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Joseph Frederick Weary (born April 12, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s and 2000s. Weary played college football for the Florida Gators football, was a member of a national championship team, and earned consensus All-American honors. Thereafter, he played professionally for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams of the NFL.

Early years

Weary was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, where he played for the Mandarin Mustangs high school football team.

College career

Weary received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1994 to 1997. As a junior, Weary was a starter on the Gators' 1996 team that defeated the Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the 1997 Sugar Bowl to win the Bowl Alliance national championship. As a senior team captain and defensive back for the Gators, Weary had six interceptions, and fifteen in his college career—the most in school history. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1996 and 1997, and a consensus first-team All-American in 1997. He finished his four-year college career with fifteen interceptions and thirty-five blocked passes.

Professional career

Weary was chosen in the fourth round (ninety-seventh pick overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played for the Saints from 1998 to 2001. During his second and third seasons with the Saints, Weary became a regular starter at right cornerback; his fourth year, however, he only started in a single game.

Weary finished his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 and the St. Louis Rams in 2003, seeing only limited playing time in a backup role. In his six NFL seasons, Weary appeared in eighty-three regular season games, and started twenty-five of them; he recorded 191 tackles, seven interceptions, and one interception return for a touchdown.

See also

• 1997 College Football All-America Team
• Florida Gators football, 1990–99
• List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
• List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft
• List of New Orleans Saints players
• List of St. Louis Rams players
• List of University of Florida alumni

References

1. "Transactions". NFL.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Fred Weary. Retrieved Marsh 4, 2011.
3. databaseFootball.com, Players, Fred Weary Archived November 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
4. ^ 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 77, 88, 93–94, 97, 98, 125, 149, 153–154, 186 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
5. 2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
6. "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
7. National Football League, Historical Players, Fred Weary. Retrieved May 22, 2010.

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.

• 1974 births
• Living people
• Mandarin High School alumni
• Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida
• American football cornerbacks
• Florida Gators football players
• All-American college football players
• New Orleans Saints players
• Atlanta Falcons players
• St. Louis Rams players
• Coaches of American football from Florida
• Edward Waters Tigers football coaches