Darnell Autry
Encyclopedia
Harrington Darnell Autry (born June 19, 1976) is a former American football
player who played college football
at Northwestern University
. In his sophomore season, he helped lead the Northwestern Wildcats
to the Big Ten Championship and the 1996 Rose Bowl
. Autry finished fourth for that year's Heisman Trophy
and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
after a Northwestern victory over Penn State.
In his junior season, he led Northwestern to another share of the Big Ten championship. After the season, Autry sued the NCAA
to be allowed to act in a movie since he was a theater major and he did not want to lose NCAA eligibility. The NCAA initially rejected his claims but eventually relented. He was then drafted
in the 1997 NFL Draft
where he had little success playing for the Chicago Bears
and Philadelphia Eagles
.
Autry auditioned for a role in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday but was turned down because "he didn't look like a football player." Autry was a theatre major in college and had acted before.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. In his sophomore season, he helped lead the Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern has eight men's and eleven women's Division I sports teams. The mascot is Willie the Wildcat...
to the Big Ten Championship and the 1996 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. Autry finished fourth for that year's Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports 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...
after a Northwestern victory over Penn State.
In his junior season, he led Northwestern to another share of the Big Ten championship. After the season, Autry sued the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
to be allowed to act in a movie since he was a theater major and he did not want to lose NCAA eligibility. The NCAA initially rejected his claims but eventually relented. He was then 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...
in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 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 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
where he had little success playing for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Autry auditioned for a role in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday but was turned down because "he didn't look like a football player." Autry was a theatre major in college and had acted before.