# Louis Leonard > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Louis_Leonard > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Louis_Leonard.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Leonard > Source revision: 1316348700 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Louis Apprecicio Leonard** (born July 16, 1984) is an American former professional [football](/source/American_football) player who was a [defensive tackle](/source/Defensive_tackle) in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL). He played [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Fresno State Bulldogs](/source/Fresno_State_Bulldogs_football) and was signed by the [San Diego Chargers](/source/San_Diego_Chargers) as an [undrafted free agent](/source/Undrafted_free_agent) in 2007. Leonard also played for the [St. Louis Rams](/source/St._Louis_Rams), [Cleveland Browns](/source/Cleveland_Browns), [Carolina Panthers](/source/Carolina_Panthers), [New England Patriots](/source/New_England_Patriots), and [Denver Broncos](/source/Denver_Broncos). ## Early life Born in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) and raised in nearby [Compton](/source/Compton,_California), Leonard attended [Verbum Dei High School](/source/Verbum_Dei_High_School) in Los Angeles, where as a senior he made 106 tackles (18 for a loss), seven sacks, and four fumble recoveries.[1][2] He was a first-team All-[CIF](/source/California_Interscholastic_Federation) and All-League selection, and was named to the *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)'* All-Central City first-team.[1] ## College career Leonard played [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Fresno State Bulldogs](/source/Fresno_State_Bulldogs_football). After [redshirting](/source/Redshirt_(college_sports)) in 2002, Leonard played in nine games as a freshman in 2003, recording five tackles. In 2004, Leonard played in nine games, starting three, and had eight tackles. As a junior in 2005, he started all 13 games, finishing with 26 tackles and 2.5 sacks.[1] In 2006, his final season, Leonard started all 12 games, recording 26 tackles and three sacks. ## Professional career ### San Diego Chargers Leonard was originally signed by the [San Diego Chargers](/source/San_Diego_Chargers) as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 4, 2007, was waived on September 1, 2007, and re-signed to the team's [practice squad](/source/Practice_squad) two days later. ### St. Louis Rams After spending the first week of the 2007 season on the Chargers' practice squad, Leonard was signed by the [St. Louis Rams](/source/St._Louis_Rams) to their active roster on September 12, 2007, but was waived on October 6, 2007, after being inactive for three games. ### Cleveland Browns Leonard was claimed by the [Cleveland Browns](/source/Cleveland_Browns) off waivers on October 8, 2007. He played in four games during his rookie season. With the Browns in 2008, Leonard played in all 16 games, starting four at defensive end in place of an injured [Shaun Smith](/source/Shaun_Smith_(defensive_lineman)). He finished his second season with 25 tackles. ### Carolina Panthers Leonard was traded to the [Carolina Panthers](/source/Carolina_Panthers) in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the [2010 NFL draft](/source/2010_NFL_draft) on September 1, 2009. He played in two games for the Panthers, starting one, and recording six tackles before being placed on [injured reserve](/source/Injured_reserve) with a fractured ankle on September 22, 2009. Leonard was re-signed as a [restricted free agent](/source/Restricted_free_agent) after the season but was waived on September 28, 2010, after playing in two games for the Panthers in 2010. ### New England Patriots Leonard was signed by the [New England Patriots](/source/New_England_Patriots) on December 15, 2010. He was waived by the Patriots on December 21, 2010. ### Denver Broncos Leonard was signed by the [Denver Broncos](/source/Denver_Broncos) on December 27, 2010. ## References 1. ["Louis Leonard"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070507015542/gobulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/leonard_louis00.html). Fresno State. Archived from [the original](http://gobulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/leonard_louis00.html) on May 7, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2020. 1. ["Louis Leonard"](http://www.nfl.com/players/louis-leonard/). NFL. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120629121600/http://www.nfl.com:80/player/louisleonard/2507117/profile) June 29, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2020. ## External links - [Denver Broncos bio](https://web.archive.org/web/20110503061334/http://www.denverbroncos.com/team/roster/Louis-Leonard/c28c0a3a-2d3d-4dd2-a518-5a6d9c6c1e89) - [New England Patriots bio](https://web.archive.org/web/20110102082331/http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=34331) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Louis Leonard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Leonard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Leonard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.