No. 35 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. | January 30, 1981||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Falmouth (MA) | ||||||||||
College: | Colgate | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2006 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Jamaal Branch (born January 30, 1981) is a former American football running back. who played two seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Colgate University.
Jamaal Branch was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but soon after his family moved to Mashpee, Massachusetts, where he still resides. Branch attended Falmouth High School and graduated in 1999. While at Falmouth, Branch was a 4-time letter-winner for Football & Track teams, and was teammates at Falmouth with another former NFL player from Mashpee, Willie Ford. Branch was also a star football player while attending New Hampton Preparatory School where he was a postgraduate student.
Branch played college football at Colgate University from 2000–2001, 2003-2004. After sitting out all of 2002 for personal reasons, Branch led all of Division I football with 168.8 rushing yards and 12.5 points per game in 2003, setting NCAA records for yards (2,026), touchdowns (25), rushes (338), 100-yard games (11), and consecutive 100-yard games (11). He received the 2003 Walter Payton Award, given annually by The Sports Network.com to the best player in Division I-AA football. [1] It is widely considered to be the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for Division I-A. He graduated in 2005 and is the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. [2]
Before Branch's rookie season, he played in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire and Cologne Centurions to help develop his skills and adjust to playing in the NFL. On December 29, 2006, it was reported that the New Orleans Saints signed Branch to their roster. [3] Two days later, in the Saints' New Year's Eve game against the Carolina Panthers, Branch scored his first touchdown. It was a 7-yard outside rush to the end zone. Branch broke his leg on the opening kickoff of the 2007 season's week 16 game against Philadelphia. Branch did not play again that season. He was released by the Saints on May 2, 2008.
Branch currently works with the Pop Warner Youth Football players in his hometown of Mashpee, and also works with a company called D-1 Athletes, alongside former Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans wide receiver, Isaac Byrd. Branch works with highly touted high school football prospects & players who are being recruited by or potential D-1 College Football players. Branch works on speed development and running back techniques with the company. [4]
A native of Mashpee, Massachusetts, Branch is of mixed African-American and Native American Indian (Wampanoag) descent. His mother is from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. [5]
Sammy D. Knight, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Knight was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants. He was also an assistant coach for USC.
David Patten was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He is best known for catching a touchdown pass late in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXXVI from quarterback Tom Brady as a member of the New England Patriots.
Bryan Heath Evans is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Auburn Tigers, he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints, the last of which he won a Super Bowl with while on injured reserve. Evans retired after the 2010 season and was formerly an analyst with NFL Network.
Adrian Nicholas Peterson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft, playing eight seasons for Chicago. Then he played for the Virginia Destroyers in the UFL. He played college football for the Georgia Southern Eagles, where he set numerous school, Southern Conference, and NCAA Division I-AA records, as well as winning two I-AA National Championships and receiving the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding player in I-AA football. He is currently serving as the director of student-athlete development for Georgia Southern.
Patrick Sean Payton is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021, leading the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory during the 2009 season. Payton played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers and played professionally in 1987 with the Chicago Bears and 1988 overseas in Britain for the Leicester Panthers.
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles is an American former professional football running back who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Walter Jerry Payton was an American professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "Sweetness", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time.
Vaughn Allen Dunbar is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers, and earned consensus All-American accolades. A first-round choice in the 1992 NFL draft, he played professionally for the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.
Johnny Earl Roland is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a running back for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1972 and the New York Giants in 1973. Roland played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors as a defensive back in 1965. After his playing days, he served as an assistant coach with the number of NFL teams and at the University of Notre Dame. Roland was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1998.
Charles Pierre Thomas Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Thomas developed into an all-around threat as a runner, pass catcher, blocker, and special teams player. He led the Saints in rushing yards in 2008 and 2009 and again in 2013, when he also led all NFL running backs in receiving yards. He became known for his excellence in executing the screen pass; it was a screen pass on which he scored the Saints' first touchdown in their 31–17 win in Super Bowl XLIV, two weeks after he had scored two touchdowns in the Saints' 2009 NFC Championship game victory.
Malcolm Jenkins is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-American honors, and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft and played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2014 to 2019.
The Colgate Raiders football team represents Colgate University in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football competition as a member of the Patriot League.
Delvic Dyvon "Dino" Philyaw is a former American professional football player who served as a running back and kick returner for the National Football League (NFL)'s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.
Shane Patrick-Henry Vereen is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears and was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Nathan Eachus is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football for Colgate University.
Christopher James Hogan is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Monmouth Hawks following three years of college lacrosse with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Hogan was a member of five NFL teams, most notably the New England Patriots.
Christian Jackson McCaffrey, known by the initials CMC, is an American professional football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Carolina Panthers eighth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. As a sophomore in 2015, McCaffrey was named AP College Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season (3,864).
Alvin Mentian Kamara is an American professional football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers after transferring from Hutchinson Community College and was selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year in 2017, was named a Pro Bowler in his first five NFL seasons, and is a two-time second-team All-Pro. In 2020, Kamara became the second player in NFL history to score six rushing touchdowns in a single game, tying Ernie Nevers.
Jamaal Malik Williams is an American professional football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.
James Robinson is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Illinois State and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and was traded to the New York Jets in 2022. In 2020, Robinson broke the National Football League (NFL) record for most scrimmage yards of any undrafted rookie.