Overview
James Eric Berry (born December 29, 1988) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was a two-time unanimous All-American and recognized as the best collegiate defensive back in the country. He was then selected by the Kansas City Chiefs fifth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. Berry has been voted to the Pro Bowl five times and has been named to the First-team All-Pro three times. Berry last played professionally in the 2018 NFL season.
Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma on December 8, 2014. After going through chemotherapy in the offseason and being declared cancer free, Berry came back for the 2015 season and was named to the Pro Bowl, the AP All-Pro team, and was named the 2015 AP Comeback Player of the Year. He was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Early years
Berry was born in Fairburn, Georgia. He attended Creekside High School in Fairburn, and was a standout athlete for the Seminole track and football teams.
Berry played cornerback and quarterback, earning a 37–5 record as a starter at Creekside. He was teammates with Rokevious Watkins and Terrance Parks. Following his stellar high school career, Berry was invited to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Berry was considered the top player in Georgia and the top cornerback prospect by every recruiting service, and Rivals.com ranked him the #3 player in the nation. He was once clocked at 4.38-4.41 range at the 40-yard dash at a soft indoor surface at a high school Combine.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).