Trevor Deshea Townsend (born September 8, 1975) is a
defensive back who is currently playing for the
Pittsburgh Steelers. A native of Batesville,
Mississippi, Deshea played high school football for
the nationally-revered Mississippi juggernauts the
South Panola Tigers, where he was the teammate of
fellow future Alabama Crimson Tide star Dwayne Rudd.
Along with Rudd, Townsend continued his career in
college at the University of Alabama where both
became members of the Theta Delta Chapter of the Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., in 1995.
An eight year veteran of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Townsend grew from a special teams player and nickel
back (and initially known in Pittsburgh as the
player to wear Rod Woodson's number 26 after he left
the Steelers) into a solid starter for the Steelers
at cornerback. Townsend is known for his outside
speed as a pass rusher. Townsend has recorded 13.5
quarterback sacks, and 14 interceptions during his
eight years as a Steeler. He also had a key sack on
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during the final
minutes of Super Bowl XL, which helped secure the
Steelers eventual victory. He was re-signed by the
Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in March
2006.
