Larry Eugene English Jr. (born January 22, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker for the Northern Illinois Huskies and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Larry English
refer to caption
English with the San Diego Chargers in 2009
No. 52, 51, 57
Position:Defensive end
Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1986-01-22) January 22, 1986 (age 38)
Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Aurora (IL) Marmion Academy
College:Northern Illinois (2004–2008)
NFL draft:2009 / round: 1 / pick: 16
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:103
Sacks:12.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

edit

At Marmion Academy, in Aurora, Illinois, English was named team co-captain, MVP, and First-team All-Suburban Catholic Conference both as a junior and senior. He made 98 tackles and six sacks while playing inside linebacker and as a running back he rushed for 312 yards on 38 carries (8.2 avg). As a junior, he had 100 tackles, and added two interceptions and two fumble recoveries during junior campaign. English lettered in football, basketball and track.

College career

edit

English was a medical redshirt in 2004 after playing in the first game of the season and sustaining an injury. The following season, 2005, he played 11 games, starting nine. He had 78 tackles with seven of them being for a loss. The next season, 2006, he was a First-team All-MAC selection. Started all 13 games and tied school record with 12 sacks, while totaling 51 tackles and forcing four fumbles.

In 2007, English was the Mid-American Conference's MVP and was a consensus choice First-team All-MAC and a Fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele as he recorded 17 tackles for loss–which ranked 18th in the NCAA. Also in 2007 English had 10.5 sacks which led the conference. English also deflected two passes. As a senior (2008 Season) English again won the Vern Smith Award, given to the MAC's top player. Additionally, English was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year by the MAC News Media Association [1] as well as Sporting News. He led the Huskies with eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss and he was an All-MAC choice for the third consecutive season.[2]

College statistics

edit
YEAR TEAM GP GS UA AT TT T/L Sacks FF FR PD INT
2004 NIU 1 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 NIU 11 9 25 43 78 7 1 0 1 0 0
2006 NIU 13 13 32 19 51 16 12 4 1 0 0
2007 NIU 12 12 29 38 67 17 10.5 1 1 2 0
2008 NIU 13 13 26 11 37 14.5 8 3 0 1 0
Totals 50 47 125 112 237 54.5 31.5 8 3 3 0

Key: GP - games played; GS - games started; UA - unassisted tackles; AT - assisted tackles; TT - total tackles; T/L - tackles for a loss; Sacks - ; FF – Forced fumble ; FR – Fumbles recovered; PD - passes deflected; Int - interceptions [3]

Professional career

edit

Pre-draft

edit
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 2+18 in
(1.88 m)
255 lb
(116 kg)
4.64 s 1.59 s 2.70 s 4.38 s 7.26 s 36 in
(0.91 m)
9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
24 reps 34
40-yd dash (and splits) and broad jump from Northern Illinois Pro Day. All others from NFL Combine.[4][5][6]

English scored a 34 on the aptitude assessment Wonderlic Test at the 2009 NFL Draft Combine, one of the highest scores ever recorded for his position, outside linebacker, and the 9th highest score of the 2009 NFL Draft Class. With comparison to IQ, a Wonderlic Score of 34 suggests English has an IQ of 128, twenty-eight points above average.[4][7] Picked 16th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, English is the highest drafted player out of Northern Illinois.[8]

San Diego Chargers

edit

English was selected by the Chargers first round, 16th overall, in the 2009 NFL draft.[9] English was a defensive end in college, however, the Chargers indicated he will be an outside linebacker in the NFL."The more I learned about the 3-4 scheme and my abilities, the type of football player I am ... I think I will fit perfectly in it," said English.[10] English had 23 tackles as a rookie, but suffered a foot fracture in the 2010 training camp and started just four games in total going into the 2013 season for the Chargers.[11] English continued to struggle with injuries and poor play, missing 21 games and accumulating just 6 combined sacks between 2011 and 2013. He was released by the Chargers on July 22, 2014.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

edit

English was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 14, 2014,[12] He was cut by the team on August 29 and later re-signed again on September 9, 2014.[13]

NFL statistics

edit
Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2009 SD 16 36 26 10 2.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2010 SD 8 17 12 5 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011 SD 5 7 5 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 SD 14 13 7 6 1.5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 SD 9 18 12 6 2.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2014 TB 12 12 7 5 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 64 103 69 34 12.0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

[14]

Personal life

edit

English served as the honorary chairman of the American Lung Association inaugural Fight For Air Climb in San Diego on February 27, 2011. English, who has struggled with asthma since he was a child, stated: "As an individual living with asthma, I truly understand the challenges this disease presents."

On May 19, 2017, English married model Nicole Williams, with whom he appeared on WAGS, a reality series about the romantic partners of athletes. In July 2022 the couple announced they were expecting their first child,[15] and later welcomed a daughter, India Moon English.

English plays a cameo role in the 2017 video game Madden NFL 18's "Longshot" story mode.[16]

References

edit
  1. ^ MNNA.net[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Northern Illinois Huskies.com". Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  3. ^ "CSTV.com". Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  4. ^ a b http://www.redandblackattack.com/2009/3/27/813060/larry-english-pro-day-resu
  5. ^ "Larry English". NFL Draft Scout.com. March 25, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  6. ^ Nawrocki, Nolan (April 21, 2009). "The Way We Hear It — draft edition". Pro Football Weeklywebsite. Retrieved April 25, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ http://draftboardinsider.com/blog/?p=16
  8. ^ "San Diego Chargers Make NIU's Larry English 16th Pick in NFL Draft - Northern Illinois Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  9. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  10. ^ Acee, Kevin (April 25, 2009).San Diego Union Tribune Archived April 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  11. ^ Will Larry English's health pay off? - San Diego Union Tribune
  12. ^ Patra, Kevin. "Larry English signed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers". NFL.com. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  13. ^ "Buccaneers transactions". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  14. ^ "Larry English Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventrues. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  15. ^ McLellan, Dsn (February 14, 2011). "San Diego Charger Larry English Leads Fight Against Lung Disease". SanDiego.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  16. ^ Smith, Joel (August 22, 2017). "MADDEN NFL 18 Madden NFL 18's Longshot Proves to Be a Real Touchdown". Operation Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
edit