Vincent Lamar Wilfork is an American football nose tackle for the Houston
Texans of the National Football League. He played college football for the
University of Miami, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round
of the 2004 NFL Draft, and spent the first 11 years of his career there.
Wilfork is considered to be one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL,
and was named both to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2007, 2009, 2010,
2011, and 2012. Early years
Wilfork was born in Boynton Beach, Florida and attended Santaluces
Community High School in Palm Beach County, Florida. There, he was a letter
winner in football, wrestling, and track and field. In football, he won USA
Today's second team All-American honors. In track & field, Wilfork was one of the
nation's top performers in the throwing events. He was the Florida Class 4A
state champion in the shot put and the discus in 2000. He also holds the
Florida state high school record in the shot put with a throw of 68 feet. In the
discus event, his top throw was 180 feet.
College career Wilfork attended the University of
Miami, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes football team. He also
competed for the Miami Hurricanes track and field team; he held the Miami indoor
school record in the shot put until Isaiah Simmons surpassed it in 2013. In
his freshman season, Wilfork did not start but played in every game as a
defensive tackle, finishing tenth on the team in tackles with 41 while also
recording a sack and forcing three fumbles. Wilfork did not start a game in
his 2002 sophomore season either, but still recorded 43 tackles and seven
sacks. Before the 2003 season, Wilfork was rated the second best defensive
tackle in the country by The Sporting News and went on to start all 13 games
for Miami. He finished the year with a career high 64 tackles and led the team
with 20 quarterback hurries. He was named to the All-Big East Conference
first-team following the season, which would prove to be his last in Miami as
he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2004 NFL Draft.
Professional career = 2004 NFL Draft=
Wilfork was ranked as the No. 2 defensive tackle going into the 2004 NFL
Draft, behind only Tommie Harris. Although regarded as a top-10 talent,
Wilfork was criticized for lackadaisical effort during his junior season,
basically playing "not to get hurt." Wilfork drew comparisons to fellow Miami
alumnus Warren Sapp, and was projected a mid-first round pick. The Patriots
drafted Wilfork with the 21st overall pick. He was the highest selected Miami
Hurricane defensive tackle since Damione Lewis in 2001.
= New England Patriots= 2004–06 seasons
In his rookie 2004 season with the Patriots, he compiled two sacks, 42
tackles, and three deflected passes. Wilfork saw considerable playing time
during his rookie season, sharing the nose tackle position with veteran Keith
Traylor and started Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, a
Patriots victory. Following Traylor's release, Wilfork had
a career-high 54 tackles in 2005 and started all 16 games; however, the
defending champions were eliminated in the second round of playoffs by the
Denver Broncos. In 2006, Wilfork finished the season with 50 tackles,
appearing in 13 games. 2007–08 seasons
In the 2007 season, Wilfork finished the season with 48 tackles and two sacks,
was selected to the 2008 Pro Bowl, and was named as a second-team All-Pro
selection. Wilfork was fined a total of four times
by the NFL in the 2007 season. In the third game of the season he was fined
$12,500 by the NFL for his hit on Buffalo Bills quarterback J. P. Losman,
a hit which ended Losman's career as a starter. This was appealed to the NFL
and reduced to $2,500. In an October 14 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Wilfork
was fined $5,000 for drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct foul when he
tangled with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. In the last game of the regular
2007 season, Wilfork placed his finger in the facemask of New York Giants
running back Brandon Jacobs after a play in the second quarter. He was fined
$15,000. He was also fined $5,000 for a 15-yard face-mask penalty called in the
AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers, while attempting to
tackle running back Michael Turner. Wilfork's string of fines continued into
the 2008 season, when in an October 20 game against the Denver Broncos Wilfork
appeared to elbow Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler in the head after a play.
Wilfork met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the days following the game
and reportedly faced a one-game suspension, but after Wilfork explained
his manner of playing to Goodell only a fine was imposed. Wilfork finished the
2008 season with a career-high 66 tackles, while recording two sacks. In
2008, he was also named for the first time a defensive captain, by his
teammates. 2009–14 seasons
Wilfork entered the final season of his contract in 2009. Reportedly unhappy
with not receiving a contract extension, Wilfork did not attend the team's
voluntary organized team activities in the spring, but reported to the team's
mandatory sessions later in the summer. In August 2009, he was named to the
Patriots' 50th anniversary team. Wilfork would go on to start the first 13 games
of the season for the Patriots, missing the final three games of the season with
an ankle injury before returning for the Patriots' playoff loss to the Baltimore
Ravens. He finished the season with 43 tackles and no sacks, and he was elected
to the 2010 Pro Bowl. Wilfork's contract expired after the
2009 season. He stated that he was looking for a long-term deal and
threatened with a holdout should the Patriots instead place a franchise tag
on him. In an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he also
acknowledged it would be "a dream come true" to play for either the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers or the Miami Dolphins. On February 22, Wilfork was assigned the
non-exclusive version of the franchise tag by the Patriots, who expressed their
desire to reach a long-term contract with Wilfork. On March 5, the first day
of free agency, the Patriots re-signed Wilfork to a five-year, $40 million
contract with $25 million in guaranteed money.
After starting the first three games of the 2010 season at nose tackle, Wilfork
moved to defensive end beginning in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. He
returned to start at nose tackle in the Patriots' Week 8 win over the Minnesota
Vikings. He would continue to switch between the positions for the remainder
of the season, but started all 16 games and finished with 57 tackles and two
sacks. Wilfork was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl after the season. Wilfork was
named to the 2010 AP All-Pro Second Team at defensive tackle, finishing third in
the voting, but also received a vote at defensive end.
At the start of the 2011 NFL Season, he played defensive tackle when the New
England Patriots moved to a 4–3 defense thanks to his former teammate Albert
Haynesworth and after playing nose tackle for the first seven NFL seasons.
In the second game of the 2011 season, Wilfork got his first career
interception off San Diego Chargers quarterback, Philip Rivers. He caught
his second interception against the Oakland Raiders two weeks later. He
scored a touchdown on week 14 against the Washington Redskins at the FedEx
Field. During the 2011 season, Wilfork recorded 3.5 sacks—a new career high—and
was included on the AFC's 2012 Pro Bowl roster. In the 2012 AFC Championship
game vs. the Ravens, he had one of his best games of his career, recording 1.5
sacks and 6 tackles. Wilfork was selected as a defensive
tackle for USA Football's 2012 "All Fundamentals Team", which honors 26 NFL
players each year for executing the fundamentals of their position. He was
also named to his fourth career Pro Bowl team and to the All Pro second team.
In 2012, he was voted co-captain for the fifth straight season by his teammates.
He finished the year with 48 total tackles and 3 sacks. His strong season
earned him a spot in the Associated Press All Pro first team and in the 2013
Pro Bowl. In week 4 of the 2013 NFL season against
the Atlanta Falcons, Wilfork tore his right Achilles' tendon while trying to
get past Falcons offensive guard Justin Blalock. Wilfork would miss the rest of
the 2013 season after being placed on injured reserve.
In March 2014, Wilfork re-signed to a three-year $22.5 million deal.
In the 2014 NFL season, Wilfork recorded 47 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1
interception. He helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl XLIX. In the Super
Bowl, Wilfork recorded 2 tackles as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24 to
give Vince his second Super Bowl championship.
On March 5, 2015, the Patriots reportedly declined their team option on
Wilfork's contract, which made him a free agent at the end of the 2014 league
year. Wilfork was picked up by the Houstan Texans in 2015.
= Houston Texans= On March 16, 2015, Wilfork signed a
two-year deal with the Houston Texans to play nose tackle.
= Regular season stats= Key
GP: games played COMB: combined tackles
TOTAL: total tackles AST: assisted tackles
SACK: sacks FF: forced fumbles
FR: fumble recoveries FR YDS: fumble return yards
INT: interceptions IR YDS: interception return yards
AVG IR: average interception return LNG: longest interception return
TD: interceptions returned for touchdown PD: passes defensed
= Postseason stats= Key
GP: games played COMB: combined tackles
TOTAL: total tackles AST: assisted tackles
SACK: sacks FF: forced fumbles
FR: fumble recoveries FR YDS: fumble return yards
INT: interceptions IR YDS: interception return yards
AVG IR: average interception return LNG: longest interception return
TD: interceptions returned for touchdown PD: passes defensed
KB: kicks blocked Personal life
Wilfork has lived in Franklin, Massachusetts with his wife Bianca and
their three children. Wilfork also started The Vince Wilfork Foundation, a
charity that supports diabetes research. Following the Patriots victory in the
2015 AFC Championship game, Wilfork helped pull a driver out from an
overturned vehicle. He noticed the flipped SUV on his way home from
Gillette Stadium, assisting an officer already at the scene. Wilfork later
recounted the event and his role in helping the driver: "I think anybody
would do the same thing, I saw the lady in there and asked her if she was OK,
could she move. She grabbed my hand, and kind of talked her through [it]. It
wasn't a big deal; it was seeing someone that needed help and helping. I was just
trying to get her to safety." References
External links Vince Wilfork on Twitter
Official website Miami Hurricanes bio
Houston Texans bio