Anthony Adams
refer to caption
Adams in 2005
No. 91, 95
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1980-06-18) June 18, 1980
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:King (Detroit, Michigan)
College:Penn State (1998–2002)
NFL Draft:2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:278
Sacks:10.5
Forced fumbles:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Anthony "Spice" Adams (born June 18, 1980) is an American television host, actor, comedian, and former football defensive tackle. After playing college football for Penn State, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, for whom he played four seasons, followed by the Chicago Bears from 2007 to 2011.

After his playing career, he became involved in social media and television. He is a former co-host of The Great American Baking Show, the American adaptation of The Great British Bake Off.

Amateur career

Adams attended Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in Detroit, Michigan, and Pennsylvania State University. He played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1999 to 2002, being named to the academic all-Big Ten Conference team and honorable mention all-Big Ten.[1]

During his freshman year, he recorded four tackles in nine games, which increased to 36 tackles and a sack the following season. As a junior, he had 59 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and led the team in tackles-for-loss with 11. In his senior year, he had 67 tackles, two sacks, 13 tackles-for-loss, and four pass breakups.[1] The 2002 Nittany Lions entered the 2003 Capital One Bowl with the chance to record their first top-ten ranking since 1996, but lost to Auburn.[2]

Adams graduated with a business degree in 2003.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
5 ft 11+5⁄8 in
(1.82 m)		 299 lb
(136 kg)		 31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		5.13 s1.78 s2.92 s4.59 s7.68 s30.5 in
(0.77 m)		9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)
All values from NFL Combine[4]

Before the 2003 NFL Draft, Adams participated in the Senior Bowl. Representing the North alongside four of his Penn State teammates, his team won 17–0.[5]

The San Francisco 49ers selected Adams in the second round (57th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft;[6] the 49ers, who lost two starting defensive linemen during the offseason, drafted Adams and defensive end Andrew Williams in the following round to fill the gap.[7]

Adams and Jamar Williams taking the field in 2009

Adams became a free agent after the 2006 season, ending his 49ers tenure with 155 tackles and six sacks in 58 games. On March 25, 2007, he signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Bears; team writer Larry Mayer described Adams as "an undersized but quick tackle who seemingly is an ideal fit for the Bears' one-gap defense."[8] In 2010, he started all 16 games and the Bears' playoff games; at season's end, he was named a Brian Piccolo Award recipient. The following season, he only started four games and appeared in 11, and was released on February 26, 2012.[9]

He announced his retirement via YouTube on March 24, 2013.[10][11] In nine seasons, he served primarily as a depth player, starting at least eight games in three years.[12] He ended his career with 278 tackles and 10.5 sacks.[13]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2003SFO 141262061.55000040000
2004SFO 1412484170.06000021000
2005SFO 16164024162.53000010000
2006SFO 145201282.01000010000
2007CHI 118262150.54000000100
2008CHI 94211470.00000000000
2009CHI 168443682.03000010230
2010CHI 1616373342.09000012000
2011CHI 114161330.02000000000
121742782146410.5330000103330

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2010CHI 221100.00000000000
221100.00000000000

Personal life

Adams and his wife, Andenika, have four children. Teammates have bestowed several nicknames on Adams: Former 49ers teammate Bryant Young dubbed him "Double A" not only for his initials but also for his suspicion that Adams' extra energy came from batteries. His Penn State teammates nicknamed him "Spice".[14] Adams was voted "Mama's Boy" his senior year at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit.[14] He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and was initiated at Nu Chapter. In the summer of 2012, Adams produced a series of videos on YouTube about life as an NFL free agent.[15] On May 5, 2013, Adams earned his master's degree in Business Administration from George Washington University.

Community involvement

Since 2006, Adams has been involved with Youthville, a program in his hometown of Detroit. He gave away two Super Bowl XL tickets to the student who demonstrated the greatest improvement in grade point average. In 2009, Adams visited several Chicago Public Schools to help students write letters to troops overseas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Media career

During his tenure with the 49ers, Adams was a blogger and hosted an online show with teammate Mike Adams called The Adams Report.[14]

Starting on September 14, 2013, Adams began hosting a weekly half-hour show titled Inside the Bears, which airs on WFLD and WPWR-TV.[16]

In 2016, Adams began a recurring role on the HBO series Ballers. He was announced on September 21, 2017, as one of the new hosts of The Great American Baking Show, an American adaptation of The Great British Bake Off, on ABC.[17]

Adams is well known for his Instagram account, where he posts comedic videos under the username "spiceadams". Many of the characters and skits he has created have gone viral since 2018; an example is his catchphrase "ahaha", which became the subject of multiple memes on Twitter, and a photo of him hiding behind a tree in a bright yellow suit while rubbing his hands together and licking his lips in an expression of desire for what he is looking at.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 Rice, Jeff (July 15, 2016). "Top 50 of 2000s: No. 25". 247Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ Rudel, Neil (January 2, 2003). "Lions take huge step back". Public Opinion. Retrieved October 10, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Pryor, Maddy (November 15, 2017). "Comedy helping former Nittany Lion make a name for himself outside of football". Penn State News. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ "2003 NFL Draft Scout Anthony Adams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ "2003 Senior Bowl rosters". ESPN.com. January 16, 2003. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. ↑ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Harris slips down to happy Niners". Tulare Advance-Register. AP. April 28, 2003. Retrieved October 10, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Mayer, Larry (March 25, 2007). "Bears ink free agent Adams". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on March 31, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ Florio, Mike (February 26, 2012). "Bears bounce Anthony Adams". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  10. ↑ Inman, Cam (March 25, 2013). "Former 49ers lineman Anthony Adams retires via YouTube". San Jose Mercury News.
  11. ↑ Jensen, Sean (March 23, 2013). "Anthony Adams files retirement papers". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  12. ↑ Pompei, Dan (May 12, 2019). "How former NFL role player Anthony 'Spice' Adams became a social media sensation". The Athletic. Retrieved October 10, 2019. (subscription required)
  13. ↑ Hockensmith, Dan (August 26, 2013). "Former Penn State DT Anthony 'Spice' Adams releases second parody video about pork". The Patriot-News. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 Haugh, David (November 11, 2007). "Women in his life gems, solid as rocks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Stuff NFL Free Agents Say". YouTube.
  16. ↑ Mayer, Larry (July 17, 2013). "Former Bear Anthony Adams hosting new magazine show". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  17. ↑ Barney, Chuck (September 21, 2017). "Ayesha Curry lands another big TV gig — this time with ABC". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved October 13, 2017. Curry, the wife of Golden State Warriors all-star Steph Curry, will host the third season of the show along with former San Francisco 49er Anthony 'Spice' Adams.
  18. ↑ Goble, Corban (October 24, 2019). "Memes Made Spice Adams More Famous Than the N.F.L. Could". The New York Times.
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