Rashard Mendenhall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pittsburgh Steelers — No. 34 | |
| Running back | |
| Date of birth: June 19, 1987 | |
| Place of birth: Skokie, Illinois | |
| Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 224 lb (102 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2008 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Illinois | |
| NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23 | |
Teams:
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| Current status: Injured Reserve | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 4 of the 2008 NFL season) |
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| Rushing yards | 58 |
| Rushing average | 3.1 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987 in Skokie, Illinois) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.
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[edit] Early years
Mendenhall attended Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois. As five-star prospect, he was also rated the No. 1 recruit in the state of Illinois by Scout.com.[1] He recorded 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior, he rushed for 1,832 yards and 19 touchdowns, while averaging 11.6 yards per carry. In his last year, he averaged 9.1 yards per carry, rushing for 1,453 yards on 160 attempts and 14 touchdowns. Following his high school career, Mendenhall played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
[edit] College career
Mendenhall played for the University of Illinois football team. His first season was in 2005, during which he rushed for 218 yard on 48 carries, adding 82 yards receiving and two touchdowns. In 2006, Mendenhall nearly tripled his rushing total, gaining 640 yards and scoring five touchdowns. He added 164 yards receiving and a touchdown, with 12 receptions. Throughout his final season with the Illini, Mendenhall rushed for a school record 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns. Throughout the 13 game season, he also had 318 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 34 receptions. He majored in sports management.[citation needed]
Mendenhall was on the cover of Sporting News High School Football Magazine.[2] On April 24, 2008, Mendenhall made a guest appearance on The Best Damn Sports Show Period in a segment called Best Damn Rookie Hazing, along with former Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly.[3]
[edit] Statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | Att | Yrds | Avg | TD | Lg | Rec | Yrds | Avg | TD | Lg |
| 2005 | 10 | 48 | 218 | 4.5 | 0 | 18 | 13 | 82 | 6.3 | 2 | 16 |
| 2006 | 12 | 78 | 640 | 8.2 | 5 | 86 | 12 | 164 | 13.7 | 1 | 76 |
| 2007 | 13 | 262 | 1681 | 6.4 | 17 | 79 | 34 | 318 | 9.4 | 2 | 55 |
| Totals | 35 | 388 | 2539 | 6.5 | 22 | 86 | 59 | 564 | 9.6 | 5 | 76 |
[edit] Professional career
| I'm not exactly sure how many yards, but whatever my role is, I plan on having success. — Rashard Mendenhall[4] |
[edit] Pre-draft
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on February 24, 2008, Mendenhall ran an unofficial 4.36 forty-yard dash. His run was officially timed at 4.45, which was sixth among all running backs at the NFL Scouting Combine.[5] Before the draft, Mendenhall had lunch with Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith.[6]
[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers
Mendenhall was drafted 23rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL Draft.[7]
Prior to his rookie season Mendenhall was ranked by ESPN as the 30th best running back in the league.[8] On July 25, 2008, Mendenhall agreed to a five-year contract worth US$12.55 million with the Steelers,[9] of which $7.125 million is guaranteed.[10] He is expected to be a compliment to Pro-Bowl running back Willie Parker,[11] in addition to returning kicks.[10] Mendenhall fumbled twice in Pittsburgh's third pre-season game against Minnesota; they were attributed to adjusting to the faster pace of the NFL.[12] Days after the game, teammate Hines Ward placed a ball in Mendenhall's locker with a note stating, "Take Mendenhall's ball away and get $100 from him." Mendenhall was required to carry the ball everywhere he went until the team's next game.[13] Mendenhall fumbled once more in the Steelers final pre-season game,[14][15] but worked with running backs coach Kirby Wilson to fix the problem.[16] Mendenhall entered the 2008 regular season as the Steelers' youngest player.[17] He took on return duties in addition to his running back position.[17] Entering the fourth week of the 2008 season, the Steelers announced that Willie Parker had suffered an injury, allowing Mendenhall to make his first NFL start, a Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens.[18] Mendenhall would leave the game in the third quarter after a heavy collision with linebacker Ray Lewis; the injury, a fractured shoulder, would require season-ending surgery, ending Mendenhall's brief rookie season.[19] Mendenhall finished his rookie season with 59 rushing yards on a 3.1 average and no touchdowns.
[edit] Personal
Mendenhall has stated he enjoys reading and writing poetry in his spare time. [20] On May 5, 2008, while walking in Chicago, Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint. He was not injured.[21] In September 2008, Mendenhall became the first athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Champion in ten years.[22]
[edit] References
- ^ (2004-12-10). "Scout.com". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ (2008-03-15). "http://i.tsn.com/i/p/books/HSFB_cvr2_173.jpg". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Rashard Mendenhall & Malcolm Kelly on Best Damn Sports Show at YouTube
- ^ Prisuta, Mike (2007-07-28). "Mendenhall doesn't have clear-cut role", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
- ^ 2008 NFL Draft Scout Profile - The SportsXchange
- ^ "Top Performers", Combine, NFL.com (2008-03-15). Retrieved on 2008-03-15.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (2008-04-28). "Steelers draft RB from Illinois, WR from Texas to protect Big Ben", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ "James, Bush headline second tier of running backs". ESPN.com (2008-06-04). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (2008-07-26). "Mendenhall, Sweed sign with Steelers", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-07-26.
- ^ a b Mandak, Joe (2008-07-25). "Steelers sign No. 1 pick to 5-year contract", NFL, Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
- ^ Harris, John (2008-06-17). "Expect much from Mendenhall", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
- ^ Brown, Scott (2008-08-25). "Mendenhall having trouble hanging onto ball", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
- ^ Prisuta, Mike (2008-08-26). "Mendenhall gets gripping lessons", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ Brown, Scott (2008-08-28). "Steelers nip Panthers with last second field goal", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (2008-08-29). "It's a Reed-thin margin again", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Pompei, Dan (2008-08-30). "Gripping drama unfolds in AFC North", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-08-31.
- ^ a b Dulac, Gerry (2008-09-06). "Mendenhall gets fresh start from Tomlin", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-09-06.
- ^ Associated Press (2008-09-23). "Steelers will be without RB Parker, DT Hampton against rival Ravens", ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-23.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (2008-09-30). "Four Steelers hurt; Mendenhall, Simmons to injured reserve list", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
- ^ "Steelers' Mendenhall candid about life, past and present", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (2008-08-03). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ^ "Steelers new running back Mendenhall robbed at gunpoint", NFL, ESPN.com (2008-05-05). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ^ Dulac, Gerry (2008-09-12). "Mendenhall a new Champion", Steelers Notebook: Roethlisberger limited in practice, should play, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-09-12.
[edit] External links
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