He ended his senior season with 151 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.[citation needed] He ranked third in the state in rushing with 1,252 yards and 16 touchdowns on 206 carries (6.1 avg.) as a running back.[citation needed] He also shared the punting duties for the Tigers with an average of 39.6 yards.
He recorded more than 400 tackles and 7 interceptions during his four high school seasons.[citation needed] He was not highly recruited out of high school but ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at an Oklahoma football camp for high school players and was offered a scholarship shortly after.[1]
College career
While attending the University of Oklahoma, Lehman played for coach Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 2000 to 2003. As a freshman in 2000, he played in 12 games, mostly on special teams and as a reserve at linebacker.
During his 2001 sophomore season, he became the starting middle linebacker. Memorably, he caught the interception by Texas quarterback Chris Simms which was jarred loose by Roy Williams and Lehman took it into the endzone for the game clinching score. He finished the season with 83 tackles, including 2 sacks and 10 stops for losses.
During the 2003 season, the senior led the team in tackles, with 117, adding 1 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, and 19 tackles for loss. Lehman closed out his college career in the 21–14 Sugar Bowl loss against the LSU Tigers with eight tackles (six solo) and two stops behind the line of scrimmage, including one sack. He was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American and a first-team All-Big 12 selection.[2] He was awarded the Dick Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation's top defensive player. Lehman was rated the top outside linebacker pro prospect in the country by The NFL Draft Report.[1]
Teddy Lehman was selected by the Detroit Lions with the fifth pick of the second round (37th overall) in 2004.[5]
Lehman was the only rookie linebacker in the NFL to start all 16 games in 2004. He also logged a total of 1,225 plays (1,054 on defense, 171 on special teams), more than any other member of the team. He finished the season with 102 tackles, the second-highest total on the team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an unrestricted free-agent on March 4, 2008. However, he was released on July 25.
Detroit Lions (second stint)
On July 26, 2008, Lehman re-signed with the Detroit Lions.[6] His No. 54 taken by Gilbert Gardner, Lehman was assigned No. 58. He was placed on Injured Reserve on August 4. On August 8, he was taken off IR and released.
On May 11, 2010, Teddy Lehman signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was one of eight players that participated in the club's May 1–3 mini-camp on a tryout basis.[7] On September 3, 2010, he was released by the Jaguars.[8]
Lehman and his wife Erin reside in Norman, Oklahoma. Teddy now has a local Sportstalk Radio show, "The Rush," on Sportstalk 1400AM and, he does an OU podcast with former OU player, Gabe Ikard. The name of the podcast is "The Oklahoma Breakdown". He's also the color radio analyst for the University of Oklahoma football games.
^ ab2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 23, 2012.
