Welcome to the home of the Derrick Wimbush Fan Club!

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NEW!!! Pix from the DW Charity Roast on March 18, 2006.

Derrick was picked up by the Jaguars after the 2005 draft as an undrafted free agent.

High School: Attended Taylor County High School in Butler, GA.

College: Wimbush Played two seasons at Georgia Military Community College and rushed for 1,200 yards, earning Division II All- America honors in 2004.
He then moved on to Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, GA, where he earned All-America and finalist for Harlon Hill Trophy (finished 2nd in voting), for best player in Division II in 2004. Derrick ran for an SIAC-best 1,907 yards on 247 rushes with 22 touchdowns in the 2004 season and was the SIAC offensive player of the year. Wimbush won the 2005 Alonzo S "Jake" Gather award while rushing for 1840 yards and 20 TDs, which made him the third best rusher in the nation among division II players. His performance in 2004 (third in the nation in rushing with a 167.3-yard average and fifth in scoring with 12.2 points per game) earned him finalist honors for the Harlon Hill Trophy representing the best player in NCAA Division II and a trip to the 59th Hula Bowl as the only black college player selected. . He rushed for 1,840 yards on 247 carries and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards and was a five-time SIAC Offensive Player of the Week. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 13 consecutive games during his career at Fort Valley State and had four 200-yard rushing games this season. He finished his college career by running for a 59-yard TD (4 total rushes for 74 yrds) in the Hula Bowl (Hula Bowl record). www.fftoday.com rated him as having "prototypical size and decent speed. Workhorse back who dominated competition." and also said "Playing against a significantly lower level of competition in DII skews his accomplishments, but his measurables are ideal." AOL's 'Black Voices' also said "the heart of the 'Gold Rush' will likely make someone's roster either as a late-round addition or a free-agent signing." www.blackamericaweb.com said "Wimbush's performance against the top college seniors in the Hula Bowl had many Wildcat fans thinking high draft pick. The call never came." FootballOutsiders.com said: "Offensively, the Jaguars added RB Derrick Wimbush from Valdosta State. With a bevy of backs already behind Fred Taylor, his odds of making the team are long, but he dominated competition at the DII level and has decent size and speed. If Taylor's latest injury limits him in training camp, Wimbush could have a chance to prove himself capable of competing against the tough competition in the NFL."

Professional: He finished 9th in the NFL for the Jaguars in 2005 in kickoff returns with his 24.5 average, ran for a 91-yard TD KO return and also scored a rushing TD against the Titans. He played running back, fullback, and returned kickoffs. He was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov 30, 2005, when he returned three kickoffs for 138 yards (46.0 yard average), including a 91-yard return for a touchdown in the third quarter to help Jaguars to their 24-17 win over Arizona. He became the second Jaguars rookie and fifth player overall to return a kickoff for a touchdown in team history. He also had a blocked punt that led to a Josh Scobee field goal that helped win the Bengals game for the Jaguars. He started for an injured Greg Jones in the Dec 24th Houston game.

Wimbush Vitals:
Full Name: Derrick DeWayne Wimbush
6' 1", 211#, born on 8/26/1980 in Mauk, GA.

2005 Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) Statistics:
REGULAR SEASON:
Rushing: 3 attempts, 12 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: 7 receptions for 26 yards.
Kick Returns: 39 for 955 yards (a new Jaguars record) for a 24.5 yard average), 1 TD (91 yards vs Arizona).
PLAYOFFS:
Kick Returns: 4 for 97 yards (24.3 yard average)


Jacksonville, FL Times-Union (11/28/05 by Bart Hubbuch) story on Wimbush:

KO return helps KO Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Fred Taylor cracked up the Jaguars' locker room Sunday when he loudly proclaimed fellow running back Derrick Wimbush to be "our paid assassin."

"He's cold-blooded, man," Taylor said. "Whatever we ask him to do, he does it."

The Jaguars asked Wimbush for a big play on special teams Sunday, and the undrafted rookie came through with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Wimbush's clutch return swung the momentum back to the Jaguars immediately after Arizona had closed to within seven points and paved the way for Jacksonville's 24-17 victory.

It was the Jaguars' first kickoff return for a touchdown in 65 games, since Elvis Joseph -- like Wimbush, an undrafted free agent -- ran one back against Pittsburgh on Nov. 18, 2001.

Wimbush's kickoff return for a score was just the fifth in team history.

Not bad for a player from Division II Fort Valley (Ga.) State who hadn't returned kicks since high school until the Jaguars gave him a chance to make the team by doing so in training camp.

"It was clutch time, and my people did a great job of blocking," Wimbush said. "I'd been hoping and praying something like this would happen in a big game, and that's exactly how it came about."

The Cardinals had just cut the Jaguars' lead to 10-3 with four minutes left in the third quarter when Wimbush, normally a blocking fullback, managed to shine in the desert sun.

Taking Neil Rackers' kickoff at the 9, Wimbush followed his blocking wedge to the left and appeared to be bottled up at midfield along the Arizona sideline.

But Wimbush cut back to the right and broke free, then followed LaBrandon Toefield's lead block all the way to the end zone as the Jacksonville sideline erupted.

"It was a big play at the right time, because anything could have happened," Wimbush said. "Even though they had just scored, we just kept playing our game. When you do that, big plays can happen."

A flag was thrown a the end of the play, forcing Wimbush to wait a few anxious moments before learning the penalty was on the Cardinals and the touchdown stood.

"I just followed my lead block from Toefield and my wedge," Wimbush said. "I went to one side, then cut it back out of instinct. I saw on films that [Rackers] likes to stick his nose in there and hit you. Once I got past him, I knew my chances were good."


Another nice Wimbush story:

A good return on investment - Undrafted Wimbush is now a weapon - So much for rookie jitters.

Thrown into the unfamiliar role of kickoff returner barely three months ago, Derrick Wimbush has been a quick study for the Jaguars this season.

The undrafted running back from Division II Fort Valley (Ga.) State not only is the first Jaguars player in four years to run a kickoff back for a touchdown, but Wimbush is also on pace to break the team record for return average in a season.

Not bad for someone who returned his first kick since high school in Butler, Ga., after the Jaguars came to him out of desperation just before their final preseason game.

"My heart just dropped when they asked me,'' Wimbush said Friday. "The only thing I could do was drop down on my knees, pray about it and hope for the best.''

Wimbush didn't need long for his prayers to be answered. He enters Sunday's home game against San Francisco averaging 25 yards per return, and Wimbush will break Reggie Barlow's 1998 club record of 24.9 yards by maintaining that pace over the final three regular-season games.

With 801 yards, Wimbush is also set to smash the team mark for single-season kickoff return yardage owned by David Allen (831 yards in 2003).

Wimbush is making his presence known around the NFL, too. He is 10th in the league and already has been named AFC special teams player of the week for returning a kickoff 91 yards for the decisive score in a 24-17 victory at Arizona on Nov. 27.

"Derrick is a great story because he's come out of nowhere to earn a spot on the roster, and now he's finding a way to help us win games,'' Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.

The fact the Wimbush is even on an NFL roster, much less in position to break team records, is a case study in defying the odds.

Wimbush wasn't recruited out of Taylor County (Ga.) High School seven years ago, was on his own for two years and spent two years as a walk-on for two different junior colleges before landing a partial scholarship to Fort Valley State.

"The only other schools to recruit me out of junior college were West Georgia and Albany State, but Fort Valley offered me the best deal,'' Wimbush said. "And that was just a partial scholarship.''

Wimbush's anonymity continued even after two standout years at Fort Valley State. Despite getting votes as the best player in Division II as a junior and winning conference player of the year honors as a senior, Wimbush wasn't drafted last spring.

NFL teams pounce on the best undrafted free agents just minutes after the draft is complete, but the Jaguars were the only team to call Wimbush.

Wimbush played well at running back and as a blocking fullback in the preseason but was expecting to be cut until special teams coordinator Pete Rodriguez approached him before the preseason finale at Dallas.

The Jaguars had drafted Hawaii wide receiver Chad Owens to be their primary kick returner, but Owens struggled with fumbles in the preseason. That led Rodriguez to turn to Wimbush, in part because the coaching staff liked his decisive, straight-ahead running style.

"That's what you want in a kick returner,'' Del Rio said. "You don't want somebody back there dancing.''

Wimbush returned two kicks for an average of 28 yards that week against the Cowboys, prompting the Jaguars to gamble on giving him a roster spot and the kickoff duties.

"It was a shocker,'' Wimbush said of making the 53-man roster out of training camp. "I'm still kind of in shock. It's a blessing, because I could be back home working a real job.''

Wimbush has given the Jaguars no reason to regret their decision.

"I don't know if he's a late bloomer, but he's never been in awe of playing at this level,'' Del Rio said. "That's rare for somebody with his background.''

Wimbush also serves as the team's backup fullback to Greg Jones and is earning more playing time in that role while Jones spells Fred Taylor at halfback.

Still, Wimbush said he never loses sight of why he is on the team -- to return kicks.

But just seeing the words "kickoff returner" next to his name still makes Wimbush shake his head in disbelief.

"I guess I'm just an example of hard work paying off,'' he said.



Last updated: 3/25/06
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