Chartric Darby is the only Historically Black College Graduate that is scheduled to play in Super Bowl XXXX. Darby, who twice earned All-MEAC honors at South CarolinaState, is seeking his second Super Bowl ring.
Darby is a 6 feet tall, 298 pound Defensive Tackle for the Seattle Seahawks. “Due to his size we at SCSU did not know he would be so successful” said Bill Hamilton sports information director of SCSU. “the average NFL defensive tackle is 6’3 and up, Darby did not have the stature, but he did have the skill.”
“Chartric Darby played with reckless abandon, with heart, and was simply a great competitor,” said former head football coach of South CarolinaState, Coach Jefferies.
While at South CarolinaStateUniversity he was a four-year letterman, and set and continues to hold the sack record at SCSU with 45.5 career sacks. At SCSU he earned first-team all-MEAC honors his junior and senior seasons. Darby played in all 16 games as a senior and majored in business.
Originally, Darby was an un-drafted free agent. He took his skills to the Buccaneers and earned a spot on the practice squad. Darby played football for the NFL Europe’s Football League’s Barcelona Dragons during the off season in 2000. A strong showing there earned Darby an opportunity to exhibit his talents in the NFL. As a Buccaneer, Darby went on to win his first super bowl ring in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Darby stayed with the Buccaneers for four seasons. As a Buccaneer in 2003, Darby was part of a defense that ranked fifth in the NFL, marking it the seventh straight year the defense finished among the NFL’s top ten.
In 2004, Darby started all 16 games for the first time in his career and totaled a career-high 56 tackles.
Darby signed to the Seattle Seahawks on March 21, 2005. During Darby’s professional career he has played 61 career games with 22 starts. Darby has logged 109 career tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Chartic is married to wife Charlette, they have two children, Charquise and Charniya.
“Darby currently gives back to the community and more specifically to people in his neighborhood” said Coach Jefferies. “he has a cookout and a camp,”
Darby has organized and hosted the Chartric Darby Football Camp for the past four years in his hometown of North, South Carolina.
“Darby continues to support the university, he often comes to visit cousin and collegiate football athlete, Rondriekas Darby,” said Hamilton. “which is always a pleasure, for the students and the faculty. This past year he came to homecoming and paraded around the field, he also contributes the SCSU’s football program, by visiting practices and helping out.”
Plans are underway for the Super-Bowl Salute that takes place at SCSU. After a super bowl game where an alum from the university plays a program on campus to honor the achievement of the player is thrown in his honor, this year the recipient will be Chartic Darby.
“We didn’t know he would be this great, I had a sicken suspension that would go pro, but his physical lacking were an issue for NFL scouts, said Coach Jefferies. “We are very proud of Darby at SCSU and appreciate his talent and sprit.”
