Ziggy Hood

Evander Ja Mel "Ziggy" Hood (born February 16, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NFL draft. Hood was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, and New Orleans Saints.

Early life Hood attended Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, Texas, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track. In high school football, he earned All-District honors his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, he made 76 tackles, including 5.0 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown. As a senior, he was named 3-4A Defensive Player of the Year after making 93 tackles, including 13.0 sacks, and scoring three defensive touchdowns.

In track and field, Hood was one of the states top performers in the throwing events. He got top-throws of 15.50 meters (50 ft 8in) in the shot put and 50.55 meters (165 ft 7in) in the discus throw.

College career Hood played college football at the University of Missouri.

Pittsburgh Steelers

He was selected in the first round, 32nd overall, by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 NFL draft. He moved to defensive end in the Steelers' 3–4 defense, and served as a rotational back-up in his rookie year. Hood recorded both his first sack and first recovered fumble against the Baltimore Ravens on December 27, 2009.

At the end of the 2010 season, Hood and the Steelers appeared in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. He had one total tackle in the 31–25 loss.

Jacksonville Jaguars On March 13, 2014, Hood signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars released him on October 20, 2015.

Chicago Bears On October 22, 2015, the Chicago Bears signed Hood following the release of Jeremiah Ratliff. On December 15, he was waived by the Bears.

Washington Redskins

On February 2, 2016, Hood signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins. Hood re-signed on March 15, 2017.

On October 16, 2018, Hood was released by the Redskins.

Miami Dolphins On October 30, 2018, Hood was signed by the Miami Dolphins.

New Orleans Saints On July 24, 2019, Hood signed with the New Orleans Saints. He was released by New Orleans on August 31.

NFL statistics Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions 2009 PIT 16 0 8 5 3 1.0 0 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2010 PIT 16 9 20 15 5 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2011 PIT 16 14 31 19 12 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2012 PIT 16 16 42 25 17 3.0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2013 PIT 16 7 39 26 13 3.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 JAX 16 0 24 17 7 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2015 CHI 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2016 WSH 16 14 33 17 16 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2017 WSH 15 13 25 13 12 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 WSH 5 0 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 MIA 8 0 6 2 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Career 142 73 231 141 90 14.0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 11

Personal life Hood was named by his father after former professional boxer Evander Holyfield, of whom his father was a fan. He is of half Mexican ancestry. During his childhood, his Mexican grandmother could not correctly pronounce Evander, so she started calling him by the name of her favorite cartoon character, Ziggy.