Before sacking opposing quarterbacks in the NFL, Denver Broncos defensive tackle Derek Wolfe learned the meaning of relentlessness through an adversity-filled childhood in the Upper Ohio Valley. Wolfe, who started on a 2015 Broncos defense that has been called one of the best in NFL history, never knew his biological father and grew up in a family ravaged by substance and physical abuse. He turned, in part, to football. As a teenager, he moved in with a friend’s family and eventually became a standout at Beaver High School, earning a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.
It was at Cincinnati that Wolfe’s signature mantra, DEFWU—Don’t Ever Fool With Us—was born. Started as a tribute to the blue-collar people of the Ohio Valley, whom Wolfe credits with helping form him, the attitude propelled Wolfe to earning Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011. Selected 36th overall in the 2012 NFL draft, Wolfe made an immediate impact for the Broncos, totaling 40 tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 passes defended. After an injury-plagued season in 2014, in which he suffered a preseason spinal chord injury as well as a seizure, Wolfe returned to establish himself as one of the best 3-4 defensive tackles in the game.
Honored in 2016 by Lou Holtz as part of Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame, Wolfe now looks to give back to the community he grew up in by joining in efforts to help the fight against opioid addiction, which has taken the lives of a number of his friends. His charity, the Wolfe Pack Foundation, seeks to help underprivileged children in both Colorado and Ohio.
Derek is married to Abbie Wolfe, and they reside in Denver, Colorado.
