#43 Darren Sproles | RB
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Position: RB College: Kansas State University Height: 5-6 Weight: 181 Age: 25 Experience: 4th NFL Season Acquired: Draft 4 - 2005 (130) Hometown: Olathe, Kansas |
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Career StatsOn a personal level, there weren’t many better stories in the NFL in 2007 than that of Darren Sproles. After a stellar rookie year in 2005, the KansasState product broke his ankle in the first preseason game in 2006, an injury that caused him to miss the entire season. Sproles fought his way back, regained his job as the Chargers’ top return man in 2007 and performed so well that he was named as a second alternate to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.
Sproles finished the season ranked fifth in the NFL in kickoff return average (27.2 yards per return) and seventh in punt return average (9.5 yards per return). At the end of the year, his teammates honored him with the Ed Block Courage Award in recognition of the way Sproles battled back from injury.
In addition to his commitment to rehabbing his ankle, Sproles devoted himself to vastly improving his game during his year-long absence from the field. As a rookie, Sproles occasionally had problems fielding punts cleanly. During the spring of 2007, Sproles would grab a member of the Chargers’ equipment staff roughly four times a week and have the staffer feed him punts through the JUGS machine. Sproles estimates that he fielded close to 2,000 punts that spring and the work paid off as he didn’t bobble a single kick in 2007.
Late in the season, Sproles saw his opportunities increase on offense. He posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career on Dec. 16 against the Detroit Lions (122 yards and two touchdowns), and in the postseason, Sproles scored a 56-yard touchdown on a screen play that gave the Chargers a 21-17 lead in their Divisional Playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Coming out of KansasState, Sproles was one of the most prolific runners and all-purpose performers in college football history. He set nearly every school record imaginable - 23 in all - and he is regarded by many as the best player in the 110-year history of KansasState football.
Darren plays the game with a heavy heart and an angel on his shoulder. On April 25, 2004, he lost one of his greatest supporters when his mom, Annette, died at the age of 41 after a five-year battle with cancer. To honor their late mother, Darren and his brother, Terence, wear charms that read “RIP Mom.”
Darren further honored his mother when he bypassed potential NFL riches following his junior season and returned to KansasState to complete his degree in speech pathology. In college, school officials arranged for him to work with a speech pathologist because he was uncomfortable and stuttered during interviews. Darren also spoke with basketball great and San Diego native Bill Walton, who had a stuttering problem many years ago and is now an NBA analyst.
Darren’s nickname is “Tank,” which came from his family because he weighed 10 pounds at birth. The first time Tank picked up a football in a game at the age of 9, he ran 80 yards for a touchdown in a Pop Warner game.
Darren still maintains close ties to Gene Wier, his former high school coach at OlatheNorthHigh School. During the summers while he was in college, Darren would return to his alma mater to volunteer at football camps and lift weights with the players. Darren has said that he would like to coach high school football after his playing career comes to an end.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: Fourth-round choice (130) by San Diego, April 24, 2005…signed four-year contract, July 26, 2005.
2007:Named second-alternate to AFC Pro Bowl squad…team’s recipient of Ed Block Courage Award after returning from broken ankle to play entire 2007 season…NFL’s fifth-leading kickoff returner (27.2 avg) and seventh-leading punt returner (9.5)…helped ignite Chargers’ first touchdown drive at Denver Week 5 with season-long 23-yard punt return…season-long 43-yard kickoff return Week 8 at Minnesota…named AFC Special Teams Player of Week, USA Today.com ST POW and Pro Football Weekly’s Player of Week after returning kickoff and punt for touchdown Nov. 11 vs. Indianapolis on NBC Sunday Night Football…89-yard kickoff return for touchdown on the opening play Colts game was Chargers’ first KOR TD since Tim Dwight had 87-yard return for touchdown on Sept. 19, 2004 against New York Jets…was Sproles’ first career kickoff return for TD…scored again later in first quarter on 45-yard punt return…Chargers’ first PR TD since Dwight’s 84-yarder Sept. 9, 2001 against Washington…it too was first career punt return for touchdown…became ninth player in NFL history to score on kickoff and punt return for touchdown in same game…former Cleveland Brown Bobby Mitchell is only other player to score both return TDs in first quarter, doing so against Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 1958…took over for Tomlinson in second half of Dec. 16 game vs. Detroit and rushed for team-high 122 yards and two touchdowns…were first two career rush TDs, scoring on runs of one and 11 yards…combined with Tomlinson (116 yards) marked first time in team history two running backs had 100 yards in same game…broke off career-long 34-yard run during first touchdown drive…he and LT (116 yards, two touchdowns) became first pair of running backs to rush for at least 116 yards and two scores in same game since Tank Younger and Dan Towler of Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 24, 1954 vs. Chicago…was first time two Chargers running backs had two rush TDs each in same game since James Brooks and Chuck Muncie at Cleveland on Dec. 5, 1982…also had 56-yard TD catch-and-run on screen pass in middle of fourth quarter negated by penalty…averaged career-best 46.7 yards per kickoff return on three returns at Oakland Dec. 30…helped set up two second-half FGs with returns of 61 and 54 yards…gave Chargers 21-17 lead over Indianapolis on final play of third quarter of AFC Divisional Playoff game at RCA Dome with 56-yard touchdown catch and run on screen play…helped set up late second-quarter field goal in AFC Championship Game at New England with consecutive runs of eight and 26 yards on draw plays…40-yard Nate Kaeding field goal at end of drive helped Bolts get within 14-9 at halftime.
2006: Spent entire season on “Reserve-Injured” list after suffering broken ankle on punt return during Chargers Aug. 12 preseason opener vs. Green Bay...89-yard kickoff return for touchdown on the opening play of Nov. 11 NBC Sunday Night Football game vs. Indianapolis was Chargers’ first since Tim Dwight had 87-yard return for touchdown on Sept. 19, 2004 against New York Jets…was first career kickoff return for TD…scored again later in first quarter on 45-yard punt return…Chargers’ first PR TD since Dwight’s 84-yarder Sept. 9, 2001 against Washington…it too was first career punt return for touchdown…became ninth player in NFL history to score on kickoff and punt return for touchdown in same game…former Cleveland Brown Bobby Mitchell is only other player to score both return TDs in first quarter, doing so against Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 1958.
2005: Averaged 36.5 yards on four kickoff returns with long of 49 yards in season opener against Dallas…49-yard return on opening kickoff of third quarter helped set table for Keenan McCardell touchdown catch to give San Diego 21-14 lead…46-yard return later in third quarter set up Nate Kaeding 33-yard field goal that gave Chargers 24-21 lead…season-long 58-yard kickoff return in fourth quarter against New York Giants Sept. 25 led to LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown six plays later and 42-23 lead…21-yard run on third-and-two play in third quarter on lone carry of night kept drive alive and helped set up Drew Brees to Antonio Gates touchdown that gave Bolts 35-20 lead…averaged 33.5 yards on four kickoff returns against Giants…injured ankle at end of New England game Oct. 2…averaged impressive 31.4 yards per return on five kickoffs against Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football Oct. 10…48-yard return in second quarter ignited drive that set up Gates touchdown to help Chargers overcome 14-0 deficit…inactive Week 6 at Oakland nursing ankle injury…31-yard kickoff return in fourth quarter of 28-20 win over Kansas City Oct. 30 helped set up touchdown to give Bolts 28-13 lead after Chiefs had climbed to within 21-13…50-yard kickoff return helped set up field goal to give Chargers final points in 31-26 win over New York Jets on Nov. 6…posted 47-yard kickoff return against Washington Nov. 27.
COLLEGE: Holds virtually every school record for career, single-season and single-game rushing and all-purpose yards…set school marks with 48 total touchdowns and 45 rushing scores…racked up five 200-yard rushing games and 24 100-yard games…offensive MVP of North team in 2005 Senior Bowl…named Wildcats Offensive MVP 2003-04 and co-MVP in 2002…first-team All-Big 12 by Associated Press in 2004…second-team all-conference by league coaches, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and San Antonio Express News in 2004…Big 12 Player of Year by College Football News in 2003 after leading nation with school-record 1,986 rushing yards and 2,735 all-purpose yards…fifth in voting for Heisman Trophy, third for Associated Press Player of Year and runner up for Doak Walker Award as nation’s top running back in 2003…first-team All-America by Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and NFL Draft Report in 2003…first running back and 10th player in KSU history named first-team All-America by AP…first-team all-conference in ’03 by league coaches, AP, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, ESPN.com and College Football News…Big 12 Special Teams Player of Week after 63-yard punt return for score against Kansas Oct. 25, 2003…Big 12 Offensive Player of Week after 273-yard rushing game against Missouri Nov. 22, 2003…racked up 235 yards rushing and 88 yards receiving, including 60-yard touchdown catch in 2003 Big 12 Championship Game against top-ranked Oklahoma…second-team All-Big 12 in 2002 by league’s coaches, AP, Austin American Statesman, Dallas Morning News and Kansas City Star…finished career at KSU with 4,979 rushing yards, 80 rushing touchdowns, 609 yards receiving, two touchdown catches, 846 kickoff return yards, 378 punt return yards, one punt return touchdown and 6,812 all-purpose yards…played at Kansas State from 2001-04…earned degree in speech pathology.
PERSONAL: Born June 20, 1983 in Waterloo, Iowa…named Kansas Player of Year by USA Today and Kansas Hall of Fame Player of Year as senior at Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kansas in 2000…winner of Thomas A. Simone Trophy given to top big-class football player in Kansas City metro area…named All-America by Student Sports Magazine…named to All-Class Kansas Top-11 Team…Kansas City Star Player of Year in 1999 and 2000…two-time all-state, all-metro and All-Sunflower League selection…as senior, led Olathe North to fourth Kansas 6A state title in five years…rushed for 5,230 yards and 79 touchdowns during prep career.
