Dante Hughes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Indianapolis Colts — No. 20 | |
| Cornerback | |
| Date of birth: August 21, 1985 | |
| Place of birth: Los Angeles, California | |
| Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 190 lb (86 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2007 for the Indianapolis Colts | |
| Career history | |
| College: California | |
| NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 3 / Pick: 95 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Daymeion Dante Hughes (born August 21, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) is an american football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts.
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[edit] High school years
Hughes attended Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, California and was a student and a letterman in football, basketball, tennis, and track. In football, he was an All-League and an All-City honoree as a junior. As a senior, he was named the Coliseum League's co-Player of the Year. In basketball, he was a two-year starter. On Rivals.com's list of Top 100 California Players, Hughes came in at number 41 and was subsequently recruited by many regional and out of state football powers, but eventually landed at Cal as a true freshman.
[edit] College career
Hughes played defensive back for the University of California Golden Bears for four years where he was eventually recognized as the Lott Trophy winner in 2006 and a first team All-America while leading the nation in interceptions at the time with 8. Although only recognized for his plethora of defensive achievements in his senior year, he was prolific in breaking up passes and making pinpoint tackles to stop the passer's progress in all four years. Due to his ability to completely shut down one side of the field, he has been given the label of a 'shutdown corner," a title only given to the best of defensive backs, including Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey.
In 2003, as a freshman, Hughes started five games. Hughes recorded a tying-team high with two interceptions, 30 tackles, and recovered a fumble. Hughes first interception was returned 72-yards for a touchdown against Oregon State. Hughes was awarded the Bob Simmons Award as the team's most valuable freshman.
As a sophomore in 2004, Hughes started in 11 of 12 games. Hughes was the team's 12th leading tackler with 26 tackles and was second on the team with 6 broken up passes. Hughes starred in the Big Game against Stanford, where he recorded four broken up passes and two tackles. Also, Hughes had three four-tackle games.
In his junior season of 2005, Hughes led the PAC-10 with 17 defended passes, 12 of those broken up. He ranked second in the PAC-10 and 16th nationally with five interceptions. Hughes also finished fourth on the team with 62 tackles. Against the University of Washington, Hughes took an interception back 41-yards for a touchdown. Against the University of Southern California, Hughes recorded a season-best 10 tackles and broke up two tackles. Against Washington State, Hughes blocked a kick and had three pass break-ups. In the Las Vegas Bowl against Brigham Young University, Hughes' interception on BYU's final drive clinched the win for Cal.
In his final season of 2006, Hughes was the PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy. Hughes was first-team All-American and recorded eight interceptions and defended 19 passes. Hughes was second on the team with 72 tackles too. Against USC, Hughes had seven tackles and broke up a pass. Against UCLA, Hughes recorded a team-best 10 tackles, three pass break-ups, and an interception. Hughes intercepted a key pass in the endzone against Washington and recorded a season-high 11 tackles and two interceptions against Arizona State, one of which was taken back for a touchdown. Hughes also returned an interception 30-yards for a score against Portland State and recorded two interceptions against the University of Minnesota. Along with Syd'Quan Thompson, the highly regarded duo led the Golden Bears to one of its best defensive seasons ever in terms of pass defense.
[edit] Professional career
After his senior season, he was expected to be an early first day pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and one of the first cornerbacks taken. However, slower than expected 40-yard dash times likely led to his selection by the Indianapolis Colts late the third round.
Hughes and Tim Jennings competed for the nickel back duties behind projected starter Kelvin Hayden and left corner Marlin Jackson. Hughes competed against fellow-rookie Michael Coe.[1] Hughes finished the season with 14 tackles in only 10 games.
[edit] Personal
He is known by his middle name, Dante, to his close friends and family members. He is the son of Ronald and Catana Hughes and will be graduating with a degree in art practice. Hughes and his art was recently featured on the sports page of the San Jose Mercury News.
[edit] External links
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