Darius Watts
Encyclopedia
Darius Orlando Watts is an arena football
offensive specialist for the Philadelphia Soul
of the Arena Football League. He was originally drafted
by the Denver Broncos
in the second round (54th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft
.
In his career, Watts has also played for the New York Giants
. He is also an ArenaBowl
champion, with the 2008 Philadelphia Soul
whom won ArenaBowl XXII
by a score of 59-56 over the San Jose SaberCats
.
at Banneker High School
, as well as in basketball
and track. He was first given the nickname of "Spider" from his high school teammates, and the name has stuck with him through college and into the pros.
Watts played 48 career games at Marshall
, he recorded 272 receptions
for 4,031 yards (14.8 avg.) and 47 touchdown
s. His 272 career receptions ranked fifth all-time in NCAA Division I-A history and were a Mid-American Conference
record while only Troy Edwards
of Louisiana Tech (50 in 1996-98) had more touchdown receptions in a career in NCAA Division I-A history than Watts' MAC-record 47 career touchdowns. Additionally, his 4,031 career receiving yards were topped only by Mike Barber
(4,262, 1985–88) in school history.
In 2000
, Watts was one of only two true freshmen to play for Marshall, starting four games to record 36 catches for 616 yards (17.1 avg.) with six touchdowns. He earned First-team All-MAC honors in 2001
as a sophomore, and was one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, recording career-highs in receptions (91) and receiving yards (1,417), a 15.6 yards-per-reception average, along with an NCAA-high 18 touchdowns that ranked third on the school's single-season list. His 91 receptions ranked fourth all-time in school history for a single-season, and he recorded the most catches in a season since Marshall returned to Division I-A competition by passing the 90 receptions by Randy Moss
in 1997. He tied for the second-most receptions in MAC history, his yardage total was third best and his touchdown total tied him for the second best in MAC history as well. As a junior in 2002
, he was preseason All-America selection. He also earned First-team All-MAC honors with 71 receptions for 1,030 yards (14.7 avg.) and 12 touchdowns and became the MAC's All-Time touchdown receptions leader. As a senior in 2003
, he Watts was a team capitan for the second consecutive season and he recorded 74 receptions for 968 yards (13.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns.
in the 2004 NFL Draft
.
As a rookie
in 2004
, Watts caught 31 passes for 385 yards and one touchdown for an average of 14.8 ypc. He played in all 16 games, starting
two. Watts carried the ball five times for 33 yards and recorded one tackle as well. In 2004 he tied for the fifth-most receptions by a rookie in Broncos history.
he recorded only two receptions for 22 yards during his second season. He was inactive for the team's final ten games. After another inconsistent pre-season the Broncos released him on September 2, 2006
. The New York Giants
signed him to their practice squad and signed him to the team after the they lost to the New Orleans Saints
on December 24, 2006. The Giants re-signed him for the 2007 season
on March 23, 2007. He was released by the Giants on July 20, 2007.
on Thursday January 31, 2008. As a rookie in the Arena Football League, he recorded 38 receptions for 376 yards and five touchdowns. He also won his first championship at the professional level when the Soul defeated the San Jose SaberCats
59-56 in ArenaBowl XXII
. Ironically, Watts wasn't the only person on the Soul team to have a connection to the state of West Virginia
, where he attended Marshall University
. He along with fullback
/ linebacker
Wes Ours
, and head coach
Bret Munsey
all had connections to the state. Ours was an All-American Fullback at West Virginia University
, Munsey was born in the Charleston
and attended, played, and coached at Concord College
.
Roadrunners club football team
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
offensive specialist for the Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia Soul
The Philadelphia Soul are an Arena Football League team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began play in as an expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the American Conference. They won their first ArenaBowl in 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII...
of the Arena Football League. He was originally drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round (54th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
.
In his career, Watts has also played for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He is also an ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl
The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs. From ArenaBowl XIX in 2005 until ArenaBowl XXII in 2008, the game was played at a neutral site...
champion, with the 2008 Philadelphia Soul
2008 Philadelphia Soul season
The 2008 Philadelphia Soul season is the fifth season for the franchise. The Soul started the season by winning their first 9 games. Finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record, this was the Soul's best regular season in their short history. They won their first Eastern Division title, and went...
whom won ArenaBowl XXII
ArenaBowl XXII
ArenaBowl XXII was played on July 27, 2008 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana . It was the 22nd and final championship game in the history of the original Arena Football League. This was the fourth neutral site ArenaBowl in AFL history and the second ArenaBowl in the state of Louisiana...
by a score of 59-56 over the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
.
High school and college careers
Watts was a four-year letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Banneker High School
Banneker High School (Georgia)
Benjamin Banneker High School is a public high school in unincorporated Fulton County, Georgia, United States. It is a part of Fulton County School System. The school opened in fall 1988 as a result of the merger of M.D. Collins High School and Feldwood High School. The school is using the former...
, as well as in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track. He was first given the nickname of "Spider" from his high school teammates, and the name has stuck with him through college and into the pros.
Watts played 48 career games at Marshall
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
, he recorded 272 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 4,031 yards (14.8 avg.) and 47 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. His 272 career receptions ranked fifth all-time in NCAA Division I-A history and were a Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
record while only Troy Edwards
Troy Edwards
Troy Edwards , is a professional American football player who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft. A wide receiver from Louisiana Tech University, Edwards led the nation in receiving during his senior year in college with 140 receptions for 1,996 yards and...
of Louisiana Tech (50 in 1996-98) had more touchdown receptions in a career in NCAA Division I-A history than Watts' MAC-record 47 career touchdowns. Additionally, his 4,031 career receiving yards were topped only by Mike Barber
Mike Barber (wide receiver)
Michael Dale Barber is a former American football wide receiver who played college football at Marshall University. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.-External links:*...
(4,262, 1985–88) in school history.
In 2000
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
, Watts was one of only two true freshmen to play for Marshall, starting four games to record 36 catches for 616 yards (17.1 avg.) with six touchdowns. He earned First-team All-MAC honors in 2001
2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time.The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis...
as a sophomore, and was one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, recording career-highs in receptions (91) and receiving yards (1,417), a 15.6 yards-per-reception average, along with an NCAA-high 18 touchdowns that ranked third on the school's single-season list. His 91 receptions ranked fourth all-time in school history for a single-season, and he recorded the most catches in a season since Marshall returned to Division I-A competition by passing the 90 receptions by Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
in 1997. He tied for the second-most receptions in MAC history, his yardage total was third best and his touchdown total tied him for the second best in MAC history as well. As a junior in 2002
2002 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended the season with what most consider an exciting double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34 game winning...
, he was preseason All-America selection. He also earned First-team All-MAC honors with 71 receptions for 1,030 yards (14.7 avg.) and 12 touchdowns and became the MAC's All-Time touchdown receptions leader. As a senior in 2003
2003 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate....
, he Watts was a team capitan for the second consecutive season and he recorded 74 receptions for 968 yards (13.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns.
National Football League (2004–2007)
Watts was chosen in the second round (54th overall) by the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
.
As a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, Watts caught 31 passes for 385 yards and one touchdown for an average of 14.8 ypc. He played in all 16 games, starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
two. Watts carried the ball five times for 33 yards and recorded one tackle as well. In 2004 he tied for the fifth-most receptions by a rookie in Broncos history.
he recorded only two receptions for 22 yards during his second season. He was inactive for the team's final ten games. After another inconsistent pre-season the Broncos released him on September 2, 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. The New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed him to their practice squad and signed him to the team after the they lost to the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
on December 24, 2006. The Giants re-signed him for the 2007 season
2007 New York Giants season
The 2007 New York Giants season was the 83rd season for the New York Giants in the National Football League. The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division...
on March 23, 2007. He was released by the Giants on July 20, 2007.
Arena Football League
Watts signed with the Philadelphia SoulPhiladelphia Soul
The Philadelphia Soul are an Arena Football League team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began play in as an expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the American Conference. They won their first ArenaBowl in 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII...
on Thursday January 31, 2008. As a rookie in the Arena Football League, he recorded 38 receptions for 376 yards and five touchdowns. He also won his first championship at the professional level when the Soul defeated the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
59-56 in ArenaBowl XXII
ArenaBowl XXII
ArenaBowl XXII was played on July 27, 2008 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana . It was the 22nd and final championship game in the history of the original Arena Football League. This was the fourth neutral site ArenaBowl in AFL history and the second ArenaBowl in the state of Louisiana...
. Ironically, Watts wasn't the only person on the Soul team to have a connection to the state of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, where he attended Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
. He along with fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
/ linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Wes Ours
Wes Ours
Wes Ours is an Arena football Running back / Linebacker for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He played collegiately at West Virginia University. He was nicknamed "Wes Express" in college because of his ability to run over other players...
, and head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bret Munsey
Bret Munsey
Bret Munsey is currently the Head Coach for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. Previously he was the head coach for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League , and later the Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.-College...
all had connections to the state. Ours was an All-American Fullback at West Virginia University
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
, Munsey was born in the Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
and attended, played, and coached at Concord College
Concord University
Concord University is a comprehensive, public, liberal arts institution located in Athens, West Virginia, United States, founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in Concord Church, in the County of Mercer".Founded by...
.
Coaching
Watts is the head football coach for the Metropolitan State College of DenverMetropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...
Roadrunners club football team
External links
- Philadelphia Soul profile
- Denver Broncos profile
- Stats at ArenaFan
- New York Giants profile at Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.com - Stats at Pro Football ReferencePro Football ReferencePro-Football-Reference.com is a website providing a variety of statistics for American football. It is notable for being one of the only sites that provides information on both active and retired players. The site provides statistics for teams dating back to the pre-Super Bowl days...