Professional Football Player. A defensive tackle, he played for for five NFL teams over a nine-year career. Raised initially in Queens, he moved with his family to Walterboro, South Carolina, as a teen; after earning honorable mention All-American laurels at Walterboro High School, he played two years at Itawamba Junior College in Mississippi before transferring to the University of Mississippi. Made a fifth round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1995, he played his first active season in 1996 then moved on to the San Diego Chargers for three years. Hand was to spend three seasons with the New Orleans Saints where he bacame known for his "Big Wiggle" celebration dance and in 2000 was part of a squad that beat the St. Louis Rams for the team's first-ever playoff victory; he played his final two campaigns for the Seattle Seahawks (2003) and the New York Giants (2004), ending his playing days with 22.5 sacks and two interceptions, then returned to the South Carolina Low Country. Hand died of heart disease and the complications of excessive weight.
Professional Football Player. A defensive tackle, he played for for five NFL teams over a nine-year career. Raised initially in Queens, he moved with his family to Walterboro, South Carolina, as a teen; after earning honorable mention All-American laurels at Walterboro High School, he played two years at Itawamba Junior College in Mississippi before transferring to the University of Mississippi. Made a fifth round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1995, he played his first active season in 1996 then moved on to the San Diego Chargers for three years. Hand was to spend three seasons with the New Orleans Saints where he bacame known for his "Big Wiggle" celebration dance and in 2000 was part of a squad that beat the St. Louis Rams for the team's first-ever playoff victory; he played his final two campaigns for the Seattle Seahawks (2003) and the New York Giants (2004), ending his playing days with 22.5 sacks and two interceptions, then returned to the South Carolina Low Country. Hand died of heart disease and the complications of excessive weight.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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