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Ian Gold

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Ian Gold
No. 52
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1978-08-23) August 23, 1978 (age 46)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Belleville (MI)[1]
College:Michigan
NFL draft:2000 / round: 2 / pick: 40
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:527
Sacks:17.0
Forced fumbles:9
Fumble recoveries:10
Interceptions:4
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Ian Maurice Gold (born August 23, 1978) is an American former professional football player who played as a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Denver Broncos from 2000 to 2003 and 2004 to 2007 and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004. He appeared in 115 NFL games, 80 as a starter, registered 422 tackles, and was selected to play in the 2002 Pro Bowl.

Gold played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1996 to 1999 and was a member of the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that was ranked #1 in the final AP Poll. He was selected as a first-team linebacker on both the 1998 and 1999 All-Big Ten teams.

Early years

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In August 1978, Gold was born at University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents were both students at the University of Michigan.[2][3] He attended middle school in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[2] In middle school, he developed a passion for the arts, while enjoying time with his friends.[citation needed] As a high school senior in 1995, Gold rushed for 950 yards and 21 TDs on 98 carries, giving him an average of 9.6 yards per rush. Gold earned All-West Wayne Offensive MVP and was selected to the Detroit News All-State Dream Team after his senior campaign.[4][5]

University of Michigan

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Gold enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1996 and played college football for head coach Lloyd Carr's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1996 to 1999.[6]

As a sophomore, Gold started one game at inside linebacker for the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that outscored opponents 322–144, won the Big Ten Conference championship, defeated Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl, and was ranked #1 in the final AP Poll.[7] Gold had 34 tackles in 1997, including three solo tackles in the 1998 Rose Bowl.[8]

Gold started eight games at inside linebacker in 1998,[9] and then, as a senior, started all 12 games at the position for the 1999 Michigan team that compiled a 10–2 record and was ranked #5 in the final AP and ESPN/Coaches Polls.[10] Gold led the 1999 team with 95 tackles, including 71 solo tackles,[8] and was selected by the conference coaches as a first-team linebacker on the 1999 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[11] He won the 1999 Roger Zatkoff Award as the team's top linebacker.

Professional football

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Gold was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round (40th overall pick) of the 2000 NFL draft.[12] He appeared in all 32 regular season games for the Broncos in 2000 and 2001, but was not a starter. In 2002, Gold started all 16 games at weakside linebacker and totaled 85 tackles and 6.5 quarterback sacks.[2] Gold began the 2003 season on a strong note with 10 tackles and his first career interception return for a touchdown in the opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals.[3] However, he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right leg on a special teams play during the sixth game of the 2003 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[3] He missed the remainder of the season and underwent surgery to repair the injury.[13]

In April 2004, the Broncos stopped contract negotiations with Gold after drafting D. J. Williams in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.[3] Four days later, Gold signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[3][13] The contract was for seven years and $38 million with a $1.3 million signing bonus, though the contract only guaranteed the signing bonus and gave the team the option to release him after the 2004 season.[3] Gold appeared in all 16 games for the Buccaneers, including 13 as the team's starting strongside linebacker.[2] In early March 2005, the Buccaneers cut Gold to the free agent market rather than pay him a reported $9.6 million option bonus.[3][14]

After being cut by the Buccaneers, Gold re-joined the Broncos in March 2005.[15] He appeared in all 16 regular season games and registered 72 tackles and three sacks.[2] He helped lead the 2005 Broncos to a 13–3 record and a spot in the AFC Championship Game. He remained with the Broncos for two more seasons, starting 15 games in 2006 and 14 games in 2007.[2] On February 29, 2008, the Broncos released him after three seasons.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2000 DEN 16 0 30 25 5 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0
2001 DEN 16 0 42 37 5 3.0 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 0
2002 DEN 16 16 100 85 15 6.5 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 18 0
2003 DEN 6 6 31 30 1 0.0 6 2 14 1 12 6 0 0 0 0
2004 TAM 16 13 71 54 17 0.5 4 1 31 0 31 3 0 0 0 0
2005 DEN 16 16 90 74 16 3.0 12 0 0 0 0 4 4 2 0 0
2006 DEN 15 15 91 70 21 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0
2007 DEN 14 14 72 61 11 2.0 4 1 6 0 6 5 1 2 0 0
115 80 527 436 91 17.0 43 4 51 1 31 30 9 10 18 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2000 DEN 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 DEN 2 2 10 7 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
3 2 11 8 3 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Later years

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In 2012, Gold's autobiography, "Plant Water Grow" was published.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "Five inducted into Belleville High School Athletic Hall of Fame". Belleville-Area Independent. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Ian Gold NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jamal Thalji (July 6, 2004). "Gold ready to prove his worth: The 2004 season is something of an audition for new Bucs linebacker". St. Petersburg Times. p. C1.
  4. ^ "Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan on November 30, 1995 · Page 107". Newspapers.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "95 dream team". Detroit Free Press. November 26, 1995. p. 40. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Michigan Football Roster Database". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  7. ^ "1997 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2015.(to retrieve Gold's statistics, enter "gold" in the box for the player's last name and "russell" in the box for player's first name)
  9. ^ "1998 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  10. ^ "1999 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "Renes, Hutchinson Earn All-Big Ten First Team "Double"". University of Michigan. November 30, 1999. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  12. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Mike Cobb (April 29, 1994). "Bucs Sign Gold to Long-Term Deal: Former All-Pro will give Tampa Bay some much-needed depth at linebacker". Lakeland Ledger. p. C1.
  14. ^ "Multitalented Brown cut loose". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 2, 2005. p. B4.
  15. ^ "Giants sign Pierce while the Jets lose Jordan, Ferguson". The Day (AP story). March 4, 2005. p. D6.
  16. ^ Ian Gold (2012). Plant Water Grow. ISBN 978-0983706700.
  17. ^ Ian Gold. "Home page". iangold.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
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