Derrick Trayon Pope (born May 4, 1982) is a former American and Canadian football linebacker. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Pope has also been a member of the Minnesota Vikings and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Early years
Pope grew up in Palm Terrace. He was raised by a single mother Stephanie Pope and stepfather Horace Byrd Jr. Pope has two younger siblings Roshawn Pope and Shakari Byrd. Pope has a stepbrother Horace Byrd lll who became the First Male Tornette. He attended Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. He was named as the school's Offensive MVP and first-team All-District selection as a running back. He also played basketball, baseball and ran track. Pope is married to Danielle Venible. Together they have two kids Dalaney an Derrick Jr.
College career
Community College
Pope played at Garden City Community College for two seasons (2000–01) prior to enrolling at Alabama. As a freshman, he led the team with 127 tackles and twenty sacks, and was a first-team JUCO All-America and first-team All-Jayhawk Conference choice.
He recorded 125 tackles with nine sacks, 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns as a sophomore. He was a first-team All-America choice and Region VI Defensive Most Valuable Player at middle linebacker. He added first-team All-Jayhawk Conference accolades.
Alabama
During his first year at Alabama, Pope saw action in 13 games with three starts at middle linebacker as a junior. He ranked fifth on the team with 65 tackles (37 solo), including a sack, six stops for loss and three quarterback pressures. He also intercepted a pass, caused two fumbles and recovered another.
Pope played in 12 games with ten starts at strongside linebacker as a senior when he served as team captain. He was named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the Associated Press. He was the recipient of the team's Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award. On the year he finished third on the team with 105 tackles (55 solo), including five sacks, nine stops for losses and five quarterback pressures. He also deflected six passes and intercepted another. Following the season, he played in the Senior Bowl and Blue–Gray Football Classic.
In his career, Pope started 13 of 25 games for the Crimson Tide, recording 170 tackles (92 solo) with six sacks, 15 stops for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and six pass deflections. Pope was also named Team Captain and had his hands and cleats enshrined at the University of Alabama.
Awards and honors
First-team JUCO All-American (2000) 2x first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (2000, 2001) Region IV Defensive Most Valuable Player (2001) Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award (2003) First-team Associated Press All-SEC (2003)
Professional career
Miami Dolphins
Pope was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh-round (222nd overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was selected with a pick obtained from the Baltimore Ravens in a draft trade-down. On July 30, 2004 Pope was signed to a four-year deal worth around $2.4 million. The deal included a signing bonus of about $43,000, along with incentives that could increase the contract's value.
Pope impressed the Dolphins' coaching staff early in his professional career and went on to appear in all 16 games, including three starts, in his rookie season. He posted 44 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown. He also ranked fifth on the squad with nine special teams tackles. He saw action in each of the first 11 games of the season in a reserve role.