Derrick T. Hamilton (born November 30, 1981) 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

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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 selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the third round of the

2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...

. 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

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

. Hamilton was also a member of 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

Early life

Hamilton played his

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 ...

Dillon High School Dillon High School is a public high school in Dillon, South Carolina, United States. It is a part of Dillon School District Four. It is located on 1730 Highway 301 North, approximately from the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. It ...

. His senior season in high school, Hamilton had more

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s returned for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s than receptions returned for touchdowns. His high school career totals were 36 catches for 745 yds and 9 touchdowns. This was mainly because his high school team mostly ran the ball. He had eight kickoffs returned for scores (plus eight more returned for touchdowns that were called back for penalties), and eight INT's with 3 returned for scores.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Hamilton never caught a pass in his time with the 49ers and played in only the final two games of his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

season (

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 ...

). Hamilton tore a ligament in his left knee during a summer workout and did not play a down in his second year in the NFL (2005). While supposedly nursing his damaged knee, Hamilton did not participate in summer training activities. Early in training camp, Hamilton injured his

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

and barely participated in workouts. On August 11, of the

2006 San Francisco 49ers season The 2006 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 57th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 61st overall. It began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005. Despite having improved from their previou ...

, Hamilton was waived without ever catching a single pass.

Atlanta Falcons

After being signed by the

on March 15, 2007, he was waived on June 12, 2007.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 24, 2007, Hamilton was signed to the practice squad of the

following a season-ending injury to wide receiver Mark Jones. Hamilton was released a week later.

Houston Texans

On November 21, 2007, Hamilton was signed to the

' practice squad and remained there through the end of the 2007 season before becoming a free agent.

Denver Broncos

On February 11, 2008, Hamilton was signed by the

. He was waived on April 15, just one day after the team added receiver

Samie Parker Samie Jabar Parker (born March 25, 1981) is an American football coach and former player. He is the wide receiver's coach at Delaware State University, a position he has held since 2025. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth rou ...

Toronto Argonauts

On January 29, 2009, Hamilton was signed by the

. He was released on June 7, 2009.

References

External links

Clemson Tigers bioDenver Broncos bioSan Francisco 49ers bioToronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Derrick 1981 births Living people People from Dillon, South Carolina American football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from South Carolina Canadian football wide receivers Clemson Tigers football players San Francisco 49ers players Atlanta Falcons players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Denver Broncos players Toronto Argonauts players Players of American football from South Carolina