Former South Carolina defensive back and 13-year pro Stephon Gilmore announced his retirement from the NFL Thursday.
As a Rock Hill, South Carolina, native, Gilmore immediately made an impact playing for South Carolina as he started all 40 games under head coach Steve Spurrier.During his junior season in 2011, the No. 9 Gamecocks finished with an 11-2 record and a win in the Capital One Bowl against No. 21 Nebraska.
Anchoring the secondary, Gilmore earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2010 and 2011. During his three collegiate seasons with the Gamecocks, the star cornerback totaled eight interceptions and 180 tackles. Gilmore had a career-high four interceptions as a junior.
As a result of his colligiate success, Gilmore would leave campus early, declaring for the draft after three seasons with the Gamecocks, and was selected No. 10 overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL draft.
During his 13 year-long career, Gilmore spent time with six franchises, including the Bills, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings.
In 2016, Gilmore earned his first of five Pro Bowl selections after finishing the season with five interceptions, which he returned for a combined career-high of 135 yards. In addition, Gilmore broke up 12 passes and totaled 48 tackles.
During his time with the New England Patriots, Gilmore was recognized as a first team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. The 2019 season was Gilmore's best, as he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award along with his lone Super Bowl victory. During that season, Gilmore led the league in passes defended with 20.
Gilmore's 2019 season also saw him record a career-high six interceptions, taking two of them back for touchdowns. Gilmore was the first South Carolina alumnus to ever win the award, and was the first NFL cornerback to win since Charles Woodson in 2009.
He made four straight Pro Bowls from 2018-21, three with the Patriots, and his final Pro Bowl as a member of the Panthers in his lone season playing for his home team.
Achieving the NFL’s ultimate glory, Gilmore led a dominant Patriots defense to a 13-3 victory in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, where he sealed the game with a late fourth-quarter interception.