Vince Wilfork
Vincent Lamar Wilfork is a National Football League nose tackle for the New England Patriots. He was born on November 4, 1981. Vince is 6'2" and weighs 325 pounds.
High School Football
Vince attended Santaluces High School in Lantana, Florida.
College Football
Wilfork attended the University of Miami (UM) and played at nose tackle and nose guard for the Miami Hurricanes in 2000, 2001, and 2004. While playing there he acquired the nickname of "Baby Sapp", a complement on how close his playing style and ferocity resembled former UM defense tackle Warren Sapp. He did not play in any games in 2002 due to the deaths of both of his parents that year. The following season (2003) however, he was rated as the best defensive tackle coming out in the 2004 draft by The NFL Draft Report. In his total career at Miami he played in 36 games and had 148 tackles, 14 sacks, 42 quarterback pressures, 5 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.
NFL career
The New England Patriots drafted Vince Wilfork in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. In his rookie season with the Patriots Vince started six and played in all sixteen of the regular season games. Stout, and surprisingly quick, Vince had an immediate impact on the Patriots defense line. He recorded his first official NFL sack on October 10, 2004 in a Patriots victory over the Miami Dolphins. Vince ended the 2004 season with 42 total tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 batted down passes. His 42 tackles were best total amount for any Patriots rookie defender that year.
In 2005, Wilfork became the full-time starter at nose tackle for the Patriots. He started all the Patriots regular and postseason games and made 54 tackles and had .5 a sack. On week seven in a game vs the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football Wilfork had a career high 12 tackles. In 2006, he missed the last three games of the regular season due to an lower body injury suffered in a week fourteen game vs the Miami Dolphins. While starting the first thirteen gamed at nose tackle though he had 50 tackles and one sack... Wilfork recovered from the injury he suffered in week fourteen in time to play in the first game of the 2006 postseason vs the New York Jets. He perhaps made the biggest play of the game when he recovered and almost returned a Jets lateral pass for a touchdown.
Currently Wilfork is expected to start as the Patriots nose tackle in 2007.
