Dwight Freeney played college football at Syracuse University, where he earned unanimous All-American honors, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
30 Facts About Dwight Freeney
2.
Dwight Freeney played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
3.
Dwight Freeney was a four-sport letterman, earning four letters in baseball in which he was coached by Alphonso Ford; four in basketball; three in football, in which he played both ways; and one in soccer, in which he played goalie in his freshman year before switching over to football.
4.
Dwight Freeney holds the record for sacks at his high school and used to hold the record for most sacks in a high school career in the Connecticut record book.
5.
Dwight Freeney received an athletic scholarship to attend Syracuse University, where he played for the Syracuse Orange football team from 1998 to 2001.
6.
Dwight Freeney was the school's premier pass rusher, and once had a string of 17 consecutive games with at least one sack.
7.
Against Virginia Tech, Dwight Freeney sacked elusive Hokies quarterback Michael Vick 4.5 times in one game.
8.
Dwight Freeney finished his college career with 104 tackles, 34 quarterback sacks, 51 tackles for a loss, and 43 quarterback pressures.
9.
Dwight Freeney was a first-team All-Big East Conference selection in 2000 and 2001, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American following his senior season in 2001.
10.
Dwight Freeney was inducted into the 2023 class of College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 10th Syracuse player to be selected for the honor.
11.
Dwight Freeney was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 11th selection in the 2002 NFL Draft.
12.
Dwight Freeney set an NFL rookie record in 2002 with 9 forced fumbles, three of which occurred in a single game against former Syracuse football player, Donovan McNabb.
13.
Dwight Freeney was the runner up for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
14.
Dwight Freeney developed a spin move which became his trademark pass rush move.
15.
In 2006, Dwight Freeney helped the Colts defeat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI to become NFL Champions.
16.
On February 19,2007, the Colts placed the franchise tag on Dwight Freeney following the expiration of his rookie contract.
17.
The NFL cited Dwight Freeney for making "inappropriate comments on officiating," according to the Indianapolis Star.
18.
In 2012, Dwight Freeney converted from defensive end to outside linebacker under new head coach Chuck Pagano.
19.
On February 15,2013, Dwight Freeney was told he would not be re-signed by the Colts.
20.
Dwight Freeney left as the all-time franchise leader in sacks with 107.5, but was surpassed by former teammate Robert Mathis the next season.
21.
On May 18,2013, Dwight Freeney signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.
22.
In 2014, Dwight Freeney looked to bounce back from the previous year and did.
23.
The next week, Dwight Freeney got a sack against the Buffalo Bills.
24.
Dwight Freeney finished the season with 10 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a pass deflect.
25.
On October 12,2015, Dwight Freeney signed a one-year, $870,000 deal with the Arizona Cardinals, with the incentive to receive a $200,000 bonus with four sacks and then would receive $100,000 for each sack thereafter, with a maximum of 12.
26.
Dwight Freeney was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16, in which he had three sacks and a forced fumble, the first time he had three sacks in a game since 2006.
27.
Dwight Freeney appeared in nine games during the 2015 season, totaling 8.0 sacks and three forced fumbles.
28.
On October 24,2017, Dwight Freeney signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
29.
On November 22,2017, Dwight Freeney was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions.
30.
Dwight Freeney announced his retirement on April 19,2018, after signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the Colts to retire as a member of the team he spent the majority of his career with.