Cecil Sapp (born December 23, 1978) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was signed by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2003. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Colorado State Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. It was founded in 1870 as Colorado Agr ...

. Sapp also played for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

and

New York Sentinels New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Early life

Sapp played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Miami Palmetto Senior High School Miami Palmetto Senior High School is a public high school located at 7431 S.W. 120th Street in Pinecrest, Florida. The school is on in southwest Miami-Dade County, and is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district. Miami Norland Sen ...

, earning first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state honors his senior year.

College career

Sapp played

for the

Colorado State Rams The Colorado State Rams are the athletic teams that represent Colorado State University (CSU). Colorado State's athletic teams compete along with 8 other institutions in the Mountain West Conference, which is an NCAA Division I conference and s ...

from 1999 to 2002. He rushed three times for 40 yards and one touchdown his freshman season in 1999. He totaled 151 rushing attempts for 841 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2000, earning first-team all-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

honors. Sapp also caught three passes for 47 yards and one touchdown. He missed the 2001 season after having surgery to remove a tumor from his heel. He rushed 347 times for 1,601 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior year in 2002, garnering unanimous first-team all-Mountain West recognition. Sapp was invited to the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

and

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first s ...

after his senior season. He was inducted into the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Sapp was signed by the

as an

on May 8, 2003. He was waived on August 31, and signed to the Broncos' practice squad on September 2. Sapp was promoted to the active roster on December 26, 2003, and played in one game for the Broncos during the 2003 season, rushing 12 times for 31 yards. He was waived on September 5, 2004, and signed to the practice squad on September 7. He was promoted to the active roster on October 27, 2004. Sapp appeared in five games for the Broncos in 2004, totaling four carries for 32 yards, one kick return for 34 yards, one solo tackle and one assisted tackle. Sapp played in all 16 games for the Broncos in 2005, recording five rushing attempts for 21 yards, two receptions for 17 yards, two kick returns for 28 yards, two fumble recoveries, six solo tackles and one assisted tackle. He appeared in 11 games, including his first career start, during the 2006 season, rushing 10 times for 80 yards, catching five passes for 34 yards, returning four kicks for 95 yards and recovering one fumble while also making four solo tackles and two assisted tackles. He was placed on injured reserve on December 4, 2006. Sapp played in 16 games, including a career-high 8 starts, for the Broncos in 2007, accumulating 18 rushing attempts for 59 yards and two touchdowns, 14 receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown, two kick returns for 30 yards and six solo tackles. He re-signed with the Broncos on March 24, 2008. He was placed on injured reserve on August 30 and released on September 4, 2008.

Houston Texans

Sapp signed with the

on September 30, 2008. He appeared in 12 games for the Texans during the 2008 season, totaling two rushes for -3 yards, one kick return for seven yards and five solo tackles.

New York Sentinels

Sapp played in four games, starting two, for the

of the United Football League in 2009, rushing 15 times for 89 yards, returning one kick for 21 yards, losing one fumble and making one tackle.

References

External links

Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapp, Cecil 1973 births Living people Miami Palmetto Senior High School alumni Players of American football from Miami American football fullbacks American football running backs Colorado State Rams football players Denver Broncos players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen New York Sentinels players