Ahmad Black

Ahmad Black (born December 12, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. Black was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Black officially retired from the NFL on April 9, 2017.

Early life Black was born in Lakeland, Florida, and he attended Lawton Chiles Middle Academy and later Lakeland High School. As a sophomore playing for the Florida Class 5A high school football powerhouse Lakeland Dreadnaughts, he recorded 71 tackles and 10 interceptions, and 71 tackles with six interceptions as a junior. As a Dreadnaught senior, Black recorded 82 tackles and four interceptions.

College career Black accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2007 to 2010.

As a freshman, Black played in seven games as a cornerback for the Gators and recorded seven tackles. As a sophomore in 2008, Black started all 14 games at strong safety and made 59 tackles and seven interceptions for 191 return yards and two touchdowns, and was recognized as a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. Black caught his seventh interception in the Gators' 24–14 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.

Following his senior season in 2010, he was a first-team All-SEC selection and received first-team All-American honors from Rivals.com and second-team honors from the Associated Press. To end his college career, he had two interceptions, returning one 80 yards for a touchdown against Penn State in the Outback Bowl, earning Player of the Game honors.

Professional career

Black was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft with the 151st overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was cut on September 3, 2011, re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad two days later, and later activated to the active roster. As a rookie, he appeared in four games during the 2011 regular season, with five tackles and a recovered fumble. On October 1, 2013, he was released again by the Buccaneers, and was eligible for free agency after clearing waivers.

NFL statistics Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions G GS Comb Total Ast Sack FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD 2011 TAM 04 00 5 3 2 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 TAM 16 01 36 30 6 0.0 1 0 0 2 34 17 34 0 5 2013 TAM 04 02 12 8 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 24 3 53 41 12 0.0 1 1 0 2 34 17 34 0 5

Post-NFL career On May 23, 2021, Black was named the defensive backs coach at Mulberry High School in Mulberry, Florida. On March 2, 2022, Black was named the defensive backs/safeties coach at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida.

Black currently is employed by Lakeland Regional Health and advocates for healthcare in the Polk County community.

Personal life On November 6, 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Black was cited by police for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.