Damien Anderson

Last updated

Damien Anderson
No. 20, 22, 32
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1979-07-17) July 17, 1979 (age 44)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school: Wilmington (Wilmington, Illinois)
College: Northwestern
Undrafted: 2002
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:45
Rushing yards:142
Receptions:9
Receiving yards:72
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Damien Ramone Anderson (born July 17, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats, earning consensus All-American honors. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, and later played for the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.

Contents

Early years

Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Wilmington High School in Wilmington, Illinois, where he played high school football for the Wilmington Wildcats.

College career

Anderson attended Northwestern University, and was a standout for the Northwestern Wildcats football team from 1997 to 2000. As a senior in 2000, Anderson capped a record-setting season by becoming just the fourth player in Big Ten Conference history to run for 2,000 or more yards in a single season. He closed his four-year career with 4,485 rushing yards (the eighth-best figure in Big Ten history), 38 rushing touchdowns and 5,261 all-purpose yards—all school records. His single-season rushing average was the 20th best in NCAA history (an average of 174.0 yards per game for 11 regular-season games). Anderson also rushed for 1,549 yards in eight Big Ten games in 2000, which remains a conference single-season record. His running exploits helped the Wildcats capture a share of the 2000 Big Ten title, their third conference crown in a six-year period.

Anderson finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting [1] and was tabbed as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back). He received first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, after receiving first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America, the Walter Camp Foundation, Football News, CNN/SI.com and Sporting News . [2]

In addition to his Wildcats career records for rushing, all-purpose yardage, rushing touchdowns, and 200-yard rushing games (4), Anderson still holds five team single-season marks, all set in 2000: rushing yards (2,063), yards per game (171.9), all-purpose yards (2,195), rushing touchdowns (23) and points (138). He also scored at least one touchdown in 11 consecutive games, a Northwestern record. Anderson, who played in 43 career games, started 32 consecutive games during his career and 40 times overall.

Professional career

Anderson played four years with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals as well as two years with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.

In 2004 he made an amazing recovery from injuries sustained in a car accident. Anderson spent 14 days in an intensive care unit and nearly three weeks in the hospital after undergoing surgery to remove his spleen and repair a fractured eye socket. He also suffered liver damage, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung in the rollover accident. Anderson was fully recovered in time for the Cardinals' June minicamp.

Personal life

Anderson is married to Elizabeth Anderson with whom he has son: Drake is a running back for the University of Arizona, after starting his college career at Northwestern.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmitt Smith</span> American football player (born 1969)

Emmitt James Smith III is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and 2 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Among other accolades, he is the league's all-time leading rusher.

Eric Eugene Crouch is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 2001. Running Nebraska's option offense that year, he completed 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had brief stints playing professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and United Football League (UFL).

Raymond Christopher Perry is a former American football running back who played for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan, receiving consensus All-American honors in 2003. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, and played his entire NFL career for the Bengals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrison Hearst</span> American football player (born 1971)

Gerard Garrison Hearst is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. A first-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals, he also played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos of the NFL. He ran for 1,000 yards or more in four different seasons. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Pringle (gridiron football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1967)

Michael A. Pringle is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He set or tied almost every significant league record for the position. He played college football for the Cal State Fullerton Titans, earning third-team All-American honors. He was twice signed by National Football League (NFL) teams, though he saw very limited playing time.

Troy Davis is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Davis twice earned consensus All-American honors and was the first and one of only two NCAA Division I-A running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. In 2016, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He played professionally for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, and was a member of the Eskimos' Grey Cup championship team in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Baker</span> American gridiron football and basketball player (born 1941)

Terry Wayne Baker is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football and basketball at Oregon State University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Baker played for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1960 to 1962, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior. In the spring of his senior year, he led the basketball team to the 1963 Final Four. To date, he is the only athlete to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four. Baker was the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL draft and played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1963 to 1965. He then played for one season in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1967. Baker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Gerhart</span> American football player (born 1987)

Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. With Stanford in 2009, Gerhart won the Doak Walker Award and was the runner-up for the 2009 Heisman Trophy. He received 1,276 points in the Heisman voting, coming in second to Mark Ingram II, who received 1,304 points; the 28-point margin was the closest vote in Heisman history. Gerhart had a breakout senior season in 2009, leading all running backs in the nation in rushing yards, touchdowns, and points scored, and setting several Pac-10 and school records. He held the Stanford record for most rushing yards in a season (1,871) until Christian McCaffrey broke it in 2015, and still holds Cardinal records for touchdowns in a season (28) and most touchdowns in a career (44).

Kory Gerren Sheets is a former American football running back. He played college football at Purdue and he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Sheets was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders of the NFL and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Tripucka</span> American gridiron football player (1927–2013)

Francis Joseph Tripucka was an American football quarterback who played professionally for 15 seasons. He spent four seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and four in American Football League (AFL). Tripucka achieved his greatest success as the inaugural quarterback for the AFL's Denver Broncos, who he was a member of from 1960 to 1963. During Denver's inaugural year, Tripucka became the first NFL / AFL quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. He received All-Star honors when leading the league in yards in 1962. He was inducted to the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1986. Tripucka has the lowest career Passer Rating in NFL history, minimum 1500 passing attempts, with a career rating of 52.2.

Harlan Charles Huckleby is a former professional American football running back and kick returner who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his NFL career he accumulated nearly 2500 all-purpose yards, with over half of that being return yards. He had played for three Michigan Wolverines football Big Ten Conference Champions. He also was a member of the Michigan Wolverines track team for one season where he became a Big Ten Champion and All-American as a member of the 4x400m relay race team. He had also been a four-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state champion in track and field. He played high school football at Cass Technical High School, graduating in 1975.

Dahrran Diedrick was a Canadian professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a three-time Grey Cup champion, winning with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2005 and the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010. Diedrick played college football in the United States with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He began his pro career in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers, and Washington Redskins. He played for ten seasons in the CFL, primarily with the Alouettes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrell Sutton</span> American gridiron football player (born 1986)

Tyrell DelShawn Sutton, is an American former professional gridiron football running back. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Northwestern. Sutton was also a member of the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions, BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Montreal Alouettes.

Michael Thomas Lucky is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Arizona.

Jerome Messam is a former professional Canadian football running back. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the BC Lions. After being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos, he became the seventh Canadian running back since 1955 and the first since 2000 to rush for over 1,000 yards while also winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award. Messam played college football for Graceland University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Lynch</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1990)

Jordan Lynch is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, earning first-team All-American honors as an all-purpose player and finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2013. After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, Lynch had a stint with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) before playing with Edmonton in the CFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ka'Deem Carey</span> American gridiron football player (born 1992)

Ka'Deem Carey is an American football running back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats, twice earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played three seasons with the Bears before joining the Calgary Stampeders.

Marion Grice is a former American gridiron football running back. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State.

The 1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team was an American football team that represented the Indiana University Bloomington in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season, compiled the only undefeated record and won the first Big Ten Conference championship in the program's history. In their 12th year under head coach Bo McMillin, the Hoosiers compiled a 9–0–1 record, outscored their opponents by a combined total of 279 to 56, and finished the season ranked #4 in the final AP Poll. The lone blemish on the team's record was a 7–7 tie with Northwestern in the second game of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Taylor (American football)</span> American football player (born 1999)

Jonathan Taylor is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played high school football at Salem High School, where he set a New Jersey state rushing yards record. He played three seasons of college football at Wisconsin, where he finished his college career as the sixth all-time rusher in the NCAA and became the first player in history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in any three-year span.

References

  1. "2000 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners Archived August 17, 2012, at Archive-It , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 25, 2012.