Cameron Heyward

Cameron Heyward

Heyward in the 2012 NFL season.
No. 97 Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1989-05-06) May 6, 1989
Place of birth:	Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Suwanee (GA) Peachtree Ridge
College:	Ohio State
NFL draft:	2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (2011–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten Champion (2007, 2008, 2009)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2015
Tackles: 161 Sacks: 17.0 Forced fumbles: 2 Pass Deflections: 12 Player stats at NFL.com

Cameron Phillips Heyward (born May 6, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.

High school career

Heyward attended Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he played for the Peachtree Ridge Lions high school football team. He was the 2006 Georgia Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year. The team tied for the Georgia Class 5A State Championship that same year. He totaled over 100 tackles and 16 sacks as a Senior. He was considered the 7th best football player in Georgia, and the 13th best defensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com. He benched 335 pounds and squatted 510 pounds, and was considered a scholar athlete at Peachtree Ridge High School with a GPA of 3.2.

College career

As a true freshman in 2007, Heyward was named a freshman All-American by Sporting News, Rivals.com and Scout.com after recording 30 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 passes broken up. The Ohio State Buckeyes went to the BCS National Championships with Heyward as a freshman, losing to Louisiana State University 38 to 24.

In 2008, he recorded 36 tackles and three sacks. The Buckeyes made it to another bowl game in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl against Texas, losing 24 to 21.

As a junior, in 2009, he had 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl, in which the Buckeyes won 26 to 17 against Oregon. Following his junior season, Heyward decided against declaring for the NFL Draft, instead returning for his senior season with the Buckeyes.

Heyward amassed 48 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in his senior season, returning an interception for a career high 80 yards against Miami. He led the Buckeyes to a berth in the Allstate 2011 Sugar Bowl, beating the Arkansas Razorbacks 31 to 26.

Heyward finished his career at Ohio State with 162 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, and one interception.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 4⅝ in	294 lb	34¼ in	10⅛ in	4.95 s					35 in		30 reps
All values from NFL Combine

Pittsburgh Steelers

Heyward was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft (31st overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After wearing jersey number 95 during the pre-season of his rookie campaign, Heyward switched to number 97.

On July 29, 2011, Heyward signed a four-year $6.7M contract, that included a $3.3M signing bonus, and a team option for a fifth year at $6.9M. On April 22, 2014, the Steelers exercised that option, which will keep Heyward in Pittsburgh through the 2015 season.

In 2011, Heyward saw action in all 16 games, during which he had 11 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a pass defensed, and he blocked a field goal. His first career sack was a strip sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

In 2012, Heyward played in relief in all 16 games. He had 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

In 2013, Heyward became a full-time starter with the season's third game, replacing Ziggy Hood at left defensive end. He remained a starter for the final 13 games in which he finished second on the team (first among defensive linemen) with five sacks and led the defense with 31 quarterback pressures. He also registered 59 tackles (two for a loss), a fumble recovery and seven passes defensed.

Heyward did not miss a single game due to injury during his first three seasons, which included 48 regular season games and one play-off contest.

On October 3, 2014, Heyward was fined $22,050 by the NFL for using abusive language towards an official during Week 4.

On July 16, 2015, Heyward signed a six-year $59.25M contract with the Steelers.

NFL stats

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2011	PIT	16	11	10	1	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2012	PIT	16	20	13	7	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2013	PIT	16	59	35	24	5.0	0	1	8	0	0	0	0	0	7
2014	PIT	16	53	33	20	7.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Career		64	143	91	52	15.0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	12

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

Personal

Heyward was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His late father Craig "Ironhead" Heyward was a former NFL fullback. His father passed away from cancer, and Cameron was fined by the NFL for uniform violations when he displayed his father's nickname in an eye black message during the NFL's 2015 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Cameron stated that being part of the NFL was a blessing and he wanted to honor his dad and raise cancer awareness.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference
• Ohio State Buckeyes bio
• Pittsburgh Steelers profile