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Gary Brackett

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Gary Brackett
refer to caption
Brackett in 2007
No. 58
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1980-05-23) May 23, 1980 (age 44)
Glassboro, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Glassboro
College:Rutgers
Undrafted:2003
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:712
Sacks:4.0
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:29
Interceptions:12
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Gary Lawrence Brackett (born May 23, 1980) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Brackett played for the Colts for his entire 9-year career, and won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears.

Early life

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Brackett attended Glassboro High School in Glassboro, New Jersey. He was a two-time All-South Jersey selection, a two-time All-Group I choice, and a two-time All-Tri-County Conference choice.

College career

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Brackett was a walk-on to the Rutgers University football team.[1] By his senior year, he was captain of the defensive team and won the team's defensive MVP honors.

Professional career

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On April 27, 2003, the Indianapolis Colts signed Brackett as an undrafted free agent after he was not selected in the 2003 NFL draft.[2]

Brackett competed for a roster spot as a backup linebacker and special teams player during training camp in 2003. He impressed the coaching staff with his ability covering kickoffs.[3] He made his professional regular season debut during the Indianapolis Colts' season-opener at the Cleveland Browns. He finished their 9–6 win with one solo tackle. On October 26, 2003, Brackett collected a season-high six combined tackles (five solo) during a 30–21 victory against the Houston Texans in Week 8. In Week 12, Brackett made three solo tackles and made his first career sack as the Colts defeated the Buffalo Bills 17–14. He sacked Bills' quarterback Drew Bledsoe for a nine-yard loss during the second quarter.[4]

That year, he had 127 tackles, three interceptions and a sack. In 2006, he was named defensive captain of the Colts and had 120 tackles.[1] He started for the Colts in their Super Bowl XLI win over the Chicago Bears. In 2007 Brackett recorded 116 tackles and four interceptions. He recorded 99 tackles in both 2008 and 2009. He started for the Colts in their Super Bowl XLIV loss to the New Orleans Saints. He was released following the 2011 season on March 9, 2012. And after the Colts released Brackett, he quickly announced his retirement from the NFL.

During his career, Brackett was twice named AFC Defensive Player-of-the-Week.[1]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2003 IND 16 0 31 27 4 1.0 3 1 31 1 31 1 0 0 0 0
2004 IND 15 1 37 25 12 0.0 1 2 2 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
2005 IND 16 16 127 92 35 1.0 0 3 50 0 31 6 0 0 0 0
2006 IND 14 14 122 87 35 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0
2007 IND 16 16 116 86 30 0.5 2 4 128 0 49 7 1 1 0 1
2008 IND 12 12 100 71 29 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 68 1
2009 IND 14 14 99 80 19 1.0 4 1 8 0 8 5 0 1 0 0
2010 IND 12 12 74 53 21 0.5 6 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
2011 IND 1 1 6 5 1 0.0 0 1 27 0 27 1 0 0 0 0
116 86 712 526 186 4.0 21 12 246 1 49 29 5 3 68 2

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2003 IND 3 0 16 7 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 IND 2 1 16 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2005 IND 1 1 10 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2006 IND 4 4 23 17 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
2007 IND 1 1 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009 IND 3 3 18 14 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2010 IND 1 1 7 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
15 11 94 64 30 1 4 0 0 0 0 5 1 1 0 0

Life after the NFL

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Brackett earned a Master of Business Administration degree after retirement and opened a series of restaurants in Indianapolis, including CharBlue downtown.[5][6]

Personal

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During a 17-month span, starting in 2003, Brackett lost his mother, father, and brother.[7]

In 2009 Brackett was the 11th annual recipient of the Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award, presented to an NFL player "whose contributions to the community and charitable organizations are especially outstanding." He won the award for his work with the IMPACT Foundation, a charity he founded in the spring of 2007.

In 2011, Brackett published Winning: From Walk-On to Captain, In Football and Life, a memoir about his life, including his accomplishments and struggles with family, college, and the NFL.

Gary and his wife Ragan have three children: Gabrielle, Gary Jr., and, Georgia Reese

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gary Brackett player profile Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Indianapolis Colts.
  2. ^ "Brackett signs free agent contract with Colts". scarletknights.com. April 27, 2003. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Fleming, David (November 7, 2005). "Quiet Riot". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills - November 23rd, 2003". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Biro, Liz (September 2, 2014). "Georgia Reese's kicks off Gary Brackett's new career today". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  6. ^ "About CharBlue". Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Mosley, Matt (February 3, 2007). "Talking about his loss helps Brackett get through pain". espn.com. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
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