Ahmad Black (born December 12, 1988)[1] is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. Black was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Black officially retired from the NFL on April 9, 2017.[citation needed]

Ahmad Black
refer to caption
Black with the Florida Gators in 2008
No. 43
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1988-12-12) December 12, 1988 (age 35)
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Lakeland
College:Florida
NFL draft:2011 / round: 5 / pick: 151
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:53
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:5
Interceptions:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Black was born in Lakeland, Florida, and he attended Lawton Chiles Middle Academy and later Lakeland High School. As a sophomore playing for the Florida Class 5A high school football powerhouse Lakeland Dreadnaughts, he recorded 71 tackles and 10 interceptions, and 71 tackles with six interceptions as a junior. As a Dreadnaught senior, Black recorded 82 tackles and four interceptions.

College career

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Black accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2007 to 2010.[2]

As a freshman, Black played in seven games as a cornerback for the Gators and recorded seven tackles. As a sophomore in 2008, Black started all 14 games at strong safety and made 59 tackles and seven interceptions for 191 return yards and two touchdowns, and was recognized as a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. Black caught his seventh interception in the Gators' 24–14 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.

Following his senior season in 2010, he was a first-team All-SEC selection and received first-team All-American honors from Rivals.com and second-team honors from the Associated Press. To end his college career, he had two interceptions, returning one 80 yards for a touchdown against Penn State in the Outback Bowl, earning Player of the Game honors.[3]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+12 in
(1.77 m)
184 lb
(83 kg)
31 in
(0.79 m)
9+78 in
(0.25 m)
4.77 s 1.68 s 2.72 s 4.20 s 6.85 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)
9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)
18 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4][5]

Black was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[6][7] He was cut on September 3, 2011, re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad two days later, and later activated to the active roster. As a rookie, he appeared in four games during the 2011 regular season, with five tackles and a recovered fumble. On October 1, 2013, he was released again by the Buccaneers, and was eligible for free agency after clearing waivers.[8]

NFL statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
G GS Comb Total Ast Sack FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2011 TAM 04 00 5 3 2 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 TAM 16 01 36 30 6 0.0 1 0 0 2 34 17 34 0 5
2013 TAM 04 02 12 8 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 24 3 53 41 12 0.0 1 1 0 2 34 17 34 0 5

Post-NFL career

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On May 23, 2021, Black was named the defensive backs coach at Mulberry High School in Mulberry, Florida. On March 2, 2022, Black was named the defensive backs/safeties coach at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida.[citation needed]

Personal life

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On November 6, 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Black was cited by police for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ahmad Black Twitter Post
  2. ^ "2012 Florida Football Media Guide" (PDF). University Athletic Association. Gainesville, Florida. 2012. pp. 68, 78, 88, 89, 94, 95, 97, 100, 103, 106, 116, 138, 144, 158–159, 165, 170, 176. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "Black caps stellar career with game-winner". Gainesville Sun. January 1, 2011.
  4. ^ "Ahmad Black Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ahmad Black, Florida, SS, 2011 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Bucs Draft Ahmad Black In 5th Round". Pewter Report. April 30, 2011.
  8. ^ Alper, Josh (October 1, 2013). "Buccaneers dump Ahmad Black as well". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. ^ Sessler, Marc (November 6, 2012). "Buccaneers' Ahmad Black cited by police for marijuana". National Football League. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
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