Chris Borland
 Borland with the Wisconsin Badgers in 2013 | |||||||||
| No. 50 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 26, 1990 Kettering, Ohio,U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Archbishop Alter (Kettering, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin(2009–2013) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014/ round: 3 / pick: 77 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats atPFR | |||||||||
Christopher Randall Borland(born December 26, 1990) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was alinebackerfor theSan Francisco 49ersof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theWisconsin Badgers,and was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the2014 NFL draft.He was one of the first NFL players to retire early in his career due to potential concerns of mid-termbrain damage from football.[1]
Early life
[edit]Borland attendedArchbishop Alter High SchoolinKettering, Ohio,where he was first-team All-state and All-conference player of the year. He was theteam captainand MVP. He was alettermaninfootball,track,basketballandtennis.As a senior, he had 72tackles,oneinterception,one forcedfumbleand two fumble recoveries on defense, and rushed for 1,230 yards and 19touchdownson offense.[2]
Intrack & field,he was one of the state's top performers in the shot put. He placed fifth at the state meet in the shot put as a junior. At the 2008 Fairmont Firebird Invitational, he recorded a PR of 11.97 seconds in the100 meters.[3]He got a top-throw of 41.05 meters in thediscusat the 2008 OHSAA District T&F Championships. He was the runner-up to the state title in theshot putevent at the 2009 OHSAA District T&F Championships, recording a career-best throw of 18.62 metres (61.1 ft).
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals,he was ranked the No. 55linebackernationally. He chose Wisconsin over scholarship offers fromIowaandLouisville.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Borland LB |
Kettering, OH | Archbishop Alter HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.65 | Jun 24, 2008 |
Recruiting star ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports:N/AESPN grade: 74
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:55 (MLB)Rivals:NRESPN:134 (ATH) | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
[edit]
2009
[edit]Borland played in 13 games, starting six. He led the team with five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He finished third on the team intackles-for-loss(10.5) andsacks(5.0) and fifth in tackles (54). Borland also returned sixkickoffsfor 106 yards and made three extra points in the game againstHawaii.Borland was named theBig Ten Conference's Freshman of the Year in 2009. He was also named to theFootball Writers Association of America( FWAA) FreshmanAll-Americanteam.[4]
2010
[edit]Borland played and started two games. He was injured in the second game of the season and missed the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. He was granted an injuryredshirtfor that season.
2011
[edit]Before the season, Borland was on the watchlist for theButkus Awardwhich is awarded to the nations best linebacker. He was also listed on the preseason watchlists for All-Big Ten, first-team byPhil Steeleand second-team byAthlon.
On December 8, 2011, Borland was named Third-team All-American byYahoo Sports.His teammateRussell Wilsonjoined him on the Third-team whileMontee Ballwas named to the First-team and offensive linemenPeter KonzandKevin Zeitlerwere named to the Second-team.[5]
2012
[edit]
Borland set a season high with 13 tackles in the2012 Big Ten Football Championship GameagainstNebraska.He recorded a team-high 9 tackles in the2013 Rose BowlagainstStanford.Following the season, Borland was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and honorable mention by the media.
2013
[edit]Borland was named to the preseason watchlists for theChuck Bednarik Award,Bronko Nagurski Trophy,Dick Butkus Award,Lombardi AwardandLott IMPACT Trophy.Halfway through the 2013 seasonESPNranked Borland the #4 Defensive MVP.[6]
On November 23, Borland tied theFBScareer forced fumble record, with his 14th, against Minnesota. Also in late November, he was named one of four finalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.[7]Other finalists includeAnthony Barr(UCLA linebacker),Devon Kennard(USC defensive end) and James Morris (Iowa linebacker).[7]
On December 3, 2013, Borland was namedBig Ten Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year[8]Borland is the fifth Wisconsin player to be named Defensive Player of the Year, joiningTroy Vincent(1991),Tom Burke(1998),Jamar Fletcher(2000) andErasmus James(2004). Borland was also named theBig Ten's Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.
On December 18, 2013, Borland was named to the first-team All-America Team by FWAA. He also earned second-team All-America honors by theAssociated Press,Athlon,CBS Sports,andSports Illustrated.[9]
College statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | Solo | Ast | Total | TFL | Sack | INT | PD | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Wisconsin | 36 | 18 | 54 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 2010 | Wisconsin | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | Wisconsin | 64 | 79 | 143 | 19.0 | 2.5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 | Wisconsin | 56 | 48 | 104 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 2013 | Wisconsin | 72 | 39 | 111 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 233 | 187 | 420 | 50.0 | 17.0 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 8 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+1⁄2in (1.82 m) |
248 lb (112 kg) |
291⁄4 | 97⁄8 | 4.83 s | 1.65 s | 2.70 s | 4.26 s | 6.83 s | 37 in (0.94 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
29 reps | 36 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[10]Wonderlic[11] | ||||||||||||
Borland was selected 77th overall in the2014 NFL draftby theSan Francisco 49ers.[12][13][14]Throughouttraining campand preseason, he competed against 49ers veteranMichael Wilhoitefor a starting inside linebacker position left absent by the injuredNaVorro Bowman.[15]
In the last preseason game against theHouston Texans,Borland led the defense in tackles with six and returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown.[16]
Borland got his first career start in Week 7 against theDenver Broncosafter the 49ersAll-Proinside linebackerPatrick Willisinjured his toe against theSt. Louis Ramsduring week six.[17]He led the 49ers defense with eight tackles, one tackle for loss and he recorded his first career sack againstPeyton Manningin the same game that Manning surpassedBrett Favrefor most touchdown passes in NFL history.[18]In his second start filling in for Willis, he recorded 18 tackles, 15 solo and three tackles for loss against the Rams. His 18 tackles were the most tackles for a single player league-wide and included a "suplex-like" tackle of running backTre Mason.[19][20]
In a week 10 matchup against theNew Orleans Saints,Borland recovered an overtime fumble that led the 49ers to a 27–24 victory. During the game, he recorded 17 tackles and he received his first ever NFL award, which wasPepsi NFL Rookie of the Week.[21]In week 11, he was namedNFCDefensive Player of the Week for his performance against theEli Manning-ledNew York Giantswhere he was the first rookie linebacker in franchise history to get two interceptions in one game. He also led the team in tackles with 13 and had three passes defended.[22]Borland was selected as the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for November.[23]On December 20, 2014, Borland was placed on season endinginjured reservewith an ankle injury.[24]He finished his rookie season with 108 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions, despite starting only 8 games.[25]He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[26]
On March 16, 2015, Borland announced his retirement from the NFL citing concern ofhead trauma.[27]He received a $617,436 signing bonus when he inked a four-year rookie deal with the 49ers coming out of college but would be returning approximately three-quarters of this bonus to the team, or about $463,077.[28]
Professional statistics
[edit]| Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | Other | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | G | GS | Comb | Solo | Assist | Sack | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | Pass Def | Safety |
| 2014 | San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 8 | 107 | 84 | 23 | 1.0 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | – |
Awards and achievements
[edit]NFL
[edit]- Defensive Rookie of the Month (November 2014)
- NFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 11, 2014)
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week(Weeks 10 & 11, 2014)
College
[edit]- First-teamAll-America Team–FWAA(2013)
- 3× First-team All-Big Ten (2011, 2012, 2013)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year(2013)
- Big Ten Linebacker of the Year(2013)
- Third-teamAll-American–Yahoo Sports(2011)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2009)
- FWAAFreshman All-America Team (2009)
- Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2009)
- 3×Big Ten Champion(2010,2011,2012)
- Division I FBS most fumbles forced, career (14)
- 4×Big TenDefensive Player of the Week (Weeks 10 & 12 –2011,Week 4 –2012,Week 112013)
- Big Ten Conference Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2014)[29]
- UW Student-Athlete of the Year (2014)[29]
Life after football
[edit]
Borland attended the premiere ofGridIron Gladiators,directed by Todd Trigsted on April 19, 2015, inPortland, Oregon[30]Borland has been outspoken about his decision to retire. He has received both praise and criticism for his assertions in many interviews, including one withCBS Newsin which he stated that he believes football as a whole to be "inherently dangerous".[31]
In a December 2015Frontlineinterview, Borland said, "Last year the NFL commissioned actuaries to estimate how many NFL veterans would have brain damage. And the number they came up with was three out of 10. So if I turn on a game, and a third of the guys will have brain damage in life, I just, I can't really support that. And, I don't really watch football anymore. If it's on, I may peek at it, but..." He shook his head as the video faded.
Borland appeared in Episode 2 & 3 of the Netflix special three-part docuseries,Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandezand discussed brain health in relation to football.[1][32]
In 2018 he said that retiring early from football was very tough. After ESPN called him “the most dangerous man in football” for discussing the problem with concussions, he said that “I fell into a funk. I was trapped in a role I didn’t want. It was a hard couple of months.”[33]In the same interview he said he works with the After the Impact Fund, which is a non-profit focused on helping veterans with PTSD and athletes with concussions.
References
[edit]- ^abMichael Kirk; Mike Wiser; Jim Gilmore (December 21, 2015)."How Afraid Should the NFL be of Chris Borland?".FRONTLINE.RetrievedJanuary 16,2019.
- ^"Chris Borland Bio – UWBadgers – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers".Archived fromthe originalon October 24, 2014.
- ^"Fairmont Firebird Invitational".Ohio MileSplit.
- ^"T.J. Edwards named Freshman All-American".University of Wisconsin.
- ^"Yahoo Sports All-America Team".Yahoo Sports.Archived fromthe originalon April 19, 2014.RetrievedNovember 17,2015.
- ^"On The Mark: Midseason review – ESPN".Espn.go. October 14, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 25,2014.
- ^ab"Borland a finalist for Lott IMPACT Trophy – UWBadgers – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers".UWBadgers. November 26, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 25,2014.
- ^"Borland named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year".Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2013.RetrievedDecember 4,2013.
- ^"Borland named First-Team All-American".uwbadgers. Archived fromthe originalon December 28, 2013.RetrievedDecember 27,2013.
- ^"Chris Borland | Wisconsin, ILB: 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile".Nfldraftscout. September 21, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 25,2014.
- ^"2014 NFL Combine Wonderlic Scores".
- ^"49ers add linebacker depth, draft Borland – Yahoo Sports".Sports.yahoo. May 9, 2014.RetrievedMay 14,2014.
- ^"NFL Draft 2014: Chris Borland joins San Francisco 49ers, handful of Wisconsin linebackers in NFL – Bucky's 5th Quarter".Buckys5thquarter. May 9, 2014.RetrievedMay 14,2014.
- ^NFL (May 9, 2014)."49ers add linebacker depth, draft Borland - NFL - SI".Sportsillustrated.cnn. Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2014.RetrievedMay 14,2014.
- ^"San Francisco 49ers News — Niner Insider Blog » Fangio not ready to call Wilhoite vs. Borland".San Francisco 49ers News — Niner Insider Blog.
- ^"Rookie LB Chris Borland returns pick for TD, 49ers beat Texans 40–13".Fox News.March 24, 2015.
- ^"San Francisco rookie LB Chris Borland steps in for Patrick Willis against Broncos".Fox News.March 24, 2015.
- ^"49ers notebook: Aldon Smith's suspension might be reduced, report says".October 19, 2014.
- ^Peter Panacy."Rookie Linebacker Chris Borland Making Strides in 49ers Defense".Bleacher Report.
- ^"San Francisco 49ers' Chris Borland Body Slams Tre Mason".
- ^"Chris Borland named NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Week".Niners Nation.November 14, 2014.RetrievedMarch 17,2015.
- ^"Bucs' Evans highlights NFC Players of the Week | CharlotteObserver".Archived fromthe originalon November 29, 2014.RetrievedNovember 19,2014.
- ^"Chris Borland Named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November".49ers.Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2015.RetrievedMarch 17,2015.
- ^"Chris Borland placed on San Francisco 49ers' I.R."NFL.NFL.
- ^"Chris Borland".NFL.NFL.RetrievedFebruary 16,2015.
- ^"2014 NFL All-Rookie Team".Pro-Football-Reference.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
- ^Hanzus, Dan (March 16, 2015)."San Francisco 49ers' Chris Borland retiring from NFL".NFL.RetrievedMarch 16,2015.
- ^"Chris Borland says he's returning most of signing bonus to 49ers".
- ^ab"Borland, Whitehouse receive Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award – UWBadgers – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers".
- ^"Special Event – April 19, 2015".gridirongladiatorsmovie.Archived fromthe originalon April 22, 2015.RetrievedApril 20,2015.
- ^Strachan, Maxwell (March 19, 2015)."NFL Rookie Chris Borland Explains His Decision To Retire: 'The Game Is Inherently Dangerous'".The Huffington Post.RetrievedSeptember 30,2015.
- ^Amid 'Concussion' coverage, Frontline documents Chris Borland's departure from footballLa Crosse Tribune,Todd Milewski (The Capital Times), December 27, 2015.
- ^Adelson, Eric (April 16, 2018)."Chris Borland finding life after football isn't easy".Yahoo Sports.RetrievedApril 27,2020.
External links
[edit]
- Wisconsin profile
- "Meet The NFL Linebacker Who Retired Because He Was 'Too Afraid' To Tackle,"FlemLo Raps via YouTube(Video biography.)