32 years ago today, JJ Watt, the first of three brothers who would play in the NFL was born. This offseason, after he kicked his way out of Houston, he signed a 2 year, 28 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2007, Watt accepted a scholarship to play tight end for coach Butch Jones at Central Michigan University. In his freshman year he caught 8 passes for 77 yards.
After the season, Jones wanted to move Watt to offensive tackle. Hearing this, Watt decided to forgo is scholarship and walk on the University of Wisconsin to play defensive end.
While at Wisconsin, from 2009-2010 he racked up 106 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and one interception. In 2010 he was named a first team All American and first team Big Ten.
In 2011, he was drafted eleventh overall by the Houston Texans. Watt played from 2011-2020 with the Texans where he was named to five Pro Bowls, five All Pro teams, and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Watt has racked up 531 tackles, 101 sacks, 25 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.
While he is a great player, injuries have plagued his career. I am curious to see how he performs as a member of the Arizona Cardinals due to his injury past and that he is an older player.
Another player that was born on this day is Marcus Camby. Camby turns 47 today and was the very first player that was a coach Calipari product.
Camby holds a special spot in my heart because he is a Connecticut native. He was born in Hartford, CT and began his high school career at Conard High School in West Hartford.
He would later transfer to Hartford Public and in his senior season he averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 8 assists per game. He led the Owls to the State Title and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Camby played college hoops at UMass Amherst. In his freshman year, he was named the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year as he racked up 105 blocks.
In his sophomore year, he made the A-10 First Team as he led the Minutemen to the Elite Eight. His junior year, his last season, he was awarded the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year.
That same season, he led the Minutemen to the Final Four and recorded a record 43 blocks in 11 tournament games. In 1997, the UMass Final Four was vacated due to Camby accepting money from multiple sports agents.
In 1996, Camby was drafted second overall by the Toronto Raptors. He bounced around the league through his 17 year career playing for the Knicks, Raptors, Nuggets, Clippers, Trailblazers, and Rockets.
Camby was named the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year, four time All Defensive Team, and led the league in blocks for four seasons.
Camby feels like a borderline Hall of Famer and seeing some of the players like Dino Radja who have made the Hall of Fame, he should be in.