DeShaun Foster
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Foster in 2006 with the Carolina Panthers. | |||||||||
| No. 20, 26, 29 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 10, 1980 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Tustin (CA) | ||||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980) is a former American football running back, who currently serves as the running backs coach at Texas Tech University.[1] He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.
Early years
Foster was born to father Albert and mother Cheryl. Foster attended Tustin High School in Tustin, California, and lettered three times each in football and basketball, and four times in track. In football, as a senior, he was named the USA Today Player of the Year and finished his senior season with 3,998 rushing yards and a state single season record 59 touchdowns. For his career, he rushed for a total of 5,885 yards. As a senior he led his team to the CIF championship game where they lost to Santa Margarita, and QB Carson Palmer.
College career
Foster played football at UCLA, where he set a team rushing record for true freshmen with 673 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games. The next year he spent mostly on the bench with an ankle sprain, but still managed to record 375 yards and 6 scores on 111 carries. As a junior, he led the Bruins with 1,037 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. His final year, he posted 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns; he had six games of over 100 rushing yards. He set a school record with a 301-yard game against Washington, and tied a record with four touchdowns (both records since broken by Maurice Jones-Drew). He ended his college career in the team top 10 in touchdowns, rushing yards, and points scored.
Professional career
Pre-Draft
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in | 222 lb | 4.57 s | 1.65 s | 2.68 s | 4.16 s | 6.82 s | 35½ in | 9 ft 11 in | 20 reps | ||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Carolina Panthers
Foster was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He had a promising preseason, but was injured in a game against the New England Patriots, and sat out the remainder of the season on injured reserve. However, he returned the following season as a complement to Stephen Davis; Davis' bruising style matched well with Foster's speed. Foster finished the regular season with 113 carries for 429 yards. However, his best performances came in the 2003-04 playoffs. He had a memorable run in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he broke four tackles on a one-yard run to score, giving the Panthers a 14-3 lead. In Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots, Foster scored on a 33-yard run that stands as the fifth-longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history. The following season looked promising for the Panthers, but many of the starters suffered season-ending injuries, and Foster was no exception. He broke his clavicle in a game against the Denver Broncos. He returned the following season, and eventually surpassed his mentor, Davis, as the Panthers' starter. He led the team in yardage and carries, but suffered a broken ankle in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears that left him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
On, March 10, 2006, Foster agreed to a three-year, $14.5 million contract with a $4.5 million signing bonus with another $3 million in escalators and incentives. This was a $700,000 raise over the transition tag tender placed on Foster in February.
On February 21, 2008, he was released by the Panthers.[3]
San Francisco 49ers
On February 29, 2008, the San Francisco 49ers signed Foster to a one-year contract worth around $1.8 million, to be a back-up behind starter Frank Gore. He played in 16 games, amassing 234 rushing yards and 133 receiving yards.[4]
Career statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
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| Season | Team | League | GP | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2003 | Carolina | NFL | 14 | 113 | 429 | 0 | 14 | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2004 | Carolina | NFL | 4 | 59 | 255 | 2 | 9 | 76 | 0 | ||
| 2005 | Carolina | NFL | 15 | 205 | 879 | 2 | 34 | 372 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | Carolina | NFL | 14 | 227 | 897 | 3 | 49 | 159 | 0 | ||
| 2007 | Carolina | NFL | 16 | 247 | 876 | 3 | 25 | 182 | 1 | ||
| 2008 | San Francisco | NFL | 16 | 76 | 234 | 1 | 16 | 133 | 1 | ||
| Regular season totals | 79 | 927 | 3,570 | 11 | 142 | 1,129 | 5 | ||||
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to DeShaun Foster. |
| Preceded by Lamar Smith |
Carolina Panthers' starting running back 2003-2007 (with Stephen Davis and Nick Goings) |
Succeeded by DeAngelo Williams |
| Preceded by Frank Gore |
San Francisco 49ers' starting running back 2008 |
Succeeded by Frank Gore |
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