Danny Lamar Copeland[1] (born January 24, 1966) is an American former professional football defensive back who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He started in Super Bowl XXVI for the Washington Redskins.
No. 25, 26 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Safety | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Camilla, Georgia, U.S. | January 24, 1966||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Thomas County Central (Thomasville, Georgia) | ||||||||
College: | Eastern Kentucky | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1988 / round: 9 / pick: 244 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
|
College career
editHe played college football at Eastern Kentucky University.[2]
Professional career
editCopeland was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL draft with the 244th overall pick.[3] The lone touchdown of his career came in a 1992 game against the Dallas Cowboys, when he recovered a fumble in the end zone with about three minutes left in the game, giving the Redskins a 20–17 win.[4] Copeland surprised the Redskins by announcing his retirement before the 1994 season despite the fact that he had started 14 games and recorded 125 tackles the previous season.[5] He stated injuries and reduced desire to play as the reasons for his retirement at the age of 28.[5] He had 327 tackles and two interceptions in his three seasons as a Redskin.[5]
Personal life
editSince retiring from football, Copeland moved back to Georgia and founded COGI Athletic Company, Inc. He is also a motivational speaker.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Danny Copeland". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
- ^ "EKU Athletics Inducts Six Individuals and a Team of Distinction Into Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ Richard Justice (December 14, 1992). "Redskins Recover, Pounce on Cowboys, 20–17". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Copeland's early retirement catches Redskins off guard". The Free Lance-Star. May 4, 1994.
- ^ "NFL star Danny Copeland coming home for Meigs reunion". The Moultrie Observer. February 13, 2016.