| Derrick Witherspoon | |
| Position: | Running back / Return specialist |
| Number: | 31 |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 1971 |
| Birth Place: | Sumter, South Carolina |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lbs: | 196 |
| High School: | Sumter (SC) |
| College: | Clemson |
| Undraftedyear: | 1994 |
| Pastteams: | |
| Statlabel1: | Rushing yards |
| Statvalue1: | 7 |
| Statlabel2: | Return yards |
| Statvalue2: | 1,901 |
| Statlabel3: | Touchdowns |
| Statvalue3: | 3 |
Derrick Leon Witherspoon (born February 14, 1971) is a former American football and Canadian football running back and return specialist in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played in the CFL for the Shreveport Pirates and the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Clemson.[1]
Witherspoon is currently the co-founder and Vice President of the South Carolina Chapter of the NFL Alumni.[2]
Witherspoon played high school football and ran track at Sumter High School.
Football: In 1989-1990, he ended his final high school season with 13 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions (2,063 all-purpose yards, rushed for 1,311 yards on 229 carries for a 5.7 average, and caught 18 passes for 223 yards and a 12.3 average and returned 17 kickoffs for 529 yards with a 31.1 average).[3]
Witherspoon was selected to play for the South team in the North South football game in Myrtle Beach on December 18, 1989.
Track: March 24, 1990, Witherspoon and three of his classmates (Marcus Thomas, Harold McCants and Reggie Williams), won the 400-meter relay with a time of 43:20 at the Sumter Optimist Relays.[4] In the high jump, Witherspoon, and his team, had a three way tie for first place with a height of 17 feet 8 inches. He came in second in the 100 meter dash, he was passed in the last 10 meters of the run by Manning High School's Micha Spry.
Witherspoon played football and ran track at Clemson University.
In his fourth game as a freshman, on Saturday, September 22, 1990 against Appalachain State, Witherspoon ran for 81 yards from scrimmage for a touchdown, his first as a college player, and the longest in 40 years in Death Valley.[5] Witherspoon ended that game with 123 yards and 10 carries. He and Ronald Williams ran for a total of 338 yards as first year players in that game.
He placed 7th overall in the 55 meter dash at the ACC Indoor Championships in 1993.[6] As a senior, Witherspoon tried out for all but three teams prior to the NFL draft.[7] While trying out for the Pittsburg Steelers, Witherspoon had a 42 inch vertical and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds.
In 1996, during his second year in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Witherspoon, ran for a total of 1,271 yards[8] as a kick-off returner on special teams and scored two touchdowns. His longest run that season was 97 yards.[9] During the 1996 Philadelphia Eagles Season he was named Special Teams MVP. He was ranked #7 on the Top Ten Eagles kickoff returners of all time list by The Philly Voice in 2022.[10]
He was named one of the greatest running backs in the history of the Midlands by SC Varsity[11]
On December 2, 1989 Witherspoon was named Sumter Daily Item's "Area Player of the Year".
Witherspoon is married and has two sons and a daughter. His daughter, Kalani Witherspoon[12] is a sprinter/track athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.