Position: Outside linebacker Name Bruce Irvin Place of birth: Atlanta, Georgia Nationality American | Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Parents Rufus Lee, Bessie Lee Weight: 245 lb (111 kg) | |
 | ||
Date of birth: (1987-11-01) November 1, 1987 (age 28) NFL draft: 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15 Role American football linebacker Current team Seattle Seahawks (#51 / Linebacker) Spouse Alyssa Hackworth-Irvin (m. 2014) Education Butler Community College, Mt. San Antonio College, West Virginia University, Stockbridge High School Similar People Bobby Wagner, K J Wright, Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Jermaine Kearse Profiles | ||
Bruce Pernell Irvin, Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football outside linebacker for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl. He played college football at West Virginia.
Contents
Early years
Irvin attended Stockbridge High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, until transferring to Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia right before his junior year. He dropped out of high school during the middle of his junior year.
College career
Irvin attended Butler Community College before transferring to Mt. San Antonio College. While at Mt. San Antonio, Irvin had 72 tackles, 16 sacks, three forced fumbles and a touchdown on a fumble recovery. He was named a JC Athletic Bureau first team All-American and was the all-California Region III player of the year.
Irvin transferred to West Virginia University in 2010. He finished the season second in the nation in sacks with 14. He was a second team all-Big East selection and an honorable mention All-American by SI.com.
Seattle Seahawks
On April 26, 2012, Irvin was drafted in the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks with the 15th pick of the 1st round. He was the highest selected West Virginia Mountaineer since Adam Jones in 2005. He signed a 4-year, $9.34 million contract on May 9, 2012 making him the first of the 2012 first round picks to sign a contract. The $9.34 million is fully guaranteed, with a $5.34 million signing bonus. On September 24, 2012, while playing the Green Bay Packers, Irvin attained his first multi-sack game recording 2 sacks. On October 14, 2012, against the Carolina Panthers he recorded 2 more sacks and a forced fumble.
On May 17, 2013, Irvin was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 NFL season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
In the 2013 offseason, the Seahawks announced that Irvin had moved to outside linebacker. In the base 4-3 scheme, he will be the SAM (strong side) linebacker, but he will play defensive end in Seattle's Wide 9 nickel scheme.
In the 2014 season, Irvin started 15 games for the #1 defense in the NFL. In week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, Irvin recorded back-to-back sacks of quarterback Cam Newton with less than a minute remaining to help preserve a 13-9 victory. The next week, he recorded an interception returned for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. He would finish the season strong, recording 3.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss in the last 6 games of the season, all games won by the Seattle Seahawks. In week 17, he registered 5 total tackles, a sack, forced a fumble, and ran back an interception 49 yards for a touchdown. For the season he had 37 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, 2 interceptions (both returned for touchdowns) and 3 passes defended.
Irvin recorded a sack of Newton again, this time in the divisional round of the 2014-2015 NFL playoffs, in a 31-17 victory.
In the final twenty seconds of Super Bowl XLIX, on the penultimate play, Irvin was ejected from the game after committing an unnecessary roughness penalty by throwing a closed-hand punch at New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski that incited a brawl; he was also fined $10,000. He was the first player in NFL history to ever be ejected from a Super Bowl.
Oakland Raiders
On March 10, 2016, Irvin signed a four-year, $37 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 15 after recording six tackles and two sacks in a 19-16 win over the Chargers.