Leigh Torrence
Encyclopedia
Leigh Torrence is an American football
cornerback
for the New Orleans Saints
. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers
as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
at Stanford
and has played for the Atlanta Falcons
and Washington Redskins
before going to the New Orleans Saints
in the middle of the 2008 season.
near Atlanta, where he played football, ran track, and won two state tennis titles. At Stanford he won two letters in track and four in football, and was named to the Academic All-Pac 10 team.
and was placed on the injured reserve list on November 23, making room for the Saints to re-sign veteran cornerback Mike McKenzie.
On March 9, 2010, Torrence signed a 1 year contract to return to the New Orleans Saints
. He was waived on September 7 but re-signed on September 14. Torrence made several key plays in a nationally-televised Sunday Night Football
game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
on October 31, 2010, first tackling Antwaan Randle El
just short of the goal line to prevent a Steelers touchdown in the first half, then intercepting Ben Roethlisberger
's pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the Saints' 20-10 win. It was the first interception of his NFL career.
Torrence has been noted for his support of the Sojourner Truth Academy
, a New Orleans charter school high school founded by a Stanford classmate: Torrence raised $50,000 from his Saints teammates that was matched by an NFL grant and used to fund the school's football team.
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...
for 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 ....
. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
as an undrafted free agent in 2005. 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 Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and has played for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
before going 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 ....
in the middle of the 2008 season.
Early life
Torrence attended Marist SchoolMarist School (Georgia)
Marist School is an independent private Roman Catholic college preparatory school located in the Brookhaven area of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, north of the city of Atlanta...
near Atlanta, where he played football, ran track, and won two state tennis titles. At Stanford he won two letters in track and four in football, and was named to the Academic All-Pac 10 team.
New Orleans Saints
With the Saints in 2009, Torrence was active for five of the team's first ten games, recording 10 tackles and a half sack. He injured his shoulder in the Saints' November 22 win over Tampa BayTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and was placed on the injured reserve list on November 23, making room for the Saints to re-sign veteran cornerback Mike McKenzie.
On March 9, 2010, Torrence signed a 1 year contract to return 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 ....
. He was waived on September 7 but re-signed on September 14. Torrence made several key plays in a nationally-televised Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
on October 31, 2010, first tackling Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
just short of the goal line to prevent a Steelers touchdown in the first half, then intercepting Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
's pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the Saints' 20-10 win. It was the first interception of his NFL career.
Torrence has been noted for his support of the Sojourner Truth Academy
Sojourner Truth Academy
Sojourner Truth Academy is an open-enrollment charter high school in New Orleans, Louisiana that opened in August 2008. It is run under the auspices of the Recovery School District. This NOLA school should not be confused with the public charter k-6 elementary school located in Minneapolis, MN...
, a New Orleans charter school high school founded by a Stanford classmate: Torrence raised $50,000 from his Saints teammates that was matched by an NFL grant and used to fund the school's football team.