James Farrior

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=Pittsburgh Steelers
currentnumber=51
currentpositionplain=Middle linebacker
birthdate=birth date and age|1975|1|6
birthplace=Petersburg, Virginia
heightft=6
heightin=2
weight=243
debutyear=1997
debutteam=New York Jets
highlights=
* Pro Bowl (x1)
college=Virginia
draftyear=1997
draftround=1
draftpick=8
pastteams=
* New York Jets (1997-2002)
* Pittsburgh Steelers (2003-present)
highlights=
* Super Bowl XL champion
* 2004 Pro Bowl selection
statweek=5
statseason=2008
statlabel1=Tackles
statvalue1=826
statlabel2=Sacks
statvalue2=21.5
statlabel3=INTs
statvalue3=10
nfl=FAR709765

James Alfred Farrior (born January 6, 1975 in Petersburg, Virginia) is an American football player who currently plays as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Virginia, and played with the New York Jets from 1997 to 2001.

College career

Farrior played college football at the University of Virginia. During his career there, he racked up 381 tackles, ranking him third on the schools all time list. He majored in Psychology.

Professional career

New York Jets

Farrior was originally selected by the New York Jets in the first round (8th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, he made 77 tackles and 1.5 sacks after appearing in all 16 regular season games. In his second year with the Jets, he only played in 12 games after injuring his right knee against the San Francisco 49ers. He finished the season with 29 tackles. The following year was a more productive one after as he made 45 tackles and two sacks. In 2000, he played in all 16 games, registering 58 tackles, one sack and one interception, the first of his career. In his last season for the Jets, he started in all 16 games and also recorded a career-high 142 tackles. He also finished the campaign with one sack and two interceptions.

Pittsburgh Steelers

In his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Farrior recorded 82 tackles throughout 14 games. In 2003, he recorded 141 tackles and one interception. During the 2004 season, his third with the franchise, Farrior made 94 tackles, three sacks, and a career-high four interceptions. He also finished second behind Ed Reed for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. During the Pittsburgh Steelers 2005 campaign Farrior missed 2 games due to injury, but performed well in the 14 regular season games and 4 post-season games in which he appeared. His best regular season performance came in a week 3 loss to the New England Patriots, in which he recorded 9 tackles and 1 sack. [cite web |url= http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=28568&displayPage=tab_gamecenter&season=2005&week=REG3|title= Week 3: 2005 Season|accessdate=2008-08-22 |work= Game Center|publisher= NFL.com|date= 2005-09-25] Farrior's best performance in the post-season came in the AFC Divisional playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts, where Farrior recorded 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He finished the season with 119 tackles and a Super Bowl ring. In 2006, he played in all 16 games and recorded 126 tackles, four sacks and one interception. Farrior finished the 2007 season with 94 tackles and 6.5 sacks, a career-high, along with one interception. [cite web |url= http://www.nfl.com/players/jamesfarrior/profile?id=FAR709765|title= James Farrior |accessdate=2008-08-22 |work= Pittsburgh Steelers|publisher= NFL.com] Entering the 2008 season, Farrior stated that he wished to remain a Steeler for the remainder of his career. [cite news |first= John|last= Harris|title= Steelers' Farrior wants to re-sign|url= http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_578349.html?source=rss&feed=3|publisher= Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|date= 2008-07-19|accessdate=2008-07-19] [cite news |first= Bob|last= Smizik|title= Gambling again on aging LB|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08235/906230-194.stm?cmpid=sports.xml|publisher= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= 2008-08-22|accessdate=2008-08-22] In August 2008, Farrior signed a five-year, US$18.25 million contract with the Steelers. The deal included a $5 million signing bonus. [cite news |first= Ed|last= Bouchette|title= Steelers' Farrior agrees to new contract|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08234/906000-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml|publisher= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= 2008-08-21|accessdate=2008-08-21] [cite news |first= John|last= Harris|title= Steelers sign Farrior through 2012|url= http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_584190.html|publisher= Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|date= 2008-08-21|accessdate=2008-08-21]

References

External links

* [http://www.nfl.com/players/jamesfarrior/profile?id=FAR709765 James Farrior at NFL.com]
* [http://news.steelers.com/team/player/49217/ Steelers Player Bio]