Antoine Winfield

Antoine D. Winfield (born June 24, 1977) is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State University, earning All-American honors and winning the Jim Thorpe Award. Winfield was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Early years
Winfield was born in Akron, Ohio. He attended Garfield High School in his hometown of Akron.

College career
Winfield attended Ohio State University, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1995 to 1998. As a senior in 1998, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back.

Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills selected Winfield in the first round (23rd overall pick) of the 1999 NFL Draft, and he played for the Bills from 1999 to 2003.

As a rookie, Winfield played in all 16 games. In the season opener, a 31-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Winfield intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning and returned the interception for 3 yards. In Week 4 (October 4), Winfield recorded five special teams tackles in a 23-18 victory. Winfield got his second interception of the season in the Week 10 (November 14) 23-3 win over Miami with a 10-yard return. After Ken Irvin suffered an injury during the Week 15 (December 19) game against the Arizona Cardinals, Winfield took over and recorded three tackles and three hurries. For the final two regular season games of 1999, Winfield started for Irvin and perform 13 solo tackles in the Week 17 game against Indianapolis, the last game of the regular season. As a starter in the 2000 AFC Wild Card game, a 22-16 loss to eventual Super Bowl XXXIV runners-up Tennessee Titans and the Bills' last playoff appearance as of the 2011 season, Winfield recorded 6 tackles, intercepted one pass from Titans quarterback Steve McNair, and returned the interception for 8 yards.

Winfield started all 16 games for the first time in 2001. In 2003, Winfield had 107 tackles, his highest single-season number of tackles as of the 2011 season.

Minnesota Vikings
As a free agent, Winfield signed a six-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings on March 5, 2004.

In the Vikings' 30-27 win over the New Orleans Saints on Week 5 (October 6) of 2008, a Monday Night Football game, Winfield returned a blocked field goal attempt by Martin Gramatica 59 yards for a touchdown. Additionally, Winfield had 8 tackles and one deflected pass that game. Winfield finished 2008 with 95 total tackles, 2 sacks, 5 passes defended, and one interception.

On July 23, 2009 the Vikings signed Winfield to a new five-year, $36 million contract. The deal includes $16.1 million in guarantees. He made his second straight Pro Bowl in 2010 after replacing injured Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. After making the 2010 Pro Bowl squad, he made an interception that led to a touchdown in an NFC 55-41 victory. He has 14 interceptions while with the Vikings, along with three touchdowns. He is regarded as one of the most physical corners in the league, known for his bone-jarring hits, and was ranked by Peter King of Sports Illustrated as the 31st best player in the NFL. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2008.

Winfield is the only player on the Vikings' active 2012 roster who played during the 1990s.