To date, the Middletown High School praise Chris Godwin for his tremendous effort in building the school’s football team. He made a stellar record playing for the school, bagging a lot of accolades which includes the Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year 2013. In addition to that, he was honored four times as an All-Conference wide receiver and kick returner.
He had his collegiate career at Penn State University where he also performed remarkably. Now a part of the NFL, Chris plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; he joined the team after he was selected as the 84th overall pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
The Footballer Had a Rough but Memorable Childhood
Chris Godwin was born on February 27, 1996, as Rod Christopher Godwin to Lisa Godwin and Rod Godwin Sr. His family struggled financially while he was raised in Philadelphia, little wonder he started working hard to make a difference right from his high school days.
Despite the financial struggles, he enjoyed the unflinching support and love from both of his parents. His family later moved to Middletown when he was three for greener pastures.
The footballer has three siblings, a younger sister named Rian and two half-siblings named Marcus and Sharhonda. Marcus is also athletically inclined; he played football in high school but wasn’t able to go pro.
His Family Lived In Cramped Conditions
Why his parents decided to relocate the family was to give the kids access to a better environment in their formative years. According to Chris’ mother, they wanted a place where the kids could just run free.
Chris Godwin grew to cherish his old-fashioned hometown with its wide-open fields. But home wasn’t very comfortable for him as it was often cramped with three siblings out of which two are significantly older than him.
Also, there were grandparents, uncles, and aunts that came calling almost always. Chris enjoyed their company but it worsened the cramped conditions of the family.
Chris Godwin Joined The NFL In 2017
After he decided to forgo his final year of eligibility at Penn State, Chris Godwin announced that he was ready to join the big league. In March 2017, he attended the National Football League Combine where he performed excellently, topping one of the major vertical jumps and 40-yard dash time amongst wide receivers.
In addition to that, Chris emerged as the top performer in the bench press, recording 19 reps and a 20-yard shuttle with four flat. His success at the combine attracted the attention of multiple teams that interviewed him at the event. These teams included the likes of the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the end of it all, Chris Godwin was selected as the 84th overall in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers.
The Disappointments of His Rookie Season
The first eight weeks of his rookie year was not encouraging as Chris Godwin recorded seven receptions on ten targets – his first 3 career receptions came in Week 3 when his team was up against the Minnesota Vikings and went for 44 yards. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers finished in a 34-17 loss.
Things picked up for him in the final eight weeks. Notably, he recorded an impressive 68 yards on 5 receptions in a win against the New York Jets during Week 10. During the season finals, the Buccaneers came up against the New Orleans Saints in a 31-24 win which earned Chris Godwin the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after he caught nine passes for 111 yards, including one touchdown.
His rookie year was concluded with 34 receptions for 525 yards and one touchdown in a total of 16 games. In all the games the Bucs played that season, they recorded only two wins.
The 2018 Season and Beyond…
The wide receiver started strong for the 2018 season and finished with seven touchdowns and 59 receptions for 842 yards. By the end of his third NFL season, Chris Godwin had proved himself to be a fine player. He recorded new career highs with 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns.
The 2019 season is thus far his most successful outing. For his remarkable performance, he was selected to take part in his first Pro Bowl. He was also named to Second-team All-Pro.
Among other remarkable feats, the wide receiver holds a Buccaneers franchise record for most consecutive games (4) with at least 1 touchdown reception.
Chris Godwin Is Engaged to Mariah DelPercio
The Bucs wide receiver is not yet married but he has been in a long relationship with a lady named Mariah DelPercio. Their dalliance started about a decade ago and they seem to be quite happy with each other.
Mariah comes from a football family: she is the daughter of the former Middletown High School Coach, Mark DelPercio, and has supported her boyfriend since they met.
When Chris Godwin and Mariah became an item, the DelPercio home became a second home for the footballer, a place where he can relax, chat, and play games with family members.
Mariah works as a fitness trainer. In her words, Chris is the perfect young man any lady would be privileged to be with and she can’t help being proud of him. Chris recently got engaged to Mariah and shared their engagement photos on Instagram.
He took advantage of the 2019 off-season to pop the big question. Mariah was so emotional about the whole thing that she took to Instagram to reflect on their time as a couple and what the future holds for them. Chris Godwin reciprocated the gesture by re-posting Mariah’s post on his Instagram page.
The Couple are Socially Concerned
Chris Godwin and Mariah witnessed the damages of the recent hurricane that wrecked Texas and Florida as almost every house close to theirs was affected.
They had to evacuate their apartment in Tampa and drive to the home of Mariah’s maternal grandparents, Pat and Hal Moyer, in South Carolina.
To contribute towards rebuilding what the hurricane destroyed, the couple started a fundraising campaign. They created an active lifestyle brand and pledged proceeds from sales to the victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey through the Global Giving Foundation. The footballer also decided to give part of his earnings to the organization.
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