Place of birth Miami, Florida Name Willie Middlebrooks College University of Minnesota 2001–2004 Denver Broncos Weight 89 kg | CFL status International Height 1.88 m Status Retired Role Football player Positions Cornerback | |
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Date of birth (1979-02-12) February 12, 1979 (age 36) NFL draft 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24 | ||
Willie Frank Middlebrooks (born February 12, 1979 in Miami, Florida) is a retired defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and former National Football League free agent cornerback.
Middlebrooks was named First-Team All-State as a senior at Homestead High School in Homestead, Florida. He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In 1999, he was named Second-Team All-Big Ten. In 2000, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten Conference, but missed the final four games of the season with a fractured ankle. Prior to the 2001 NFL Draft, he was regarded as the best man-coverage player in the Big Ten, with speculation that he would be drafted in the first round, despite his recent injury.
He was the 24th overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft. He began his career with the Broncos, then played for the San Francisco 49ers before returning to Denver in 2006. The Broncos released him on August 30, 2006.
Middlebrooks signed as a free agent with the Argonauts on April 28, 2008. He was named defensive player of Week One of the 2008 CFL season with nine tackles and an interception of a long pass from Winnipeg's Kevin Glenn near the end of the fourth quarter.
On Wednesday, June 1, 2011, Middlebrooks announced his retirement after sustaining a serious neck injury he received nearing the end of the 2010 CFL season.
Today, Middlebrooks is pursuing a career in the health and fitness industry, training young athletes with dreams of college scholarships and professional sports careers. He has two sons and a daughter.