John Copeland

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This article is about the American football player. For the American abolitionist, see John Anthony Copeland Jr. For the Medieval English knight, see John de Coupland.

John Copeland
No. 92
Position:Defensive lineman
Personal information
Born: (1970-09-20) September 20, 1970 (age 53)
Lanett, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:285 lb (129 kg)
Career information
High school:Valley (Valley, Alabama)
College:Alabama
NFL draft:1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:107
Games started:102
Tackles:324
Sacks:24.0
Forced fumbles:9
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

John Anthony Copeland (born September 20, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American and was a member of a national championship team in 1992. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft, and he played his entire pro career for the Bengals.

Early years[edit]

Copeland was born in Lanett, Alabama.[1] He attended Valley High School in Valley, Alabama,[2] where he played high school football for the Valley Rams.

College career[edit]

Copeland initially attended Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, but later received an athletic scholarship to transfer to the University of Alabama, and played for coach Gene Stallings' Alabama Crimson Tide football teams. Paired with fellow defensive end Eric Curry on opposite ends of the Crimson Tide's defensive line, the two ends were key contributors to the team's No. 1 ranked defense in 1992, when both of Curry and Copeland were recognized as consensus first-team All-Americans. As a senior, he was a member of the Crimson Tide team that won the consensus national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 34–13 in the Sugar Bowl.

Professional career[edit]

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Copeland in the first round (fifth pick overall) of the 1993 NFL draft.[3] He played for the Bengals from 1993 to 2000.[4] In eight NFL seasons, he played in 107 regular season games, started 102 of them, and compiled 324 tackles, 24.0 quarterback sacks, nine forced fumbles, three interceptions and a touchdown on a fumble recovery .[4]

NFL statistics[edit]

Year Team Games Combined Tackles Tackles Assisted Tackles Sacks Forced Fumbles Fumble Recoveries
1993 CIN 14 47 42 5 3.0 2 0
1994 CIN 12 40 35 5 1.0 1 0
1995 CIN 16 61 53 8 9.0 2 0
1996 CIN 13 40 33 7 3.0 1 0
1997 CIN 15 49 35 14 3.0 0 2
1998 CIN 5 5 5 0 0.0 0 0
1999 CIN 16 37 28 9 4.0 2 0
2000 CIN 16 39 32 7 1.0 0 1
Career 107 318 263 55 24.0 8 3

[5]

Coaching[edit]

He was the head coach and off-season strength and conditioning coach for the Tuscaloosa Academy Knights in Tuscaloosa, Alabama but was relieved of his duties on July 29, 2020.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ National Football League, Historical Players, John Copeland. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  2. ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, John Copeland Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  3. ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, John Copeland. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "John Copeland Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  6. ^ Tuscaloosa Academy, Athletics, TA Knights Varsity Football. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
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