Eric Warfield Season 1995

Honors & Awards

• Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs (1998 - 7th Round, Pick #216)
• Member of Two Nebraska National Championship Teams (1995, 1997)
• Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches, 1997)

Career

Eric Warfield finished his collegiate career appearing in 35 games and recording 107 tackles (48 solo). He also had four tackles for 10 yards lost, forced a fumble, blocked three punts, broke up nine passes, picked off the quarterback five times and had two quarterback hurries. His success led to the Kansas City Chiefs drafting him in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Warfield would go on to spend the next nine years in the NFL; Chiefs (1998-2005) and New England Patriots (2006). He would wrap up his NFL career with 392 tackles, one sack and 20 interceptions.

1997 (Senior)

Warfield started every game except Oklahoma his senior year as he took over for departed senior Eric Stokes. Warfield had 52 tackles (23 solo), two tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two interceptions and a quarterback hurry. He returned his first interception of the year a career-best 23 yards against Kansas State and had one other interception (no return) against Colorado in the regular-season showdown. In the 1998 Orange Bowl against Tennessee, Warfield recorded four solo blocks and returned an interception 28 yards.

1996 (Junior)

Warfield played a key role, backing up Stokes. When rover Mike Minter moved to Will linebacker, Stokes moved to rover and Warfield carried the load at free safety. Warfield has a knack for making things happen. He played in all 12 games in 1996, but didn't have a start. He had 39 tackles, including 18 solo stops, two tackles for nine yards lost, three interceptions, three pass breakups, three blocked punts and one forced fumble. A hard hitter, Warfield had a career-best seven tackles against Colorado and six in the Big 12 playoff game against Texas, seeing increased playing time. Warfield's three interceptions included one against Kansas State, one against Oklahoma (with a one-yard return) and one in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas. He had breakups against Colorado, Colorado State and Arizona State. In the season opener, Warfield blocked a punt against Michigan State, which Brian Shaw recovered at the MSU 16-yard line. NU scored three plays later to go up 34-0 in the third quarter. Warfield had three tackles, an interception and a blocked punt against Kansas State. Against Missouri he had an eight-yard tackle for loss and a blocked punt, which Terrell Farley picked up and ran in for a score. It was seven of the 58 points scored by the defense. In the 1996 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Warfield had one tackle.

1995 (Sophomore)

A scholarship athlete beginning in 1995, Warfield was a contributor to the Husker secondary and was a member of NU special teams. He totaled 16 tackles (seven solo) and had two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. He had a season-best three tackles twice, against Arizona State and Kansas. His breakups were against Missouri and Colorado. He played in all 12 games, including the 1996 Fiesta Bowl against Florida, where he had two solo tackles, including one 10-yard sack of Danny Wuerffel.

1994 (Freshman)

Warfield sat out the 1994 season.

Before Nebraska (Arkansas High School)

Warfield played for Coach Johnny Toombs at Arkansas High School, graduating in 1994. As a senior in 1993, Warfield had seven interceptions, 47 tackles, one blocked punt and three forced fumbles. As a receiver, he had 12 receptions for 312 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had one kickoff return for a touchdown and 11 total TDs. In a two-week span in 1993, Warfield touched the ball eight times and scored seven touchdowns. He helped lead Arkansas High School to a 10-2 record and the second round of the state playoffs. Warfield earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior and all-state honors in 1993. An outstanding all-around athlete, he was the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette High School Athlete-of-the-Year in 1994. He was a 6-8 high jumper and won the state title in 1993, and he was a Bluechip all-region honoree as a defensive back. He was also one of the top hurdlers in the state and led his basketball team in rebounding and scoring. Warfield picked Nebraska over a number of schools including Arkansas. He is believed to be the Huskers' first scholarship football player from Arkansas (dating back to 1971 when records were kept).

Personal

The son of Rose Warfield, Eric was born on March 3, 1976.

Warfield's Career Statistics

.	.	Tackles			.	.	Fum.	.	.	.	QB	Int.
Year	G/S	UT	AT	TT	TFL	Sacks	C-R	BK	PBU	PI	Hry.	Csd.
1995	11/0	7	9	16	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	1	0
1996	12/0	18	21	39	2-9	0-0	1-0	*3	3	3	0	0
1997	12/11	23	29	52	2-1	0-0	0-0	0	4	2	1	0
Totals	35/11	48	59	107	4-10	0-0	1-0	*3	9	**5	2	0

*Blocked Kicks: 3 blocked punts in 1996 (vs. MSU, KSU and MU)
**Interceptions: 3-1 yard (1-0 vs. KSU, 1-1 vs. OU, 1-0 vs. Texas) in 1996; 2-23 (1-23 vs. KSU, 1-0 vs. CU) in 1997
Punt Returns: 1-2 vs. Missouri, 1996

1996 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida: Tackles 2 UT, 0 AT, 2 TT; TFL 1-10; Sacks 1-10
1996 Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech: Tackles 0 UT, 1 AT, 1 TT
1998 Orange Bowl vs. Tennessee: Tackles 4 UT, 0 AT, 4 TT; Int. 1-28