Derrick’s 19-year football career started in Marietta at Marietta High School, followed by a move to Knoxville after receiving a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee, where he was a running back, wide receiver, and special teams player. After college, Derrick was picked up as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons, then moved on to play for the NFL’s European league before retiring from the pros. As his NFL career came to a close, he found a passion for coaching football, and has been coaching for over ten years now at his alma mater, Marietta High School.