Channing Crowder
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Randolph Channing Crowder Jr. (born December 2, 1983) 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
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
for six seasons with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
of 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 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 ...
for the
Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...
, earning first-team
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
honors in 2004. Crowder was selected by the Dolphins in the third round of the
2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...
, and played his entire professional career with Miami. He currently co-hosts ''Hochman & Crowder'', weekdays from 2–6PM simulcast on 790 The Ticket and 560
WQAM WQAM (560 AM broadcasting, AM, "AM 560 Sports") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Miami, Florida. It broadcasts a sports radio radio format, format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios are in Audacy's Miami office on Nort ...
. He also co-hosts The Pivot, alongside Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark. He is currently a panelist on the weekly highlight show
Inside the NFL ''Inside the NFL'' is an American weekly television sports show that focuses on the National Football League (NFL). Each NFL season, the program airs from Week 1 of the regular season until the week after the Super Bowl. The show principally fe ...
, a role he has held since the show first moved to
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
in 2023.


Early life

Crowder was born in
State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...
, the son of All-American defensive lineman Randy Crowder and Pauline Pope-Crowder. He was a highly regarded
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
for North Springs High School in
Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...
who garnered prep
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
recognition. He was named to SuperPrep's All-America Team and that publication ranked him among the nation's top 30 linebackers. He collected All-America honors from
PrepStar ''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazi ...
and that publication ranked him among the Southeast's top 10 linebackers. He garnered All-America honors from Rivals.com and that group ranked him among the nation's top 15 outside linebackers. As a senior, he recorded 114 tackles in 2001 with 7.5 sacks sacks while also rushing for over 800 yards. He was named one of the top four linebackers in the state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
by the ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
''. He was team MVP in 2001.


Prep awards and honors

* North Springs Spartans MVP (2001) * PrepStar
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
n (2001) * Rivals.com All-American (2001) * SuperPrep All-American (2001)


College career

Crowder accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
in
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
, where he played for coach
Ron Zook Ronald Andrew Zook (; born April 28, 1954) is an American football coach who is a special teams quality control coach at the University of Maryland. He was the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and the Universit ...
's
Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American football, American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the ...
team in
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
and
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 97, 99, 101, 125, 180 (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2011.
He was an original member of Florida's 2002 signing class, but delayed his enrollment until January 2003 in order to complete rehabilitation of his knee. He joined the Gators and practiced with the team prior to the 2003
Outback Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...
. As a freshman in 2003, Crowder played in 11 games with nine starts. Those nine starts were the most by a freshman linebacker in school history. He would end up leading the nation in tackles by a freshman during the season. He ranked first among linebackers, first among Florida's true freshmen and tied for ninth on the team with 816 plays despite missing two games. He became the first true freshman of 2003 to start for the Gators and was the first true freshman linebacker to start since Travis Harris started four games in 2000. Crowder underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on October 1 prior to the
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
game, and missed the game against the Rebels. He returned against eventual national champion
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
10 days after surgery to lead the linebacking unit with seven tackles. On the year, Crowder led the linebackers with 106 tackles (avg. 9.6 per game) – the second-highest total on the team. He also had five tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. He led the defense with 12 tackles and one pass deflection against
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, and led the defense against Vanderbilt with a then career-high 15 tackles. Crowder caused
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Jared Lorenzen Jared Raymond Lorenzen (February 14, 1981 – July 3, 2019) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the New York Giants. He played college football for the Kentucky ...
to throw a game-turning interception, that set up a touchdown and gave Florida the win. As a team captain in 2004, he finished third on team with 73 tackles, earned the team's outstanding linebacker award. Crowder was the Gators' leader in tackles across six games, and was third on squad with 8.5 tackles for loss. He intercepted his first career pass against
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
when he picked off a Matt Jones pass and returned it 22 yards in a 45–30 win. Crowder recorded a career-high two quarterback sacks against
LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
's
JaMarcus Russell JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football f ...
. He notched an SEC and career-best 18 tackles and forced the second fumble of his career against
Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...
. On the year, he started seven of nine games before a mid-foot sprain in the first quarter of the
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
game and missed almost all of the next three contest. He recovered his third career fumble and notched three tackles in the
Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played annually in Atlanta, Georgia, since December 30, 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field on the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech c ...
against
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. Following his second college season, Crowder was recognized as a first-team All-SEC selection and an
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
All-American.


Awards and honors

* ''College Football News'' Freshman of the Year (2003) * ''
Knoxville News-Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''T ...
'' All-Freshman Team (2003) * Rivals.com Freshman All-American (2003) * Scripps/ FWAA Freshman All-American (2003) * ''
Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' All-Freshman Team (2003) * SEC All-Freshman Team (2003) * ''Sporting News'' SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year (2003) * Associated Press first-team All-SEC (2003) * Coaches second-team All-SEC (2003) *
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
first-team All-American (2004) * Coaches first-team All-SEC (2004) *
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
second-team All-SEC (2004) * Florida Gators Defensive Co-Captain (2004) * Florida Gators Outstanding Linebacker (2004)


Professional career

Crowder was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (70th overall) in the
2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...
. The pick used to select him was previously acquired from the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in the
Marty Booker Marty Montez Booker (born July 31, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks ...
- Adewale Ogunleye trade from the year before. Then-head coach
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
was familiar with Crowder, having coached in the SEC at LSU before coming to Miami. Crowder signed a four-year contract with the team in July and went on to start 13 of the 16 games in which he played during his rookie season. He opened 11 games at the weakside spot and two in the middle. The Dolphins opened with either five or six defensive backs in the only three games he did not start. Along with
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
and
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
Travis Daniels, 2005 marked the first time since 1996 that three or more Dolphin rookies opened at least ten games. Crowder ranked second on the team with 90 tackles, the highest total by a Dolphins rookie since
Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973), nicknamed "Baby Elephant", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college foo ...
tallied 164 in 1996. It also was the fifth-highest total among
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
rookies in 2005. Crowder added two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and four passes defensed on the year. He replaced an injured Thomas at middle linebacker for games during the season. During the year, he posted a season-high 10 tackles on two occasions. Crowder collected seven tackles against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
on October 16 and also recovered an Earnest Graham fumble that led to a Ronnie Brown eight-yard TD run on the next play from scrimmage. Crowder prevented a potential touchdown against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
when he forced the ball loose from fullback Justin Griffith with the Falcons at the Dolphins' 8 yard-line, and was recovered by Travis Daniels. Crowder also recovered a J. P. Losman fumble against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
on December 4. Crowder was once again a reliable starter in 2006 and continued to progress as a player. He finished second on the Dolphins with 104 tackles (behind only Zach Thomas) and had one sack for nine yards in losses that season. It was Crowder's first 100-tackle season of his career. He had four games of double-figure tackles, and tied or led the team in tackles three times and finished second on the team in tackles six times during the season. He started all 16 games during the regular season, though he suffered a hip injury on November 19 against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
that forced him from that contest permanently. In week 12 of the 2008 season against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, he was ejected from the game after engaging in a fight with Patriots offensive tackle
Matt Light Matthew Charles Light (born June 23, 1978) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footb ...
. An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, Crowder was re-signed to a three-year contract by the Dolphins on February 25, 2009. On December 6, 2009, against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, Crowder made his first career interception and also sealed the win off for the Dolphins. Crowder was placed on injured reserve on December 30. He suffered a right foot injury which made him miss a game versus 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 ...
. On July 29, 2011, the Dolphins released Crowder and then signed LB Kevin Burnett from the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
. Just over a week later on August 9, 2011, Crowder abruptly announced his retirement from the NFL. On February 1, 2012, Crowder appeared on the Super Bowl's Radio Row and announced his intention to restart his professional career.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Playoffs


Personal life

Crowder is the son of former NFL
defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...
Randy Crowder, who was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins in 1974. Channing is married to wife Aja, and the couple have appeared together on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
series '' Baller Wives''. On January 23, 2008, Crowder lost control of his truck on a wet exit ramp and crashed it into a tree. He was unharmed and was charged with careless driving and leaving the scene of a crash. Prior to the October 27, 2007
Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
game in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Crowder reportedly stated he "couldn't find London on a map". He later implied that he did not believe there were any black people in London as well. In a 2012 interview with NFL Films, Crowder confessed to urinating in his pants "every game" while in the NFL. On June 27, 2011, Crowder insinuated on his new radio show that he had sold his jerseys while playing college football for the Florida Gators, but he later reiterated that he had not sold them. He was a commentator on
WQAM WQAM (560 AM broadcasting, AM, "AM 560 Sports") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Miami, Florida. It broadcasts a sports radio radio format, format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios are in Audacy's Miami office on Nort ...
during the
2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the Super Bowl XLI ...
. His midday show on WQAM with NBC 6 news anchor, Adam Kuperstein, was recently cancelled. He then co-hosted ''Hochman & Crowder'' (formerly ''Hochman, Crowder & Krantz'' until the departure of co-host Zach Krantz in May 2017) weekdays from 2-6PM on WQAM. He was a part of
Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was selected by ...
's podcast I AM ATHLETE, alongside
Chad Johnson Chad Ochocinco Johnson (born Chad Javon Johnson, January 9, 1978), known from 2008 to 2012 as Chad Ochocinco, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He ...
and Fred Taylor. He currently co-hosts The Pivot with Taylor and Ryan Clark.


See also

*
2004 College Football All-America Team The 2004 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Football Foundation, ''T ...
*
List of Florida Gators football All-Americans This list of Florida Gators football All-Americans includes those members of the Florida Gators football team who have received All-American honors from one or more selector organizations. The Florida Gators represent the University of Florida in ...
* List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft * List of Miami Dolphins players


References


External links

*
Channing Crowder
– Florida Gators player profile
Channing Crowder
– Miami Dolphins player profile
The Pivot Podcast Youtube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, Channing 1983 births Living people All-American college football players American football linebackers Florida Gators football players Miami Dolphins players People from Sandy Springs, Georgia People from State College, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Centre County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Fulton County, Georgia American sports podcasters