2006 UCONN Football team MVP Deon Anderson was drafted on Sunday by the Dallas Cowboys. He was taken in the 6th round with the 195th overall pick. The Cowboys actually traded up five spots to get him.
To see a highlight video of Anderson at UCONN, click here.
After Anderson was drafted he had this to say.
“This is crazy,” Anderson said. “I don’t even know what to think.
“He just said, ‘We’re thinking about drafting you, are you ready to play for us,” Anderson said. “He told me they’re really excited about the energy I bring to the field. I just can’t wait to get down there.”
Head coach Randy Edsall shares his thoughts on Anderson as well.
“I am extremely happy for him, his wife and new baby,” UConn head coach Randy Edsall said. “This is why you coach. You do it to see what this young man has gone through and has overcome to reach a life-long goal. You do it to discipline someone like Deon and then see it work out in the end to the point that he can turn around and be drafted. This, and watching these kids graduate, is why you coach, to help them get opportunities that you might not have thought that they would get otherwise. Helping them reach these goals is what coaching is all about.
“I’m also happy for our program to have three people get drafted in the last three years. I think that’s a good statement of where UConn football is today. Deon fits right in with two our other two recent draftees, Alfred Fincher (third round, New Orleans, 2005) and Dan Orlovsky (fifth round, Detroit, 2005) in that they are people who were always willing to put in the time and effort necessary to excel and all three had a true passion for the game.
“Deon is a good kid who works extremely hard and you don’t give up on people like that. He made some poor decisions, but not some horrible ones. We stuck by him, gave him another opportunity and he stuck with it and that has now allowed him to achieve one of his goals in life, playing in the NFL. I’m grateful that he’s getting this opportunity with a great organization which traded up to get him. It is a great reflection on him and his ability to endure through hard times. Deon is one of my ‘special guys.’ He plays the game with such a passion and enthusiasm. This is a joyous day for both him and this program.”
