Gilbert Ravelle Gardner, II (born May 9, 1982) 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 ...

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

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

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 ...

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

. Gardner earned a

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...

with the Colts in

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...

over 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 ...

. He also played for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

and the Bears.

Early life

Gardner attended Angleton High School in Angleton, Texas and was a letterman in football, baseball, and track. In football, he was a three-time All-District selection and a three-time All-County selection. Gilbert Gardner graduated from Angleton High School in 2000. He and his wife, Emily, have a son named Gilbert Ravelle Gardner III. Gilbert has returned to his roots and is a coach at his hometown Angleton High School.

College career

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, he started 31 of 46 games, recording 215 tackles with 3.5 sacks, 23 stops for losses, seven fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections and three interceptions.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Gardner was selected by the Colts in the 3rd round (69th overall) of the

. He played for the

as a backup during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, eventually rising to starting LB by 2006. His 2006 season is remembered negatively by fans, as he was a key cog of the worst run defense in the league, until he was benched late in the season in favor of veteran LB Rob Morris. Gardner was released from the Indianapolis Colts on May 8, 2007.

Tennessee Titans

He was claimed off waivers by the Titans on May 9, 2007, and played one season with the team before becoming a

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 2008.

Detroit Lions

Gardner was signed by the

on March 25, 2008. During the first seven weeks of the season, Gardner appeared in two games for the Lions in a reserve role and recorded no tackles. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 25 after the team signed

Anthony Cannon. Gardner was released on November 5.

Chicago Bears

Gardner was signed by the

on December 12, 2008, after

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 ...

Garrett Wolfe Garrett Wolfe (born August 17, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played his c ...

was placed on

. He was released the following offseason on February 13, 2009.

References

External links

Purdue Boilermakers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Gilbert 1982 births Living people People from Angleton, Texas Players of American football from Brazoria County, Texas American football linebackers Angleton High School alumni Purdue Boilermakers football players Indianapolis Colts players Tennessee Titans players Detroit Lions players Chicago Bears players