Derrick Ward #34
Height 5-11
Weight 228
College Ottawa (Kansas)
Birthdate August 30, 1980
Hometown Moreno Valley, CA
How Acquired Free Agent (Jets 2004)
NFL Exp. 4th Year
Transactions: Originally a 7th round (235th pick overall) draft choice by the New York Jets in 2004…Waived by the Jets on Sept. 6, 2004…Signed to the Jets practice squad on Sept. 7, 2004…Signed by the Giants off the Jets practice squad on Oct. 13, 2004.
NFL: Contributed as a reserve running back as well as special teams in 2005 before a groin injury placed him on injured reserve late in December…A hard working player that will compete for more time on offense as well as special team in his 3rd season.
2005: Played in 14 regular season games, primarily as a reserve running back and on special teams…Finished 2nd on the team with 123 rushing yards on 35 carries, a 3.5-yard average. ..Caught 2 passes for 13 yards…Finished 5th on the team with 16 special teams tackles (6 solo)…Placed on injured reserve on Dec. 26 after suffering a groin injury 2 days earlier at Washington (12/24). Had 2 carries for 8 yards and 1 reception for 5 yards, plus a special teams tackle, vs. Kansas City (12/17)…Rushed for 22 yards on 3 carries at San Francisco (11/6). Gained 12 yards on 3-and-11 to help run out the clock in the 4th quarter …Had career-high totals of 13 carries for 42 yards, plus an 8-yard reception, vs. Washington (10/30)…Opened the season with 4 carries for 23 yards vs. Arizona(9/11).
2004: Played in 5 games with no starts, and was inactive for 6 games…Majority of playing time came on special teams…Led the Giants with a 27.3-yard kickoff return average, with 436 yards on 16 returns, including a 92-yard touchdown…Also had 9 special teams tackles…Returned 2 kickoffs for 37 yards with a long return of 20 yards and had 2 special teams tackles vs. Dallas (1/2)…Returned 7 kickoffs for 177 yards (25.3-yard average) with a long of 42 yards in addition to team-high 2 special teams tackles at Baltimore (12/12)…Gave the Giants their only points at Washington (12/5) when he returned a 3rd-quarter kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the Giants’ 1st regular-season kickoff return for a touchdown since Dec. 23, 2000, when Jason Sehorn picked up an attempted onside kick and returned it 39 yards for a score. When Willie Ponder scored on a 91-yard return vs. Pittsburgh (12/18) it was the 1st time in history the Giants returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in the season season…In first NFL action, Ward returned 1 kickoff for 28 yards and had a special teams tackle at Arizona (11/14).
College: Transferred to Ottawa University in Kansas for his final year in 2003, when he set NAIA single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry (263 attempts). Also had 47 yards on 4 receptions (11.8-yard avg.) in 10 games at Ottawa…Gained 1,091 yards with 11 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.5-yard avg.) and caught three passes for 49 yards (16.3-yard avg.) in 20 games at Fresno State…Ruled academically ineligible to play at Fresno State in 1998, he earned Freshman All-America honors the following year despite playing with a broken right hand…Limited to only 7 games for the Bulldogs in 2000 due to a knee injury, he saw his Fresno State career end when he was again ruled ineligible to play in 2001 and 2002 due to academics…For his collegiate career, he rushed 460 times for 3,152 yards (6.9-yard avg.) and 39 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 96 yards (13.7-yard avg.).
Off-the-Field Activity: In 2005, Derrick hosted Giants Academy students for a Ringling Brothers Circus performance…Attended the Giants’ Ronald McDonald House fundraiser dinner…Made a financial contribution to Habitat for Humanity International’s Katrina Relief Fund…Previously, participated in the Giants Player Development High School Coaching Internship at JFK High School (Paterson, N.J).
Personal: Attended Valley View (Moreno Valley, Calif.) High …Named the Sun Belt League Offensive MVP…All-CIF and All-Riverside County choice |
