Derrick Hamilton
Derrick Hamilton

Player Profile
Class:
RS Senior

Hometown:
Dillon, S.C.

High School:
Dillon

Height / Weight:
6-4 / 205

Position:
WR

Experience:
2VL

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Derrick Hamilton Fact: His 1,883 all-purpose yards in 2002 were fifth most in ACC history.
Fall 2003 Depth Chart: Starting wide receiver
Years Lettered: 2001,02
Bowl Participation: Starting wide receiver against Louisiana Tech in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl and in the 2002 Tangerine Bowl against Texas Tech.

Overview: Preseason first-team All-ACC selection for 2003 according to The Sporting News and Street & Smith...also second-team preseason All-ACC as a kick return specialist according to The Sporting News...Phil Steele recognizes his all-around abilities in that his preseason publication ranks him as a first-team choice as a wide receiver, second-team as a kickoff return specialist, and third team as a punt returner...has the best football instincts in the ACC according to Street & Smith...ranked as the 16th-best wide receiver in the nation by The Sporting News...a big reason Clemson has the fourth-best receiving corps in the nation according to Athlon...has 3,104 all-purpose yards in just two years, he is well on his way to breaking the Clemson career record of 4,391 set by Travis Zachery...Zachery reached that total in four years, while Hamilton is halfway to 6,000 yards in just two years...he needs just 1,288 yards in 2003 to break Zachery’s all-purpose running record...has 3,104 career all-purpose yards, he has touched the ball 218 times for a 14.2 yards per play average...averages a Clemson record 124 yards per game in all-purpose running over his career...has 13 games of at least 100 all-purpose running yards in his Clemson career...has a pair of 100-yard receiving games, 106 at N.C. State in 2001 and 101 at Duke in 2002...already has over 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards in kickoff returns...ranks 12th in Clemson history in receiving yards with 1,286 and already third in Clemson history in career kickoff return yards with 1,172...has 400 yards in punt returns, he needs just 40 punt return yards to reach the top 10 in Clemson history in that category...has 105 career receptions, tied for eighth in Clemson history...first Clemson player in history with 100 catches after just two seasons, he has had at least 50 catches each of his first two years...Clemson’s career leader in receptions per game with 4.2...in two years, he is in the top 10 in five different categories in Tiger history...has started 20 of 25 games in his career...has had at least one reception in 21 of the 25 games...has 17 catches in two years against Virginia.

In 2002: Led the ACC in all-purpose yards, becoming the first league champion from Clemson in that category since 1997 when Tony Horne won the title...averaged 144.8 yards per game, just ahead of Fabian Davis of Wake Forest...his average was second highest in Clemson history behind the 148-yard figure by Tony Horne in 1997...had 1,883 all-purpose yards for the season, an all-time Clemson single-season record and an ACC record for a sophomore...it was the fifth-highest single-season total in ACC history, regardless of class...had 231 all-purpose yards in the Tangerine Bowl, an all-time Clemson record for a bowl game; he had 72 yards receiving on four receptions, 113 yards on five kickoff returns, and 46 yards on two punt returns; also had a 28-yard reception, a 38-yard kickoff return, and a 42-yard punt return in that game...ranked in the top 100 in the nation in receptions per game, punt returns, kickoff returns, and all-purpose yards...finished 20th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game...one of just two players nationally to have at least 200 yards rushing, 200 receiving, 200 in punt returns, and 200 in kickoff returns...set the Clemson record for punt returns in a season with 35, breaking the record of 34 set by Billy Davis in 1981...also accomplished as a rusher, he had 21 carries for 208 yards, nearly a 10-yard average...his 9.9 yards-per-rush average was a Clemson record given a minimum of 20 attempts...had a 77-yard run against Georgia Tech, longest run by an ACC player in 2002 and the longest run by a Clemson player since 1993, when Derrick Witherspoon ran 89 yards to paydirt against Maryland...had some impressive single-game performances, especially in the first half of the season...had 256 all-purpose yards in the win over Georgia Tech, as he nearly became the first player in Clemson history with over 100 yards rushing and in punt returns in the same game...ACC Offensive Back-of-the-Week for that performance...had a 77-yard run and a 79-yard punt return in the same game, but did not score on the punt return...the 256 all-purpose yards in a game ranked fifth best in Clemson history...had three 200-yard games in a four-game period in the first half of the season and had four 200-yard games for the season, first Tiger in history to do that...had 248 yards on just 14 touches against Florida State, as he had 104 yards in kickoff returns and 69 receiving yards to help that cause...also had a 200-yard game in the loss at Virginia...had nine 100-yard games in terms of all-purpose running...had a 100-yard receiving game, a 97-yard rushing game, a 96-yard punt return game, and three 100-yard kickoff return games...ranked ninth in the ACC in receptions per game, eighth in receiving yards per game, first in all-purpose running, fourth in kickoff return average, and third in punt return average...started 12 of the 13 games in 2002, as he had at least one catch in 11 games...had a season-high eight catches at Virginia and had a season-high 101 receiving yards at Duke...had a strong game against South Carolina with seven catches for 76 yards...had touchdown catches at Florida State and Duke...had at least a reception, punt return, and kickoff return in 10 of the 13 games, so he had his hands on the ball often...second on the team in receptions, as he was second in reception yardage.

In 2001: Second-team freshman All-America receiver according to The Sporting News...named Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year by the Tiger coaching staff...first-team Academic All-ACC...led Clemson in receptions (53) and reception yards (684) as a red-shirt freshman...that figure was third best in the nation among freshmen and third best among freshmen in ACC history...his yardage total was fourth best among freshmen in ACC history...broke Terry Smith’s freshman record in both categories...first freshman to lead Clemson in receiving since Terry Smith in 1990...broke Terry Allen’s freshman all-purpose running record with 1,221 yards, an average of 102 yards per game...Hamilton wears the same number as Allen...also tied the single-game freshman receiving mark against Virginia with nine catches and set the freshman receiving yardage record with 108 at N.C. State...teammate Roscoe Crosby broke the yardage record in the final regular-season game against Duke...was the ACC kickoff return champion with a 31.7-yard average, the first Tiger to do that since Antwuan Wyatt in 1995...ranked first in the ACC in kickoff return average, fifth in total receptions, sixth in receptions per game, and eighth in all-purpose running...ended the year strong with four receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown against Louisiana Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl; he caught a 57-yard scoring pass from Willie Simmons for Clemson’s final score of the season...caught his first career touchdown pass at N.C. State...also had touchdown catches at Wake Forest and at South Carolina...had a 100-yard return for a score at Maryland, becoming the first Tiger in nearly 100 years (John Maxwell 100 yards against Cumberland in 1903) to return a kick 100 yards for a touchdown...it was just the eighth kickoff return for a touchdown in Clemson history...had 153 kickoff return yards on two returns, that 71.5 average established a Clemson single-game record for kickoff return average...his return was one of the top-five College Football Plays-of-the-Day as chosen by ESPN for that weekend...had at least two catches in all but two games, as North Carolina and Duke were the only teams to shut him out...ranked third in the nation in kickoff returns with a 31.7-yard average...that is a Clemson freshman record and now third best in school history behind Terrence Roulhac’s 32.1 average in 1986...had 205 yards of all-purpose running at Maryland, 153 on kickoff returns and 52 receiving...that was most all-purpose running yards by a Tiger in 2001 and most by a freshman in any game since Don King had 254 against Fordham in 1952...had four games with at least 90 yards receiving; 90 against Virginia, 106 against N.C. State, 91 against Wake Forest, and 94 against Louisiana Tech...had a solid game against Florida State with seven catches for 88 yards...workhorse of the receiving crew, he started 10 games and averaged 51 plays per game.

In 2000: Red-shirted...missed a lot of practice time in the fall of 2000 due to a pulled hamstring.

In High School: Super Prep and Tom Lemming All-American...ranked as the 20th-best wide receiver in the nation by SuperPrep...ranked as the #4 prospect in the state of South Carolina by Mickey Plyler and SuperPrep...ranked as the #8 prospect in South Carolina by The State...a Sports Report top-100 selection...top receiver in the southeast by Rivals100.com...as a senior, he caught 36 passes for 745 yards and nine touchdowns...averaged 20.7 yards per reception...had eight kickoff returns for touchdown and eight more kick returns for touchdowns that were called back...had eight interceptions, including three that he returned for touchdown...a AAA all-state selection; he was all-region and all-area as a junior and senior...MVP of the North-South All-Star game...was standout high school basketball player, he averaged over 23 points per game as a senior...three-year letterman in football and basketball...an all-state, all-area, and all-region selection on the hardwood...played at Dillon High for Jackie Hayes...born Derrick T. Hamilton on 11-30-81...chose Clemson over South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina...majoring in human resource development.

Hamilton 2001 Game-By-Game Stats

Date	Opponent	Plays	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	LG	KOR
9-1	CENTRAL FLORIDA	*23	3	13	4.3	0	16
9-8	WOFFORD	*36	4	55	13.8	0	20	1-25
9-22	VIRGINIA	*38	9	90	10.0	0	24
9-29	at Georgia Tech	*67	7	75	10.7	0	27	3-76
10-13	at N.C. State	*64	8	106	13.3	1	26	1-12
10-20	NORTH CAROLINA	*57	0	0	----	0	---	2-44
10-27	at Wake Forest	*54	6	91	15.2	1	32
11-3	FLORIDA STATE	*78	7	88	12.5	0	26
11-10	at Maryland	*48	3	52	17.3	0	24	2-153
11-17	at South Carolina	*43	2	20	10.0	1	11	4-103
12-1	DUKE	43	0	0	----	0	---	2-63
12-31	Louisiana Tech	51	4	94	23.5	1	57
Totals		602	53	684	12.4	4	57	15-476
* - start

Hamilton 2002 Game-By-Game Stats

Date	Opponent	Plays	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Car	Yd	TD	PR	KOR	AP
8-31	at Georgia	*58	0	0	----	0	3	18	0	2-2	4-62	9-82
9-7	LOUISIANA TECH	31	4	37	9.3	0	0	0	0	1-1	2-58	7-96
9-14	GEORGIA TECH	*34	2	22	11.0	0	5	97	1	5-96	2-41	14-256
9-21	BALL STATE	*35	4	29	7.3	0	3	36	1	4-40	2-55	13-160
10-3	at Florida State	*37	5	69	13.8	1	3	23	0	2-52	4-104	14-248
10-12	at Virginia	36	8	81	10.1	0	1	3	0	2-15	6-107	17-206
10-19	WAKE FOREST	*52	6	40	6.7	0	0	0	0	2-20	2-44	10-104
10-24	N.C. STATE	*48	3	16	5.3	0	2	0	0	3-24	2-50	10-90
11-2	at Duke	*69	7	101	14.4	1	0	0	0	2-24	0-0	9-125
11-9	at North Carolina	29	0	0	----	0	0	0	0	4-28	1-23	5-51
11-16	MARYLAND	*37	2	59	29.5	0	2	24	0	3-29	1-13	8-125
11-23	SOUTH CAROLINA	*64	7	76	10.9	0	2	7	0	3-0	1-26	13-109
12-23	Texas Tech	*52	4	72	18.0	0	0	0	0	2-46	5-113	11-231
Totals		582	52	602	11.0	2	21	208	2	35-377	32-696	140-1883
* - start

Hamilton Career Stats

Year	GP-S	Plays	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	LG	Car	Yds	Avg	TD	LG
2001	12-10	602	53	684	12.9	4	57	6	38	6.3	0	11
2002	13-10	582	52	602	11.6	2	49	21	209	9.9	2	77
Totals	25-20	1184	105	1286	12.2	6	57	27	247	9.1	2	77

Year PR Avg TD LG KOR Avg TD LG PL Yards /Gm /Pl 2001 4-23 5.8 0 12 15-476 31.7 1 100 78 1221 101.8 15.7 2002 35-377 10.8 0 79 32-696 21.8 0 42 140 1883 144.8 13.5 Totals 39-400 10.3 0 79 47-1172 24.9 1 100 218 3104 124.2 14.2 Note: Had one kickoff return for a touchdown in 2001.

• Favorite all-time football player: Jerry Rice
• Favorite athlete outside football: Michael Jordan
• Favorite hobby: Basketball
• Favorite food: Whatever my grandmother cooks
• If I could spend a day with anyone in history it would be: Grandfather (I was young when he died, so I really didn’t get to know him)
• People who have had the most influence on my career: My family
• My most memorable moment in sports: Playing in both the state championship in football and basketball
• Current bowl system or change to NCAA playoff?: Bowl system

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