Elvis Dumervil

Elvis Kool Dumervil (born January 19, 1984) is an American football defensive end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Louisville and was recognized as an All-American. He was chosen by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and has been selected for the Pro Bowl three times.

Early years
Dumervil was born in Miami, Florida. His parents were Haitian immigrants to Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. Separated when Dumervil was 3, they raised a total of 10 children. He attended Miami Jackson High School, and played for the Jackson Generals high school football team. Rated among the top 25 defensive ends by most football recruiting publications, Dumervil had a Jackson High record 78 career sacks.

College career
Dumervil attended the University of Louisville, where he played for coach Bobby Petrino's Louisville Cardinals football team from 2002 to 2005. His college career began slowly as a modest contributor during his first two seasons at Louisville; he tallied just 28 tackles and two sacks. The Cardinal coaching staff had planned on redshirting him during the 2002 season, but injuries to other players and a lackluster performance by the defensive line forced him into the rotation.

He emerged during the 2004 season as a junior, recording 10 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. His 2005 season was one of the best for a defensive end in both NCAA and school history, when he broke the NCAA single-game sack record (6) in a game against the rival Kentucky Wildcats,  and broke the NCAA record for forced fumbles. His sack total also broke the Big East record set by Dwight Freeney, who was a player that Elvis desired to emulate. He won several awards for the 2005 season, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award, and Big East player of the year, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

In the 2006 Gator Bowl, Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick intentionally stomped on the back of Dumervil's leg after a whistle. While no penalty was called, the backlash from this play (in combination with a misdemeanor charge for driving with a suspended license) led to Vick's permanent dismissal from the Virginia Tech football team. Vick claimed that he had apologized to Dumervil after the game, while Dumervil disputed that claim and stated that he didn't receive any kind of apology from Vick.

In college he was known for the "strip-sack" maneuver where he would sometimes strip the ball from ball carriers or quarterbacks.

Pre-draft
Despite his collegiate success and comparisons to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, Dumervil was selected on the second day of the NFL draft due to concerns about his small size (5'11", 258 pounds), and the fact that he went without a sack in his final three collegiate games. This may have been due to being consistently double-teamed, but it was perceived by some as a sign of fatigue. Several teams considered moving him to linebacker or only using him in pass rushing situations.

Denver Broncos
Dumervil was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan stated that he planned to keep Dumervil at defensive end.

Early in his rookie season, Dumervil saw little playing time. However, his minutes increased as the season progressed and he finished the year with 8.5 sacks in 13 games. In the first game of the 2007 NFL season he would get the first interception of his career. Dumervil would go on to lead the Broncos, and finish among league leaders, with 12.5 sacks in 2007.

His half-brother, Curry Burns, also played at the University of Louisville and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2003 NFL Draft.

With the Josh McDaniels coaching regime entering the 2009 season, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan moved Dumervil around as an outside linebacker in his 3-4 defensive scheme, but keeping him as a defensive end on 4-3 passing down situations. Dumervil led the league in sacks with 17.

In July 2010, Dumervil signed a six-year $61.5 million contract extension (including $43.168 million in guaranteed payments) to keep him with the Broncos through 2015. However, on August 4, 2010, Dumervil suffered a torn pectoral muscle during practice, and missed the entire 2010 season.

Records and rankings

 * 1st - NCAA single game sack total, 6 vs the University of Kentucky (2005-Sep-1)
 * 1st - Big East Conference single season sack total
 * 2nd - University of Louisville career sacks (to DeWayne White)