American football)
James Henry Francis is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins...
led them in 1990. He also led the team by total snaps played on offense and defense, which added up to 997.
In 1999 he was the team captain, playing in all his games as a Right Inside Linebacker and a Right Linebacker. He forced four fumbles and recovered four, leading the team in that as well.
In 2000 he played every game as a Right Linebacker and recorded 128 tackles. He passed the 100 tackle mark for the third straight time and led the team in tackles and fumble recoveries.
2001 Spikes started at RLB for all of the 15 games he played that season. He once again led the team in solo and total tackles in the 2001 campaign. Spikes missed Game 5 because of his father's (Jimmie) death.
2002 was his final season with the Bengals, as he played all 16 games. In his tenure with the Bengals, he played 79 of a possible 80 games, missing one for his father's funeral. He led the team in solo and total tackles once again and scored his second defensive TD by way of fumble recovery.
Buffalo Bills
2003 was the first season Spikes played with the Bills, earning his first Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
appearance and started all 16 games once more. He recorded 126 tackles, with the addition of a pair of sacks, a pair of interceptions, and a pair of fumble recoveries.
On September 25, 2005, Spikes suffered a season-ending tear to his right Achilles' tendon while tackling Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
during the Bills 24-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. In 2006, while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Spikes played in 12 games while missing 4 games early in the season due to a hamstring injury. During the first series of the first game of the year, Spikes made a blind side sack on Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
QB Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, forcing a fumble which was recovered by Bills LB London Fletcher
London Fletcher
London Levi Fletcher-Baker is an American football linebacker who has played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League since 2007. Undrafted in 1998, he was signed by the St. Louis Rams as a rookie free agent, where he spent four seasons. In 2002, he was signed to the Buffalo...
for a touchdown. The sack and forced fumble were Spikes' only of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Spikes, not wanting to be part of a Bills youth movement, asked for a trade to a contender. On March 26, 2007, he was traded as part of a multi-player deal to the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia 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...
. The deal sent Spikes and Kelly Holcomb
Kelly Holcomb
Bryan Kelly Holcomb is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1995...
to the Eagles for Darwin Walker
Darwin Walker
Darwin Jamar Walker is an American football defensive tackle in National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
and a 2008 draft pick.
After an effective first season as an Eagle, Spikes season was cut short in week 14 when he suffered a torn rotator cuff
Rotator cuff
In anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major muscle, the coracobrachialis muscle and the deltoid, make up the seven scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The...
injury 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...
, a game the Eagles won 10-6. He was released by the Eagles on March 6, 2008.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 10, 2008, Spikes was signed by the San Francisco 49ersSan 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 the same day they released 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...
Brandon Moore. Spikes was assigned No. 51, with Dontarrious Thomas
Dontarrious Thomas
Dontarrious Dewayne Thomas is an American football linebacker for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
changing from 51 to 56 - the number previously worn by Moore. On February 27, 2009 Takeo was resigned to a 2 year contract. He was injured on November 1, 2009.
San Diego Chargers
Spikes signed with a three-year contract with the San Diego ChargersSan 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...
on July 26, 2011.
Personal
According to Spikes, his nickname TKO stands for "The Knock Out". Spikes and singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins have been dating for over three years. Several of Spikes' jerseys from the early days of his career are preserved in glass at the Dairy Lane restaurant in Sandersville. Spikes boasts a 22 inch neck, which he claims is mostly due to his genetics.He was named after Japan's 66th Prime Minister Takeo Miki
Takeo Miki
was a Japanese politician and the 41st Prime Minister of Japan.-Background summary:Born in Awa, Tokushima, Miki graduated from Meiji University in Tokyo...
after Spikes' parents saw a news report. Miki's successor, who was appointed the nation's 67th Prime Minister on December 24, 1976 a week after Takeo was born, was also Takeo (Fukuda)
Takeo Fukuda
was a Japanese politician and the 42d Prime Minister of Japan from December 24, 1976 to December 7, 1978.He was born in Gunma Prefecture and attended Tokyo Imperial University. Before and during World War II, he served as a bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry and as Chief Cabinet Secretary...
. Takeo's younger cousin Brandon Spikes
Brandon Spikes
-2010 season:Spikes was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on July 26, 2010. Spikes quickly became a starter at inside linebacker in the Patriots 3–4 defense, alongside Jerod Mayo. Against Baltimore in Week 6 of his rookie...
plays football for the New England Patriots.