Duane Starks
Encyclopedia
Duane Lonell Starks is a former American football
cornerback
. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens
10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at the University of Miami
.
Starks, who earned a Super Bowl ring
with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV
, also played for the Arizona Cardinals
, New England Patriots
and Oakland Raiders
.
in Miami Beach, Florida
, and won varsity letters in both football and track and field
. In football, as a senior quarterback, he was a first team All-Dade County selection, where he was a teammate of future pro bowl corner Samari Rolle
, and a second team All-Florida selection. In track, he finished second at the State Finals on the long jump
and set the school record in the long jump.
Starks was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U
, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN
.
. Right away he was an important player in the Ravens famous defense. Recording 20 interceptions in his first four years as a Raven. He is most well known by Raven fans by his interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV, a play that many agree ended the New York Giants
small chance for a comeback.
at the end of the 2001 season by the Arizona Cardinals. He became an impact in the secondary by intercepting two passes his first year. His second year was ended early with a season-ending injury. He bounced back after that by intercepting three passes and returning one for a touchdown. He recorded a total of 5 interceptions and one touchdown with the team.
in the off season. He was having a lackluster season when the Pats placed him on IR
after a season-ending shoulder injury.
. He was out of football the rest of the 2007 season.
On April 15, 2008, Starks was re-signed by the Raiders on a one-year contract, but was released by the Raiders on May 13.
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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 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 18-19, 1998...
. He 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 the University of Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
Starks, who earned a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
, also played for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Duane Starks attended Miami Beach High SchoolMiami Beach High School
Miami Beach Senior High School, commonly referred to as "Beach High" or "MBSH", is a secondary school located at 2231 Prairie Avenue in the Miami Beach, Florida, right around the corner from the Miami Beach Convention Center and Botanical Gardens on Prairie Avenue and Dade Boulevard...
in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and won varsity letters in both football and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, as a senior quarterback, he was a first team All-Dade County selection, where he was a teammate of future pro bowl corner Samari Rolle
Samari Rolle
Samari Toure Rolle is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, and a second team All-Florida selection. In track, he finished second at the State Finals on the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
and set the school record in the long jump.
College career
Starks was a two-year starter at cornerback, and a star returner for the University of Miami.Starks was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U
The U (documentary)
The U is a 2009 documentary film produced by Miami based media studio rakontur and directed by Billy Corben. The U covers the rise and dominance of the Miami Hurricanes football team during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Baltimore Ravens
Duane Starks was picked with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 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 18-19, 1998...
. Right away he was an important player in the Ravens famous defense. Recording 20 interceptions in his first four years as a Raven. He is most well known by Raven fans by his interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV, a play that many agree ended 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...
small chance for a comeback.
Arizona Cardinals
Starks was signed as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
at the end of the 2001 season by the Arizona Cardinals. He became an impact in the secondary by intercepting two passes his first year. His second year was ended early with a season-ending injury. He bounced back after that by intercepting three passes and returning one for a touchdown. He recorded a total of 5 interceptions and one touchdown with the team.
New England Patriots
After the 2004 season the New England Patriots traded a third round pick to bring the veteran to bolster their secondary after losing their pro bowl corner Ty LawTy Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
in the off season. He was having a lackluster season when the Pats placed him on IR
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
after a season-ending shoulder injury.
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders signed Starks after the Patriots released him following the 2005 season. He played in only three games during the 2006 season, recording three tackles. He was inactive for the first three games of the Raiders' 2007 season, and released to make room for quarterback and first-round pick JaMarcus RussellJaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Russell played college football for the LSU Tigers where he finished 21–4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell with the first overall pick of the 2007...
. He was out of football the rest of the 2007 season.
On April 15, 2008, Starks was re-signed by the Raiders on a one-year contract, but was released by the Raiders on May 13.