Deltha O'Neal

Deltha O'Neal

No. --     Free Agent
Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: January 30, 1977 (1977-01-30) (age 34)
Place of birth: Palo Alto, California
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	Weight: 194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College: California
NFL Draft: 2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15
Debuted in 2000 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Denver Broncos (2000–2003) Cincinnati Bengals (2004–2007) New England Patriots (2008) Houston Texans (2009)* *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Mosi Tatupu Award (1999) 2× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2005) 2× All-Pro selection (2001, 2005) Co-NFL Interception Champion (2005) with Ty Law
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008
Tackles	386
INTs	34
Pass deflections	65
Stats at NFL.com

Deltha Lee O'Neal, III (born January 30, 1977 in Palo Alto, California) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round as the 15th pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, after playing college football at California.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, O'Neal has also been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

Early years

O'Neal went to Rancho Middle school where he set the 100 meter hurdle record, until It was broken by Isaac Suazo in 2006. O'Neal is a 1995 graduate of Milpitas High School in Milpitas, California, where he was a running back, cornerback, and kick returner.

College career

He graduated from California in 2000 with a degree in social welfare. In his senior year with the Golden Bears, O'Neal set the NCAA single-season record of four interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

Due to O'Neal's speed, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan briefly flirted with converting O'Neal to wide receiver in mid-2003. O'Neal had two receptions, for four yards, in two games. O'Neal was also used frequently to return punts and kickoffs on special teams. While with the Broncos, O'Neal tied the record for most interceptions in a game with four.

Cincinnati Bengals

In April, 2004, an unhappy O'Neal and the Broncos' 24th (first round) and 117th (fourth round) spots in the 2004 NFL draft were traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Cincinnati's 17th spot in the first round.

In the 2005 season, O'Neal recorded ten interceptions, breaking the franchise record of nine, set by Ken Riley in 1976 and equalling Ty Law as the NFL's interception leader that year. He broke the record on December 18, 2005, against the Detroit Lions.

In early December 2006, O'Neal was arrested on DWI charges.^[1] In the 2007 season, O'Neal recorded 52 tackles and one interception.

O'Neal was released by the Bengals on August 30, 2008.

Tied for Most interceptions by a player in one game with 4

New England Patriots

On September 1, 2008, O'Neal was signed by the New England Patriots and he played the 2008 season with them. He played CB.

Houston Texans

O'Neal signed with the Houston Texans on August 6, 2009 following an injury to cornerback Jacques Reeves. The team waived defensive tackle Jake Visser to make room for O'Neal on the roster. He was released on September 5, 2009.

References

1. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2691969

External links

• Houston Texans bio
• New England Patriots bio

Persondata
Name	Oneal, Deltha
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 30, 1977
Place of birth	Palo Alto, California
Date of death
Place of death