No. 29 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | November 24, 1985||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | T. C. Williams (Alexandria, Virginia) | ||||||||||||
College: | Penn State | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2007 / round: 3 / pick: 90 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Antonio Christopher Hunt (born November 24, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Hunt played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Eagles in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He also played one season in the Austrian Football League (AFL) in Europe.
A standout player at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Hunt rushed for more than 2,000 total yards and also played linebacker, defensive end, and even punted. [1] He was named the Alexandria Sportsman Club Player-of-the-Year in 2002–03. [2] He was also a stalwart on the track and field team, finishing eighth in Virginia in the discus as a junior. [2]
Hunt originally made a verbal commitment to play football at University of Southern California, but instead signed a letter-of-intent with Penn State upon learning of Reggie Bush's commitment to the Trojans. [3] [4]
Hunt finished his Penn State career 2nd all-time in career rushing yards with 3,320 yards and first all-time with 654 carries (5.08 avg.). [ permanent dead link ] A Doak Walker Award candidate in 2006, Hunt became only the fifth Nittany Lion to rush for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and the fifth to rush for more than 3,000 career yards. He was named Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week after a career-best 167-yard rushing game versus Temple. [ permanent dead link ]
Hunt led Penn State in rushing during the 2005 and 2004 seasons, amassing 1,047 and 777 yards respectively, earning the nickname Tony "Big Game" Hunt.
At the outset of his college career, Hunt was overshadowed by fellow running back Austin Scott, who was considered the more promising recruit, having broken many Pennsylvania high school football records. Despite this, Hunt won the starting running back job through his work ethic, and by virtue of being a better pass blocker than Scott.
Hunt was also named the MVP of the 2007 Senior Bowl on January 27, 2007, after leading all running backs in total yards. [5]
Hunt was also named the 2007 Outback Bowl MVP. [6]
Hunt was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles, 90th overall, in the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL draft. Critics and fans alike thought the move would finally give Brian Westbrook the short-yardage back he always wanted. In his rookie season, however, Hunt saw limited playing time behind Correll Buckhalter managing just 16 carries and one touchdown. After the Eagles acquired Lorenzo Booker from Miami, he was pushed to fourth on the depth chart ahead of only Ryan Moats. The Eagles had traditionally only kept three. On August 18, 2008, the Eagles official website confirmed Hunt would get reps at fullback after Jed Collins, Jason Davis and Luke Lawton failed to secure the job, and Hunt's impressive preseason game against the Carolina Panthers which he broke a 51-yard run. [7] He was unofficially named the Eagles' starter after the other three full backs were released. [8]
Hunt was released from the Eagles on October 14, 2008. [9]
In March 2011, Hunt was signed by the Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna, an American football team in Austria. He rushed for 413 yards on 88 carries and seven TD's in the 2011 Austrian Football League season. [10]
Franco Harris was an American professional football player who was a running back for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL draft. Harris spent his first 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, earning nine Pro Bowl selections, and was a member of the Seattle Seahawks in his last.
Johnathan Jerone Arrington 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, earning consensus All-American recognition in 2004. Arrington was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the Denver Broncos and had a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL). He also was the last player to win the Pop Warner Trophy.
Bhawoh Papi Jue is a Liberian former American football safety. He was originally selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Eric Franklin McCoo Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) who played for one season for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for Penn State.
Lydell Douglas Mitchell is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1972 to 1980. During his nine-season NFL career, Mitchell played for the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Penn State.
Burton Michael Robinson is an American former football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He is currently an analyst for the NFL Network and NBC.
Blair Lamar Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1989.
The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Richard John Hoak is an American former professional football player and coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Steelers as a running back. Hoak played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL draft. He played for the Steelers from 1961 to 1970, and then became the longest tenured coach in the team's history, from 1972 to 2007.
Anthony Paul Scirrotto is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Penn State.
The 2002 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Kenny Jackson is an American former professional football player. He played wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Oilers and was twice named a college All-American at Penn State University.
Charles Vernon Pittman is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a halfback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning All-American honors in 1969. He and played in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore Colts.
Rodney Eddrick Kinlaw is a former professional American football running back. He played for the Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League and Mönchengladbach Mavericks of the German Football League. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008, out of Penn State.
Evan Mathias Royster is an American former professional football running back. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Penn State University, where he was a three-year starter and an all-time leading rusher.
Silas Raynard Redd Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at Penn State and USC, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2014.
Saquon Rasul Quevis Barkley is an American professional football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he set several school records for his offensive production over three seasons, before forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL.
Ja'Juan Seider, is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach for Penn State. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Florida A&M Rattlers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.
Miles Adam Sanders, nicknamed "Boobie Miles", is an American professional football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft after playing college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Jahan Waltè Dotson is an American professional football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Washington Commanders in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Dotson was traded to the Eagles in 2024.