Ziggy Hood

Evander Ja Mel "Ziggy" Hood (born February 16, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NFL draft. Hood was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, and New Orleans Saints.

Ziggy Hood

Hood in 2016
No. 96, 92, 90, 97
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1987-02-16) February 16, 1987 (age 38) Amarillo, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school:	Amarillo (TX) Palo Duro
College:	Missouri (2005–2008)
NFL draft:	2009 / round: 1 / pick: 32
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (2009–2013) Jacksonville Jaguars (2014–2015) Chicago Bears (2015) Washington Redskins (2016–2018) Miami Dolphins (2018) New Orleans Saints (2019)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big 12 (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 231 Sacks: 14.0 Pass deflections: 11 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 5 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Hood attended Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, Texas, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track.^[1] In high school football, he earned All-District honors his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, he made 76 tackles, including 5.0 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown. As a senior, he was named 3-4A Defensive Player of the Year after making 93 tackles, including 13.0 sacks, and scoring three defensive touchdowns.

In track and field, Hood was one of the states top performers in the throwing events. He got top-throws of 15.50 meters (50 ft 8in) in the shot put and 50.55 meters (165 ft 7in) in the discus throw.^[2]

College career

Hood played college football at the University of Missouri.^[1] During his college career, he played defensive tackle. He finished with 170 tackles (98 solos), 15.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback pressures. He also had five forced fumbles, recovering three.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m)	300 lb (136 kg)	33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m)	9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m)	4.97 s	1.73 s	2.86 s	4.45 s	7.32 s	34.5 in (0.88 m)	9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)	36 reps
Sources:[3][4]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Hood with the Steelers in 2013

He was selected in the first round, 32nd overall, by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 NFL draft.^[5] He moved to defensive end in the Steelers' 3–4 defense, and served as a rotational back-up in his rookie year. Hood recorded both his first sack and first recovered fumble against the Baltimore Ravens on December 27, 2009.

At the end of the 2010 season, Hood and the Steelers appeared in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. He had one total tackle in the 31–25 loss.^[6]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 13, 2014, Hood signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.^[7] The Jaguars released him on October 20, 2015.^[8]

Chicago Bears

On October 22, 2015, the Chicago Bears signed Hood following the release of Jeremiah Ratliff.^[9] On December 15, 2015, he was waived.^[10]

Washington Redskins

Hood with the Redskins in 2016

On February 2, 2016, Hood signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins.^[11] Hood re-signed on March 15, 2017.^[12]

On October 16, 2018, Hood was released by the Redskins.^[13]

Miami Dolphins

On October 30, 2018, Hood was signed by the Miami Dolphins.^[14]

New Orleans Saints

On July 24, 2019, Hood signed with the New Orleans Saints.^[15] He was released on August 31, 2019.^[16]

NFL statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Fumbles			Interceptions
		GP	GS	Comb	Total	Ast	Sack	FF	FR	Yards	Int	Yards	Avg	Long	TD	PD
2009	PIT	16	0	8	5	3	1.0	0	1	-1	0	0	0	0	0	2
2010	PIT	16	9	20	15	5	3.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2011	PIT	16	14	31	19	12	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2012	PIT	16	16	42	25	17	3.0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
2013	PIT	16	7	39	26	13	3.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2014	JAX	16	0	24	17	7	1.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2015	CHI	2	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2016	WSH	16	14	33	17	16	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
2017	WSH	15	13	25	13	12	0.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2018	WSH	5	0	3	2	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MIA	8	0	6	2	4	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Career[17]	142	73	231	141	90	14.0	1	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	11

Personal life

Hood was named by his father after former professional boxer Evander Holyfield, of whom his father was a fan. He is of half Mexican ancestry. During his childhood, his Mexican grandmother could not correctly pronounce Evander, so she started calling him by the name of her favorite cartoon character, Ziggy.^[18]

References

1. "Ziggy Hood statistics". National Football League. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
2. "Evander Hood | Missouri | Steelers DT". Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
3. "Ziggy Hood Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
4. "2009 NFL Draft Scout Ziggy Hood College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
5. "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
6. "Super Bowl XLV - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers - February 6th, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
7. Sessler, Marc (March 13, 2014). "Ziggy Hood signs contract with Jacksonville Jaguars". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
8. "Jaguars make roster moves". Jaguars.com. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
9. "Bears release Ratliff, ink Ziggy Hood". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
10. "Bears promote Timu, waive Hood". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
11. Keim, John (February 2, 2016). "Redskins look to bolster DL depth, sign veteran Ziggy Hood". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
12. Czarda, Stephen (March 15, 2017). "Redskins Re-Sign Ziggy Hood And Vinston Painter". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
13. Keim, John (October 16, 2018). "Redskins release veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
14. Wolfe, Cameron (October 30, 2018). "Dolphins add to defensive line, sign veteran Ziggy Hood". ESPN.com.
15. Alper, Josh (July 24, 2019). "Saints sign Ziggy Hood". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
16. "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 31, 2019.
17. "Ziggy Hood Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
18. Kring-Schreifels, Jake. "How Evander 'Ziggy' Hood Got His Name". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.

External links

• Missouri Tigers bio Archived January 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• Washington Redskins bio Archived May 17, 2018, at the Wayback Machine