No. 26, 34, 31 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Return specialist, Running back | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Columbia, Mississippi, U.S. | August 3, 1951||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
College: | Jackson State | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 1973 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Edward Charles Payton Jr. (born August 3, 1951) is a former American football running back and kick returner who played five seasons in the NFL from 1977 to 1982 for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. He also played in the Canadian Football League. He is the older brother of the late Chicago Bears player Walter Payton, the uncle of Brittney Payton and the uncle of the current WGN-TV sports anchor Jarrett Payton.
Payton played college football at Jackson State University and signed undrafted by the Browns. Payton was primarily used as a kick and punt returner. He led the NFL with 53 kickoffs for 1184 yards in 1980. Payton ran back two kickoffs and one punt return for touchdowns in his career, two in the same game. On December 17, 1977, Payton ran a kick return and a punt return for a touchdown for the Lions in a game against the Vikings.
Eddie Payton is the former head golf coach at Jackson State, [1] coaching both the men's and women's teams. From 1986 – 2016, Payton led the Jackson State Golf program to 37 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. His men's team won 23 conference titles, 8 National Minority championships, and was the first HBCU to make the NCAA Men's National Golf Championships in 1995. He helped start the women's golf program in 1994. From there, he led the women's team to 14 SWAC titles and also the first HBCU NCAA appearance for women in 1999.
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.
Desmond Kevin Howard is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was a two-time All-American, including a unanimous All-American selection in 1991, winning the Heisman Trophy. He was selected fourth overall in the 1992 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. Howard spent most of his career on special teams as a return specialist and holds the NFL single season record for punt return yardage. With the Green Bay Packers, Howard was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI after setting an NFL record for punt return yards and returning a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown, the longest return in Super Bowl history at the time. To date, he is the only special teams player to receive the award. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The National Football League playoffs for the 1999 season began on January 8, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the St. Louis Rams defeating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, 23–16, on January 30, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Edward Matthew Drummond is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2002.
William McGarvey Dudley, nicknamed "Bullet Bill", was an American professional football halfback, safety and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
Damieon Dante Hall is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is nicknamed "the Human Joystick" and "the X-Factor". He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Hall played for the Chiefs for seven years before being traded to the St. Louis Rams in 2007. Hall was ranked the 10th greatest return specialist in NFL history on NFL Network's NFL Top 10 Return Aces.
Chad Akio Morton is an American football coach and former running back and kick/punt returner who is the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2017 to 2023.
Anthony “AC” Carter is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 years in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL). He made three-consecutive Pro Bowls for the Minnesota Vikings and was honored by Minnesota as one of the 50 Greatest Vikings of all time. Carter played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, finishing his career as a three-time All-American, and a two-time unanimous All-American selection. He is currently third all-time in receiving yards, and second all-time in receiving touchdowns for the University of Michigan.
Devin Devorris Hester Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). The only primary return specialist to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is widely considered to be the greatest return specialist of all time. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he was the first player in the university's recent history to play in all three phases of American football: offense, defense and special teams. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Hester also played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks over his 11-season NFL career. He is also the only player to return the opening kick of a Super Bowl for a touchdown. Hester was selected to the NFL All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s.
Reginald "Reggie" Terrell Swinton is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at Murray State University.
Joshua Cribbs is an American former professional football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 NFL draft. Cribbs is tied for the second most NFL career record with eight kickoff returns for touchdowns, and also the NFL record with two kickoffs of 100 yards or more returned for touchdowns in a single game. He has also played for the New York Jets, the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts. He was most recently a special teams coaching intern for the Cleveland Browns.
Charles John Priefer is an American former football coach who held a variety of defensive and special teams coaching positions at the college and professional levels of the sport, including 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Darius Reynaud is a former American football running back and return specialist. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at West Virginia.
Jacoby Rashi'd Jones was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, Jones also played with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League in 2017.
Trindon Jerard Holliday is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football at LSU. At 5'5", Holliday is one of the shortest players in NFL history. He was also a member of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Oakland Raiders.
The 1989 season was the Detroit Lions' 60th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 56th as the Detroit Lions, and their first full season under head coach Wayne Fontes. The team improved upon their 4–12 record from the previous season, falling to 2–9 before winning out to finish at 7–9. It was the Lions' sixth consecutive losing season, failing to reach the postseason for each of those seasons.
Andre McXavier Roberts is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist who is a free agent. He played college football for The Citadel Bulldogs and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Roberts has played for nine teams in his NFL career; in addition to the Cardinals, he has played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers.
Christopher Rainey is an American former professional football running back and kick returner who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of Florida's BCS National Championship team in 2009. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL and the Montreal Alouettes, BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, kickoff returner, and occasionally on defense. Patterson played college football for the Hutchinson Blue Dragons before transferring to the Tennessee Volunteers, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Cody Michael Pearcy is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves at the strength and conditioning coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Birmingham-Southern Panthers, an NCAA Division III program located in Birmingham, Alabama. He has served in that capacity since 2017. Prior to working as Birmingham-Southern's strength and conditioning coordinator, he was on the staff as the wide receivers coach since 2016. He previously was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Huntingdon College, in Montgomery, Alabama, from 2014 to 2015. Before coaching college football he played wide receiver at the college level for the Huntingdon Hawks (2008-2011) also of the NCAA Division III. After graduating from Huntingdon College during the spring of 2012 he went undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft. Shortly after he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He was cut by the Falcons in August 2012 before the start of the 2012 NFL season. After he failed to sign with another National Football League team he signed and played for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League for the 2013 season. He was cut following the season. He then signed with the Columbus Lions who were at the time a part of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in November 2013. He played for the Lions for the 2014 season. He was cut by the Lions in July 2014, ending his professional playing career and returning to Huntingdon College that same month as a graduate assistant.