Background
Cherry, Deron Leigh was born on September 12, 1959 in Palmyra, New Jersey, United States.
Cherry, Deron Leigh was born on September 12, 1959 in Palmyra, New Jersey, United States.
Student, Rutgers University.
Deron was a free safety and punter at Rutgers University. In 1979, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. In 1979 and 1980, Cherry earned Associated Press All-East honors. In 1981, he signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, as a free agent punter, but was released in the final cutdown.
Deron rejoined the club in late September as a safety, and made his first interception in October against the Oakland Raiders.
Cherry played high school football at Palmyra High School in Palmyra, New Jersey. Regarded as one of the finest free safeties to have ever played the game, he was a six-time Pro Bowl selection from 1983–1988, starting in five of them in his 11 years with the Chiefs.
Few other Chiefs players have been selected to this number of Pro Bowls. He was a 5 time All-Pro in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1988.
He was also a five-time 1st team All-AFC and two time 2nd team All-AFC selection.
Cherry"s 15 career fumble recoveries place him in a three-way tie for the Chiefs record. He ranks third on the Chiefs list of most interceptions, and is only the 26th player in the history of the NFL to reach the 50 interception plateau. In 1987, he was selected to the Chiefs 25 year All-Time Team.
This is the most prestigious award given by the NFL Players Association.
He is actively involved in several civic organizations, including Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Project Warmth, Score 1 for Health, and the United Negro College Fund. Cherry is a frequent guest speaker at civic, charitable, and corporate events throughout the country.
In 1995, Cherry became a limited ownership partner in one of the NFL’s then-new expansion teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars. This made him the first minority owner of an NFL franchise in the league"s history.
Cherry is also a managing general partner with United Beverage, a local Anheuser-Busch distributor.
He had six 100 tackle seasons in his eleven years as a member of the Chiefs, with a career total of 927 tackles.
Married Faith Cherry. 1 child, Deron World War II.