Jerry Drake (American football)
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Kingston, New York, U.S.
| No. 76 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end/Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | July 9, 1969 Kingston, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College | Ulster County CC Hastings | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1995: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Jerry Drake (born July 9, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman who spent six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Hastings Broncos.
Children Janel Drake Kelsei Drake Jerry Drake Jr
A native of Kingston, New York, Drake played one year of college football at Ulster County Community College before the program was disbanded.[1] He transferred to Hastings College, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II program, because he had some friends who attended the school.[1] As a junior, Drake recorded 48 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one blocked kick, and seven pass breakups.[2] As a senior, he recorded 32 solo tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, and three pass breakups.[3] He was twice selected as a NAIA All-American.[1] Drake also played in the semi-professional Empire Football League.[4]
Professional career
Drake signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in April 1995.[5] He was waived in August and re-signed to the team's practice squad.[6][7] Drake was promoted to the active roster in late November.[8] He made his NFL debut on December 9 in a nationally televised game against the San Diego Chargers, recording a memorably "jarring" tackle of Andre Coleman on a kick return.[1][9][10] Drake played in two games as a rookie.[1]
Drake was allocated to the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football (WLAF) in February 1996.[11] He finished the 1996 WLAF season with a league-leading eight sacks.[12][13] Drake re-joined the Cardinals for the 1996 season and recorded 14 tackles, mostly on special teams, in 11 games played.[13][14]
In June 1997, Drake signed a three-year, $1.025 million extension with the Cardinals.[15] However, after losing strength in the left side of his body, he was diagnosed with spinal cord compression and underwent a season-ending surgery on August 26, 1997.[14][16] Drake was cleared for activity in April 1998.[16] He earned the starting spot at defensive left end ahead of the 1998 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, following an injury to Brad Ottis and a contract holdout by first-round draft pick Andre Wadsworth.[17][18] However, Drake developed a herniated disc in his back during the game and was forced to undergo surgery again, once again ending his season.[19]
After his release from prison in July 1999, Drake joined the Cardinals' training camp.[20] In the 1999 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, he sacked Doug Pederson and recovered a fumble.[21] However, Drake cracked a bone in his right thumb.[22] In week three against the San Francisco 49ers, he intercepted a tipped pass from Steve Young.[23] Drake started all 16 games and recorded 98 tackles.[24] He signed a one-year extension in May 2000.[25] Drake suffered a sprained right knee in a preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list.[26][27] He was released in early November after reaching an injury settlement.[28]