Sapp was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of NFL draft. He spent nine seasons with the Buccaneers and was a member of the Oakland Raiders in his last four seasons. Since , he has served as a graduate assistant for the Colorado Buffaloes. He compiled His career, however, was also checkered by controversy from his hard-hitting style of play and occasional verbal outbursts. Sapp was born in Orlando, Florida , and raised in Plymouth, Florida , by a single mother.
A two-sport athlete in high school, he also played on the basketball team as a power forward. In high school football, his hard tackle of Johnny Damon in a game against Dr. Phillips High School team gave the future major league baseball star a concussion. In , Sapp was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team comprising the top 33 players in a hundred years of high school football in his home state.
Many top nationally ranked college football programs recruited Sapp and he played at the University of Miami for the Hurricanes , where he was a defensive standout. He converted to defensive lineman and in won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for best defensive player , the Lombardi Award for best lineman or linebacker , and the Bill Willis Award for best defensive lineman. He also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting that year.
Ahead of the NFL draft , Sapp ran the fastest time in the yard dash for a defensive tackle 4. Sapp was considered a potential top five or 10 pick, but due to reports of multiple failed cocaine and marijuana tests released the night before the draft, many teams passed on him. He was ultimately selected 12th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round. Sapp was almost immediately given the starting job as the right defensive tackle, which he held for his entire nine-year stay in Tampa.
With his devastating combination of size and speed, he was able to disrupt opposing offenses even when double- or even triple-teamed on the line. He finished his rookie season with 27 tackles and one interception and continued to be a prolific tackler for the Buccaneers.
