Together they have two kids Dalaney an Derrick Jr. Pope played at Garden City Community College for two seasons (2000–01) prior to enrolling at Alabama.
He recorded 125 tackles with nine sacks, 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns as a sophomore.
He was a first-team All-America choice and Region VI Defensive Most Valuable Player at middle linebacker.
Pope played in 12 games with ten starts at strongside linebacker as a senior when he served as team captain.
On the year he finished third on the team with 105 tackles (55 solo), including five sacks, nine stops for losses and five quarterback pressures.
Pope impressed the Dolphins' coaching staff early in his professional career and went on to appear in all 16 games, including three starts, in his rookie season.
Although he did not start, Pope saw extended action at San Francisco on November 28 after Zach Thomas left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.
With 3:10 to play in the game, Pope picked up a Tim Rattay fumble that was forced by Jason Taylor and took it in one yard for a touchdown.
Pope recorded seven tackles in the Raiders game, a team high that day, and matched that total the following week in the Bills contest.
He had five tackles and a forced fumble the following week against the New York Jets, when he saw extensive time as Crowder left the game early with a shoulder injury.
In the game, Pope stripped the ball from running back Cedric Houston with defensive end Matt Roth recovering at the Dolphins’ 39.
The team's Vice President of Player Personnel, Rick Spielman, was general manager of the Dolphins when Pope was drafted in 2004.