Warren Sapp was loud, brash, mean, and cocky, but he was also one of the best defensive tackles in NFL history.
Gotta love the Warren Sapp reference just in case anybody forgot that it’s 2002! 😅 #SappShenanigans #HATM pic.twitter.com/rZk9aYnHQ8
— Dr. Drew Folk 🇺🇸🇺🇦🌻🏳️⚧️ (@DrDrewFolk1) June 26, 2023
After growing up in a small town in Florida, Sapp matriculated at the University of Miami.
As a Hurricane, he unseated a future movie star and became a force of nature.
Sapp also gained national attention and collected several postseason awards.
Then, after declaring for the 1995 NFL Draft, rumors circulated that he had failed several drug tests.
The rumors proved to be false, but the damage was done and Sapp’s draft position stumbled.
He was eventually selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance.
Sapp played 13 years in the NFL with two teams before retiring and getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His life in retirement has been plagued by highs and lows including legal troubles and bankruptcy.
This is the story of Warren Sapp.
Growing Up in Plymouth
Warren Carlos Sapp was born on December 19, 1972, in Plymouth, Florida.
He was raised by a single mother who worked four jobs to support her six children.
Living in poverty, the family had to work hard for everything they needed.
“I learned that you don’t forget where you came from, and I came from dirt,” Sapp said.
Thankfully, Sapp’s mother and close family members kept the children in line.
“I had a very loving and caring mother,” Sapp continues. “I had people around. I had a big family. I took what I had, and I worked with it. Sometimes life deals you a dirty hand. So you just have to rearrange it.”
Sapp’s propensity for fighting through blocks later in life began when his mother taught him to fight back against bullies as a kid.
“That Washington boy was hitting Carlos (as his mother and everyone in town called him), and he wasn’t even hitting back,” she said. “I told Carlos to just go on home. I told him, Never start a fight, but don’t let anybody hit you without fighting back.”
When Sapp began playing football at Apopka High School, the coaching staff saw a raw talent but also someone who wouldn’t back down from a challenge.
“I can’t tell you how many people said, ‘This guy is not going to make it,’ ” said Chip Gierke, Sapp’s coach at Apopka. “I had one guy, coaching at a big-time college and ended up being a general manager, told me Sapp would never make it. I’ve learned this: Never is a long time.”
Sapp Makes a Name for Himself
Sapp continued to improve on the gridiron and played tight end, place-kicker, punter, and linebacker for the Blue Darters.
Can’t see why anyone would be upset about drafting the next Warren Sapp. Just a couple Apopka high legends. pic.twitter.com/Fsii2g1gMe
— Lions Bot Private First Class Jersey Jerry Army (@DetroitLionsBot) April 6, 2023
However, if Sapp’s grades slipped, his mother would let his coaches know.
Coach Gierke shared a story with Sports Illustrated about the time Sapp’s mother interrupted football practice to inform the coaching staff that her son wouldn’t be playing anymore until his grades were in order.
“A tremendous lady,” said Gierke. “Pretty much a lady of proper priorities.”
When he did play, Sapp’s athleticism floored teammates and opponents alike.
Even as he grew in size, Sapp could keep up with Apopka’s speediest athletes.
“In his years at Apopka, he never lost a sprint,” assistant coach Wil Carlton said. “Never.”
Sapp laid the wood to ballcarriers as a defender, including former MLB player Johnny Damon, but he was also nimble enough to catch passes.
“People don’t realize, Warren Sapp was an All-American tight end,” said Damon, who played high school football against Sapp. “He was a beast.”
During his time in high school, Sapp was also a ferocious power forward for the Apopka basketball team.
He was known for his ability to fly down the court and crush a thundering dunk.
But it was football that revved Sapp’s engine and he was very good at the sport.
By the time his senior season ended, Sapp led the Blue Darters program all-time in tackles for loss, longest field goal, and sacks.
In 2007, the Florida High School Association named Sapp one of its 33 players for the state’s All-Century football team.
Sapp Becomes a Hurricane
Colleges across the nation wanted Sapp to play for them, but he wanted to play near home.
Florida State and Miami hounded him until Sapp finally decided to join the Hurricanes on national signing day in 1991.
Miami Hurricanes
Warren Sapp pic.twitter.com/0TneuEyN1y
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) February 17, 2023
Before becoming a ‘Cane, Sapp had to get his academic affairs in order and took the ACT test twice before getting the requisite score.
Miami head coach Dennis Erickson and his staff originally envisioned Sapp as a tight end, recognizing his good hands and ability to get open.
The notion didn’t last long and Sapp was moved to the defensive line before the 1992 season.
Sapp was so sure about his ability to start for the ‘Canes, that he let an upperclassman know he was taking his spot.
Warren Sapp and ohh look @TheRock Dwayne Johnson!! pic.twitter.com/KNuArYnfCC
— Dallas Walker (@DallasWalker42) August 5, 2013
It was a conversation that then-sophomore Dwayne Johnson and Sapp would never forget.
“I went down and sat in the D-lineman room,” Sapp recalled, “and Dewey [Johnson’s UM nickname] walks in and says, ‘What are you doing here?’ I looked at him and said, ‘I’m here for your job, b—h.’”
The future WWE and Hollywood movie star never stood a chance.
“Like true defensive linemen would do, full of ego, especially down at Miami because we all talked trash, I said ’Well, you ain’t taking my spot,’” Johnson said. ”Then about six months later, he took my spot.”
As a lineman, Sapp held his own against bigger athletes and finished the year with 40 tackles and three sacks as Miami finished third in the nation with an 11-1 record.
All-American
In 1993, Miami went 9-3 as Sapp put his 6’2, 300 pounds into destroying ball carriers.
Those blocking him could only slow Sapp for so long before he ran down the ball like a lion after its prey.
He had six sacks and 52 tackles as a sophomore before proving nearly unstoppable as a junior.
Sapp was frequently double-teamed in 1994 but his motor got the best of any who tried to stop him.
On this day in 1995, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Miami Hurricane and future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp with the twelfth (12th) overall pick in the #NFLDraft. pic.twitter.com/pMK22Q8KU1
— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) April 23, 2021
While the ‘Canes went 10-2 and lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, Sapp was a human wrecking ball and accounted for 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 84 tackles.
His play on the field couldn’t be ignored and Sapp became Miami’s first-ever winner of the Lombardi Trophy for the country’s best defensive lineman or linebacker.
He also received the Bill Willis Award for the nation’s best defensive lineman, was named the ‘Canes team MVP, received a consensus All-American nod, and was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Voters for the Heisman Trophy also showed some love as Sapp came in sixth for the award.
“Drug Use” Causes Sapp’s Draft Stock to Fall
Sapp had proven himself capable of decimating anyone he came across and decided to skip his senior year.
He prepared for the 1995 NFL Draft by participating in the NFL Combine and blew scouts away with a 4.69 40-yard dash time.
His 40 time and play in college led several draft pundits to declare Sapp a top-five pick.
However, just weeks later, Sapp was awakened by a friend who shared unpleasant news.
Numerous media outlets were reporting that Sapp had tested positive for cocaine and marijuana use while he attended the Combine and while playing for Miami.
Warren Sapp slid back in 1995 because of rumors linked to failed drug tests. Made it all the way to #Canton. Just saying.
— BTJ (@BrianJoyce10) April 29, 2016
Sapp couldn’t believe what he was hearing and vehemently denied the accusations.
“That’s not something I would involve myself in,” Sapp said. “Definitely not. Anybody who’s ever been remotely close to me can attest to that. It’s not me.”
His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, played damage control and reached out to every NFL team with the message that the report was incredibly wrong.
Sapp’s mother was interviewed by Sports Illustrated and she also had trouble believing the reports.
“It’s something I really couldn’t handle,” she said. “I’ve never known Carlos to drink beer or smoke.”
By mid-March 1995, the New York Times, who had first reported the allegations, came under fire when the NFL said that the “positive” drug test results for Sapp were incorrect.
Sapp briefly considered suing the Times but decided against it.
NFL teams were still wary of Sapp and he went from a top-five selection to possibly falling to the middle or end of the first round.
“If they drop me to 10th, that’s still more money than I’ve ever seen in my life,” Sapp said. “It’s still an opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the NFL. So if one team feels this incident makes me less of a player or the wrong kind of person for their franchise — to each his own. If they pass me by? Well, good luck.”
Tampa Bay Picks Sapp
On the first day of the 1995 draft, Sapp and his family were nervous to see when he would be selected, knowing that he would lose millions with each passing pick.
After the Cincinnati Bengals selected Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter with the first overall selection, the picks continued.
When the ninth selection arrived, the New York Jets were on the clock and Jets fans present at the event tried desperately to tell the team who they wanted.
“WE WANT SAPP! WE WANT SAPP! WE WANT SAPP!”
Then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue walked to the podium, and as the New York fans held their collective breath, announced that the team had picked Carter’s Nittany Lions teammate Kyle Brady, a tight end.
POD: Which ex-Penn State TE picked 9th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft AHEAD OF WARREN SAPP by the New York Jets am I??? pic.twitter.com/F6dtzzRnAN
— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) April 7, 2017
The reaction was a mix of silence and jeers from Jets fans.
Thankfully, only three spots later, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stepped up and selected Sapp with the 12th overall pick, signing him to a four-year $4.4 million deal.
Happy Draft Day! 🏈
This picture never gets old! Sapp and I told Mr. Selmon that things were about to change. We were bold 😂
Throwback to 1995 with 99 + 55@WarrenSapp @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/RHD4Jm37n8
— Derrick Brooks (@DBrooks55) April 27, 2023
Then, with their 28th overall selection, the Bucs picked former Florida State linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Little did the organization know that it had just selected two pieces of a burgeoning championship team.
Tony Dungy Arrives in Tampa
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were an organization mired in mediocrity.
By the time Sapp arrived in 1995, the franchise had not been to the playoffs since 1982, which was also the last time the team had a winning record.
In his rookie year, Sapp was a decent player, starting eight games and netting three sacks, an interception for a pick-six, and 27 combined tackles.
However, he also lost his starting job during the year.
After a 7-9 season under head coach Sam Wyche in 1995, Tampa Bay fired Wyche and hired former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy.
Dungy had played safety as an NFL player and enjoyed coaching the defensive side of the ball.
One of the coach’s first orders of business was to help Sapp play up to his potential.
Sapp had charges of marijuana possession dropped during his rookie year and Dungy believed his soon-to-be star needed to check his priorities.
“When he’s with his old friends, Warren doesn’t want anyone to think success has changed him, and that’s a good quality,” said Dungy. “What I told him was that, just as you have a responsibility to your old friends, you have a responsibility to your teammates and your organization.”
Sapp took the pep talk to heart and began applying himself on the field.
He still ran his mouth and talked trash at everyone within earshot, but Sapp started 14 games in 1996 and had nine sacks and 51 total tackles.
No. 76: Warren Sapp
"If I could describe Warren Sapp, like it's a hurricane at all times." @Buccaneers
📺: #NFL100 Greatest Characters on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/SCDkkFJer3
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2019
Then, in the first game of the 1997 season, he was responsible for knocking San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young and receiver Jerry Rice out of the game with earth-shattering hits.
Rice’s injury forced him to miss the remainder of the year and he felt that Sapp owed him an apology.
That wasn’t Sapp’s style, however.
“What should I be apologizing for?” Sapp responded.
The Bucs Start Winning
The same year Sapp single-handedly beat the Niners, Tampa Bay was beginning to trend upward.
Sapp’s play in Week 1 led to a 13-6 upset of San Francisco.
Tampa continued to pile up wins thanks to Sapp and Brooks as well as rookies Warrick Dunn and Ronde Barber.
Barber was part of a tough Bucs defense that also sported the likes of John Lynch and Hardy Nickerson.
The unit ended the season ranked second in the NFL while Dunn, Mike Alstott, and quarterback Trent Dilfer finished 23rd in the NFL in total offense.
Sapp’s third season resulted in his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections while collecting 58 tackles (a career-high), 10.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
My All Time Team: Backup DL Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers https://t.co/dfm6DN10qC pic.twitter.com/gbKiDnjAxO
— allthings18 (@ALLTHINGS18) April 5, 2019
Tampa Bay ended the regular season with a 10-6 record (the most wins for the franchise since 1979) and a playoff berth.
After defeating Detroit in the Wild Card round, the Bucs’ season ended with a loss to Green Bay in the Divisional round.
Defensive Player of the Year
In 1998, Tampa fell to 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
The following year, the team righted itself and went 11-5, signaling the most wins in franchise history.
Part of the reason for the success was due to Sapp and the defense which was the third-best unit in the league.
Warren Sapp's #Buccaneers DT records:
– Career SK (77), COMB TKL (406), INT (3), FF (15), & FR (9)
– Season SK (16.5) & TFL (20)
– Seasons (3) of 10+ SK
– GP of 1+ (54) & 2+ (17) SKpic.twitter.com/u4rEsMt93E— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) October 17, 2022
During the season, the defensive tackle ran his mouth while running through people on the way to 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and four passes knocked down.
“He’s always been good against the run, and he’s become a dominant pass rusher,” said Vikings guard Randall McDaniel. “That’s a rare combination. I’m glad I won’t be around when he reaches his potential.”
Sapp’s play led to the NFL selecting him as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Unfortunately, a week after the Bucs defeated Washington in the Divisional round, the team fell short against the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship game, 11-6.
Dungy is Fired, Bucs Hire Jon Gruden
The Buccaneers won just enough games in 2000 and 2001 to get to the postseason but lost both years in the Wild Card round to Philadelphia.
Team owner Malcolm Glazer liked Dungy, but he felt the organization was too talented not to be contending for Super Bowls every year.
So, before the 2002 season, Glazer fired Dungy and hired former Raiders coach Jon Gruden.
The hiring came at a hefty price as Raiders owner Al Davis wanted a king’s ransom in return and received several of Tampa’s 2002-2004 draft picks and $8 million.
Gruden got to work retooling the Bucs’ offense and utilized the talents of quarterback Brad Johnson, receiver Keyshawn Johnson, and Alstott.
Tampa’s defense didn’t need much help as the unit now had defensive end Simeon Rice to bludgeon offenses.
By the end of the ‘02 season, the group was the NFL’s best defense.
Time to dust up my Warren Sapp Jersey #Bucs! pic.twitter.com/LMQUxz3PSJ
— Simba Kagoro (@SimbaKagoro) April 21, 2020
Sapp was voted as a first-team All-Pro and to his sixth Pro Bowl on the strength of his 52 tackles, 7.5 sacks, two picks (career high), and four passes defended.
Meanwhile, the team won 12 games for the first time in franchise history and crushed San Francisco in the Divisional round before beating Philadelphia (finally) in the NFC Championship Game.
That brought Tampa Bay its first Super Bowl berth in team history.
Super Bowl XXXVII
In an unbelievable twist of fate, the Bucs would be playing Gruden’s former team, the Oakland Raiders for Super Bowl XXXVII.
Oakland began the contest as four-point favorites and kept Tampa Bay in check with a 3-3 score in the first quarter.
Then, the floodgates opened and the Bucs, led by Sapp and company, began torturing the Raiders offense.
From the second quarter through the end of the game, Tampa’s offense and defense owned Oakland.
Bucs safety Dwight Smith picked off Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon twice and returned both interceptions for touchdowns.
Additionally, Derrick Brooks also took a pick-six to the house late in the game.
In "The Pirate Bowl," it was the @Buccaneers' defense that delivered the offensive punch against the Raiders.#OTD in 2003, a Super Bowl-record THREE pick sixes fueled Tampa Bay's 48-21 blowout win over Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII.
🎥: @NFL pic.twitter.com/S4zOCaj7oW
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) January 27, 2023
When the smoke cleared, Tampa Bay had intercepted Gannon a Super Bowl record five times (three returned for scores) and also sacked Gannon five times.
Sapp had two sacks and five tackles during the contest as the Bucs’ defense read Oakland’s number-one offense like a book.
Apparently, the Raiders coaching staff had not changed their playbook or audible calls since Gruden coached the team.
The result was Gruden and the Bucs’ defense guessing correctly what the Raiders’ offense would do before they did it.
That error in judgment led to Tampa Bay’s easy 48-21 win.
Sapp Leaves for Oakland
As the saying goes, all good things come to an end.
In 2003, Tampa fell to 7-9 as Sapp took 44 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and three passes defended with him to his seventh Pro Bowl.
When the season concluded, the Bucs were slow to offer him an extension and Sapp took it as a sign that the organization no longer wanted him.
The Oakland Raiders, on the other hand, were more than happy to add Sapp’s talent and signed him to a seven-year deal worth more than $36 million.
“The bad news is I won’t be back with the Bucs,” Sapp said. “The good news is I’m a Raider.”
Sapp would be joining a team that had also faltered a year after Super Bowl XXXVII and Oakland management hoped he would reverse their fortunes.
“Warren Sapp is another popular player to join the organization just like a Jim Plunkett, a Rod Woodson, and a Jerry Rice,” Raiders spokesman Artie Gigantino said. “We feel he’s got a lot of football left in him and will make a positive contribution to the Oakland Raiders’ defense the next couple of years.”
During his first year with the club, Sapp started every game and had 42 tackles and 2.5 sacks while Oakland went 5-11.
One Last Gasp, then Retirement
Sapp still had plenty left in the tank.
The problem was, the Raiders just weren’t talented enough to benefit from his play.
In 2005, the team won four games followed by just two victories under Art Shell in 2006.
That same year, Sapp started all 16 games while collecting 47 tackles and 10 sacks (his highest total since 2000).
99 days until Football is back. My favorite @Raiders #99 HOF @WarrenSapp who recorded 10 Sacks, 1FF, 47 total Tackles in 2006. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/I3xPLUHzzX
— Christian Jameson (@Blackthorne1337) May 31, 2023
Oakland fired Shell after one year and hired Lane Kiffin in 2007 but the team still faltered to a 4-12 season.
Sapp started every game and had 51 tackles and two sacks.
When the ‘07 season concluded he retired after 13 years in the NFL.
“I’M DONE.” Sapp posted.
During his career, Sapp had 578 combined tackles, 96.5 sacks (second most by an interior defensive lineman in NFL history), 12 fumble recoveries, 19 forced fumbles, 21 passes defended, and four interceptions including one returned for a touchdown.
His 16.5 sacks in 2000 set a Buccaneers record and was the third-best single-season total by an NFL defensive tackle.
Sapp was a seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro, Super Bowl winner, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Warren Sapp #HOF Pictures #Bucs http://t.co/WAfJM9ksTr #SportsRoadhouse pic.twitter.com/wX2PC6t64e
— BucsSRH (@BucsSRH) August 10, 2013
Additionally, Sapp was selected for the NFL’s 1990s and 2000s All-Decade Teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor and had his number 99 retired by the Bucs.
“I want to thank anybody that had anything to do with this,” Sapp said when Tampa retired his number. “Anybody who put up with my wildness, that overlarge personality, and this big ol’ mouth of mine.”
Then, in 2013, Sapp was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Difficult Retirement
After retiring from the NFL, Sapp has had good moments mixed in with periods of questionable behavior.
He invested as a developer for low-income housing in Florida in 2006 but lost his investment during the real estate crash of 2008.
That same year, Sapp was hired by Showtime to be an analyst for the program Inside the NFL.
In 2012, Sapp filed for bankruptcy as a result of failed business ventures and $6.7 million in debt.
At the time, he was working for the NFL Network as an analyst but lost that job in 2015 when he was found guilty of soliciting a prostitute.
As of 2021, Sapp was a co-host of a weekly sports betting podcast called “BetUS.”
References
https://www.deseret.com/2004/3/21/19818775/sapp-signs-with-raiders
https://clutchpoints.com/a-look-back-at-the-amazing-nfl-legacy-of-warren-sapp
https://www.buccaneers.com/team/ring-of-honor/warren-sapp
https://www.profootballhof.com/players/warren-sapp/
https://www.umsportshalloffame.com/warren-sapp.html
https://www.espn.com/nfl/db/profile?page=warren-sapp
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SappWa00.htm
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