Devard Darling is a retired 7-year veteran NFL wide receiver. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Darling is one of the first Bahamian athletes to play professional football in the United States.
Darling learned how to play American football with his brother Devaughn Darling when their family moved to Houston, TX in 1994. He began his athletic career at Florida State University as one of the top high school prospects out of Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston, Texas. However, after the tragic passing of his identical twin brother Devaughn on the football field during spring practices in 2001, Florida State University would not reinstate Darling for his remaining eligibility. After being connected with Mike Price, former Head Coach of the Washington State University Cougars, Darling was cleared to play and became one of the best wide receivers in WSU history, recording 16 touchdowns and over 1500 yards in just two years.
Darling played 4 years with the Baltimore Ravens where he was selected as 82nd overall in the 3rd round of the 2004 NFL Draft. In the final two months of the 2007 season, Darling recorded 18 receptions for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns in just 8 games. In 2008, Darling signed a 3-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was sidelined with knee injuries in the 2009 season. He continued to pursue his goals on the professional football field with the UFL Omaha Nighthawks in 2010 and then the Houston Texans in 2011, but was again slowed down with knee and hamstring injuries.
In 2012, Darling officially retired and now has soley focused on “Changing Peoples Lives.” In 2006, Darling established the “As One Foundation” in honor of his brother and plans to open a state-of-the-art sports facility in his memory called The Devaughn Darling Sports Complex. While he continues to bring to life the dream envisioned by he and his brother Devaughn: to bring the game of American football to their native country of the Bahamas; he is now also building a business at Altruista Wealth Management, where as a financial advisor and educator, he has the opportunity to change the lives of his clients by helping them to achieve financial independence.
Darling currently resides in Houston, TX with his wife and three sons. His desire to help underprivileged youth achieve their full potential keeps him busy doing community outreach in Houston and the Bahamas. Because of the personal tragedy of losing his twin brother, Darling is the spokesperson for Operation Hydration, an educational program and seminar for high school and college athlete coaches, players and parents raising awareness and educating them on the dangers of dehydration, sickle cell trait and intense physical activity.
Devard Darling loves football and continues to stay active in the work of the As One Foundation. You can contact Devard through his fan organization at devarddarling@asonefoundation.org.
Find out about upcoming events, read more about Devaughn, and find information for Devard fans throughout this site. You can also discover Devard’s pride in his Bahamian heritage and the story of the Darling twins.
View Devard Darling Photo Gallery
Devard’s Statistics