Name |
Antonio Pierce |
Height |
6 ft 1 in |
Naionality |
American |
Date of Birth |
26-October-1978 |
Place of Birth |
Ontario, California, U.S. |
Famous for |
Football Player |
Antonio Pierce is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League for nine seasons. He played college football for the University of Arizona. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent, and also played for the New York Giants.
The Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2001. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, with only eight starts. He recorded 52 tackles, one sack, and one interception during his rookie campaign. The interception came against Jake Plummer. Over the next two seasons, Pierce played sporadically, recording only 18 and 15 tackles respectively, during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. It was not until the 2004 season, his fourth in the league, that he played a full season replacing the injured Micheal Barrow. That season Pierce logged a career high 114 tackles, 95 of them solo. He also had one forced fumble, one sack and two interceptions, including a pick off Ken Dorsey returned 76 yards for a touchdown.
The New York Giants signed Pierce on March 3, 2005 to start at middle linebacker. He became the captain of the defense, and in 13 games, Pierce notched 100 tackles, 80 of them solo, two interceptions and one forced fumble returned for a touchdown. His 2005 season ended early as he suffered a leg injury, against the Philadelphia Eagles, and missed the final three regular season games and the Giants' only postseason game, a 23-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Pierce served as a communications intern on the Howard Stern Show on May 7, 2008. He stated he would like to pursue a career in broadcasting after his NFL career. Near the end of the day's show he asked to stay for the remainder of the week and Howard agreed.