Background and career
Terrell Raymonn Suggs (born October 11, 1982), nicknamed "T-Sizzle", is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft, and is the franchise's all-time leader in sacks. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Suggs is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, a two time All-Pro, and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. Suggs won two Super Bowls in his career, Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 with the Ravens and Super Bowl LIV in 2019 with the Chiefs. Suggs is eighth on the NFL's all-time sacks list (tracked since 1982) and first all-time in tackles for loss (tracked since 1999). He is fourth all-time in postseason sacks.
Suggs was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in St. Paul. While growing up in Saint Paul, he played youth football, as a center, with future major league MVP baseball player Joe Mauer as quarterback. Suggs moved to Arizona after the eighth grade. As a teenager, he attended multiple schools, the first being Chandler High School. He later transferred to Hamilton High School where he set the Arizona Class 5A record for rushing yards in a game with 367 against Yuma Kofa as a junior in 1999. As a senior, Suggs was named a Parade high school All-American in 2000, Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, the No. 1 jumbo athlete in the nation by SuperPrep Magazine, Arizona Player of the Year by USA Today as well as an All-American by USA Today and the 60th-best player in the nation by Sporting News. In addition to football, Suggs played AAU basketball.
Suggs decided to attend Arizona State University, where he played defensive end for coach Bruce Snyder and coach Dirk Koetter's Arizona State Sun Devils football teams from 2000 to 2002. He finished his career with 163 tackles, including a school, career-record 65.5 tackles for losses, and 44 quarterback sacks, 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and nine passes deflected. He set an NCAA single-season record with 24 sacks in 2002. Following his 2002 junior season, he was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Ted Hendricks Award, and the Vince Lombardi Award. He was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.
Suggs was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft, becoming one of the youngest defensive players ever drafted at only 20 years old. Suggs enjoyed immediate success as a rookie in 2003 as he tied an NFL record by posting a sack in each of his first four games. He finished the season with 27 tackles (19 solo), 12 sacks (a Ravens franchise rookie record), six forced fumbles, two pass deflections, and one interception, earning him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors while only starting one game that year.
In 2004, Suggs was elected to his first Pro Bowl as he recorded 10.5 sacks and 60 tackles (45 solo).
In 2005, the Ravens' new defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, son of famous defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, moved Suggs from outside linebacker to defensive end in many of the defensive schemes. In Week 13, Suggs earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against the Houston Texans. Despite registering a then-career-low eight sacks, Suggs also set new career-highs in tackles with 69 (46 solo) and interceptions with two.
