Deltha O'Neal

Deltha Lee O'Neal, III (born January 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Denver Broncos as the 15th pick overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots of the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Deltha O'Neal
refer to caption
O'Neal in 2006 with the Bengals
No. 24, 21
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1977-01-30) January 30, 1977
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Milpitas (Milpitas, California)
College:California
NFL Draft:2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Most passes intercepted in a single game: 4 (tied)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:388
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:34
Total return yards:2,644
Total touchdowns:6
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

O'Neal was born in Palo Alto, California. He is a 1995 graduate of Milpitas High School in Milpitas, California, where he was a running back, cornerback, and kick returner for the Milpitas high school football team. In track & field, he was a state-qualifier in the 100 and 200-meters, with personal-bests of 10.75 in the 100 and 21.66 in the 200. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m (41.65s) relay squad.

College career

He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and played for the California Golden Bears football team. In his senior year with the Golden Bears, O'Neal set the NCAA single-season record of four interceptions returned for touchdowns and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He graduated from California with a degree in social welfare in 2000.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		 193 lb
(88 kg)
Values from NFL Combine[1]

Denver Broncos

O'Neal was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.[2]

Due to O'Neal's speed, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan briefly flirted with converting O'Neal to wide receiver in mid-2003. O'Neal had two receptions, for four yards, in two games. O'Neal was also used frequently to return punts and kickoffs on special teams. While with the Broncos, O'Neal tied the record for most interceptions in a game with four.

Cincinnati Bengals

In April 2004, an unhappy O'Neal and the Broncos' 24th (first round) and 117th (fourth round) spots in the 2004 NFL draft were traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Cincinnati's 17th spot in the first round.

In the 2005 season, O'Neal recorded ten interceptions, breaking the franchise record of nine, set by Ken Riley in 1976 and equalling Ty Law as the NFL's interception leader that year. He broke the record on December 18, 2005, against the Detroit Lions.

In early December 2006, O'Neal was arrested on DWI charges.[3] In the 2007 season, O'Neal recorded 52 tackles and one interception.

O'Neal was released by the Bengals on August 30, 2008.

New England Patriots

On September 1, 2008, O'Neal was signed by the New England Patriots.

Houston Texans

O'Neal signed with the Houston Texans on August 6, 2009 following an injury to cornerback Jacques Reeves. He was released on September 5, 2009.

NFL statistics
Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Punt returns Kickoff returns
CombSoloAstSackFFFRIntYdsAvgLngTDPDRetYdsLngTDFCRetYdsLngTD
2000DEN 162200.011000.00033435464011461,102871
2001DEN 16696270.000911512.8420253140586190000
2002DEN 166959100.00057014.02829302515307115150
2003DEN 13232030.000166.060233315571108128240
2004CIN 12393451.01046015.0311157331706115150
2005CIN 15655690.0011010310.33701800000114140
2006CIN 12373070.00114242.0420911010020000
2007CIN 16524840.011177.0709—————————
2008NE 16323020.00034916.34708222010000
Career[4]132388341471.0343445213.3473981381,37086246571,274871

On December 9, 2006, O'Neal was arrested in the Pierce Twp community of Cincinnati after he was pulled over for driving while intoxicated. O'Neal was driving a black Cadillac Escalade. He was one of 9 Bengals players arrested during the 2006 offseason and regular season.

In December 2019, O'Neal was charged with one count of DUI with serious injury and one of DUI with property damage in Royal Palm Beach, Florida after speeding 100 mph in his Mercedes Benz and striking a utility pole, causing the vehicle to catch fire on August 7, 2019. He and a passenger were airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center, where O'Neal suffered a broken ankle, a fractured back and neck, an eye injury, brain bleeding and intestinal injuries.[5]

References
  1. "2000 NFL Draft Scout Deltha O'Neal College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  2. "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. "Bengals Pro Bowl CB O'Neal inactive after DWI charge". ESPN.com. December 9, 2006.
  4. "Deltha O'Neal Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  5. "Former NFL All Pro player charged with DUI in fiery Royal Palm crash". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
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