#21 LaDainian Tomlinson | RB
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Position: RB College: Texas Christian Height: 5-10 Weight: 221 Age: 29 Experience: 8th NFL Season Acquired: Draft 1 - 2001 Hometown: Waco, Texas |
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Career StatsLaDainian Tomlinson represents what’s good about sports today. He is the National Football League’s preeminent superstar and he represents all that is good about football players and professional athletes, both on and off the field.
In 2006, Tomlinson won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and Man of the Year Awards. He became only the second player to win both awards in the same season, joining Walter Payton, for whom the Man of the Year Award is named. Payton won both awards in 1977.
“LT,” as he is known by his legion of fans around the world, had yet another stellar season on the field in 2007. Tomlinson became the first player since Edgerrin James in 1999 and 2000 to lead the NFL in rushing in back-to-back years. While his 1,474 yards were good enough to claim the second rushing title of his career, it was only LT’s fourth-highest single-season total. Tomlinson’s 15 rushing touchdowns were also a league best.
As the season drew to a close, the awards and recognition poured in for LT as usual. In addition to earning Pro Bowl honors for the fourth-consecutive season and fifth time in his career, Tomlinson was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and Sporting News, All-NFL by Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America and his teammates unanimously voted him Chargers Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.
Tomlinson has a deep appreciation for the history of the NFL and over the last couple years, he’s seen his name join many of his childhood heroes in the record books. In 2007, he surpassed the likes of Walter Payton and Jim Brown on the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdowns list. LT enters 2008 ranked third in the category and needs only eight scores to tie Marcus Allen for second all-time. With 10,650 career rushing yards and 14,025 career scrimmage yards, Tomlinson ranks 18th and 21st, respectively, on the NFL’s all-time lists and will likely pass several big names in 2008.
When LT passed the 1,000-yard mark in 2007, he joined Eric Dickerson (1983-89), Barry Sanders (1989-98) and Curtis Martin (1995-04) as only players in NFL history to begin careers with seven-or-more-consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. In surpassing 1,200 yards, he also joined Dickerson as the only second player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,200 yards in each of their first seven seasons in league. Both are streaks he hopes to keep alive in 2008.
Passing along values that were instilled at an early age by his mom, Loreane, Tomlinson and his wife, LaTorsha, have teamed up to become community leaders in both San Diego and their native Texas. Together, they oversee the Tomlinson Touching Lives Foundation. The foundation hosts events throughout the year, including youth football camps in San Diego and Texas, a golf tournament, a fishing trip for kids from The Monarch School for homeless and at-risk teens in San Diego, a Thanksgiving program in which they provide more than 2,100 San Diego families with complete holiday dinners and a Christmas program in which they give away more than 1,500 holiday gifts to the patients at San Diego’s Children’s Hospital and Health Center. At each Chargers’ home game, LT hosts “The 21 Club,” where he invites 21 kids from San Diego youth groups and nonprofit organizations to attend a game. After the game, LT invites the children down to the field where they get a one-on-one visit with their football hero.
Another important branch of the Touching Lives Foundation is the “School is Cool Scholarship Fund,” which awards 30 annual scholarships to college-bound students based on academics, community involvement and volunteerism. Of the 30 students selected by Tomlinson each year, 15 are selected from San Diego and 15 are chosen from LT’s alma mater, UniversityHigh School in Waco, Texas. Proceeds from his annual golf tournament help support the scholarship fund. The Foundation has also sponsored students from MorseHigh School in San Diego to participate in a summer business program at ColumbiaUniversity, where the students received entrepreneurial training.
In April 2008, Tomlinson will be honored at the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night XIV in Phoenix, a nationally renowned charity event that raises money for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and numerous other charities, Tomlinson will be honored alongside actor Kevin Costner, recording artist Reba McEntire and longtime music executive Clive Davis.
Just seven seasons into what appears to be a sure Hall of Fame career, Tomlinson has already left an indelible mark on the game. En route to his selection as the Chargers’ first-ever Associated Press MVP in 2006, LT became the first player in team history to win the league’s rushing title with 1,815 yards. He racked up 2,323 total yards from scrimmage, the sixth-highest single-season total in league history. He set a total of 13 new NFL records and added six new team records to his resume. He went to his third-straight and fourth-career Pro Bowl, and led the Chargers to a franchise-record 14 wins and their second AFC West title in three years.
Along the way, Tomlinson helped the Bolts set a new team scoring record and he completely obliterated the NFL’s single-season scoring record of 186 points, which had stood in place since the legendary Paul Hornung established it way back in 1960. Tomlinson also helped the Bolts shatter the team’s rushing record as the 2006 unit racked up 2,578 yards, easily surpassing the previous team mark of 2,257 yards in 1990. It marked the fifth year in a row that the Bolts had rushed for more than 2,000 yards, tied with Denver for the NFL’s longest active streak. That streak ended in 2007 for the Broncos, but the Chargers amassed 2,039 yards to extend the league’s longest streak to six seasons (2002-07).
Along the way, Tomlinson helped the Bolts set a new team scoring record and he completely obliterated the NFL’s single-season scoring record of 186 points, which had stood in place since the legendary Paul Hornung established it way back in 1960. Tomlinson also helped the Bolts shatter the team’s rushing record as the 2006 unit racked up 2,578 yards, easily surpassing the previous team mark of 2,257 yards in 1990. It marked the fifth year in a row that the Bolts had rushed for more than 2,000 yards, tied with Denver for the NFL’s longest active streak. That streak ended in 2007 for the Broncos, but the Chargers amassed 2,039 yards to extend the league’s longest streak to six seasons (2002-07).
In 2005, Tomlinson tied Lenny Moore’s NFL record by scoring a touchdown in 18 straight games and he set a new NFL record by scoring a rushing touchdown in 14 straight games during that stretch. After setting the rushing touchdowns mark on Sept. 18 in Denver, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio requested LT’s game-worn jersey.
Also during the ’05 season, LT had a chance to stand alongside two of the greats in Chargers history. In the season finale against Denver, LT scored his 20th touchdown of the season, breaking Chuck Muncie’s then 24-year-old team record for the most touchdowns in a season, a mark which Muncie established way back in 1981. Coincidentally, Muncie was at the game that day and afterward greeted LT on the sidelines to congratulate the team’s new touchdown king. Tomlinson also shared the spotlight that day with another Charger great as he moved past Lance Alworth to become the team’s all-time leader in career yards from scrimmage. Though Alworth wasn’t at the game to congratulate LT, the two met earlier in the season when Alworth had his No. 19 jersey retired by the club.
Jersey retirement is a subject LT was familiar with as he also had a jersey retired in 2005. During the team’s November bye week, Tomlinson returned to his alma mater, TCU, where he was honored with “LT Day” at the school’s Amon Carter Stadium. At halftime of the Horned Frogs’ game against UNLV, a ceremony was held at midfield during which LT was joined by nearly 50 former teammates. His No. 5 Horned Frogs jersey was honored so that no other player will ever be allowed to wear that number without Tomlinson’s approval. During the ceremony, a highlight video was shown and Tomlinson was serenaded by the capacity crowd with an “LT” chant.
While 2006 was filled with career highlights for LT, 2007 began with disappointment for the Chargers superstar. On a Friday afternoon in late February, a life-changing incident took place when LT’s father, Oliver, and his older brother, Ronald McClain, were tragically killed in a single-car accident near Waco, Texas.
Away from football, Tomlinson enjoys quiet time at home. He and LaTorsha own a home in the San Diego suburb of Poway where they live with their three dogs: Coco, Fendi and Sweetness. Coco is a teacup poodle; Fendi is a miniature Yorkshire terrier, and Sweetness is a pit bull named after Walter Payton. A superstar’s house wouldn’t be complete without a sports memorabilia room and LT’s includes autographed helmets from some of his favorite NFL players, including Payton, Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
When wildfires ravaged San Diego in October 2007 for the second time in five years, many of the Chargers’ players and staff were affected, but none perhaps as perilously close as Tomlinson. He and LaTorsha were forced to flee their home in the middle of the night with little more than the clothes on their backs as flames roared toward their home. Thankfully though, firefighters waged a heroic battle, stopping the fire at the Tomlinson’s back fence, preserving the home and all of its contents, including LT’s memorabilia collection.
In December, long after the fires were put out, Tomlinson hosted an event to support the first responders and volunteers who helped fight the fires. He also donated 300 flat-screen televisions to families that lost their homes in the fires.
Tomlinson enjoys traveling and going to the movies for his weekly date nights with LaTorsha. Past travels have included trips to New York, Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico and the Bahamas.
LT’s individual hobbies include playing basketball and golf. Like many of his teammates, Tomlinson also has an interest in classic cars and owns a restored 1964 cherry-red Chevy Impala, complete with a hydraulic lift kit.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: First-round pick (5) by Chargers, April 21, 2001…signed with Chargers, Aug. 23, 2001…signed eight-year contract with Chargers, Aug. 14, 2004.
2007: Named first-team All-Pro by Associated Press, Sporting News and ESPN.com…All-NFL by Pro Football Weekly and Professional Football Writers of America and USA Today Sports Weekly…selected as starter for AFC Pro Bowl squad…named Chargers Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of Year…won NFL rushing title with 1,474 yards and led NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns…scored 18 total touchdowns to rank second in NFL behind New England’s Randy Moss…ranked second in league with 1,949 total yards from scrimmage behind Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook (2,104 yards)…also had second-most first downs (96) in NFL to Westbrook’s 104…threw 17-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to give Chargers 7-0 lead late in the third quarter of season opening win vs. Chicago…was seventh-career TD pass, second-most all-time by non-quarterback…one series later, scored first TD of season on seven-yard run for final points in 14-3 win…21-yard touchdown catch at Green Bay Sept. 23 gave Bolts 21-17 lead midway through third quarter….scored Chargers’ first touchdown of day on Sept. 30 vs. Kansas City on five-yard run…was 114th career TD, good for sole possession of 11th place on League’s all-time TDs list…finished first half with 116 yards and game with 132 yards for first 100-yard game of season and 40th of career, including playoffs…was first 100-yard half since first half of Dec. 24, 2006 game at Seattle…he went over 100 yards on 37-yard run in second quarter that helped set up field goal on final play of first half…was Tomlinson’s longest run of the season…raised career rushing total at end of game to 9,438 and moved past Earl Campbell (9,407) and into 23rd place on NFL’s all-time rushing yardage list….tallied season-high 73 yards receiving Week 5 at Denver…included 36-yard catch-and-run on first-quarter screen play that helped set up touchdown and was ninth-longest receiving play of his career…also added 29-yard catch-and-run on another screen play that ultimately led to Nate Kaeding field goal…Sports Illustrated.com Offensive Player of Week and Stud of Week by USA Today.com after tying career high with four rushing touchdowns against Oakland Oct. 14…were 103rd-106th of his career…scored from 3, 27, 13 and 41 yards…salted away game with 41-yard TD run to give Bolts 28-14 lead with 2:43 left in fourth quarter…carried four times for 73 yards on game-deciding drive…in Raiders’ game, moved past John Riggins (fifth all-time, 104 TDs, 1971-85) and into tie with Jim Brown (106 TDs, 1957-65) for fourth place on league’s all-time rushing TDs list…also raised his career TD total (rushing and receiving) to 118, again moving past Riggins (116) on list and into 10th place…finished afternoon with 198 yards rushing, eighth-career 100-yard game vs. Oakland…went over 100-yard mark during 13-yard TD run in third quarter…was sixth-best rushing performance of his career and second-best against Oakland…added 16 yards as receiver to finish afternoon with 214 total yards from scrimmage for 12th career 200-yard game…scored touchdown on one-yard run Nov. 4 at Minnesota for 107th career rushing touchdown to move into sole possession of fourth place on NFL’s all-time list, breaking tie with Jim Brown…gave Chargers 23-0 lead over defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 11 with four-yard touchdown run…scored touchdown on six-yard run on opening series of third quarter at Jacksonville Nov. 18…helped set up score with 34-yard catch-and-run on screen during drive…finished game with season-high 93 yards receiving, tying Chris Chambers for team high…rushed for 77 yards Nov. 25 against Baltimore to raise career total to 10,048…tied Emmitt Smith as fourth fastest player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards (106 games)…surpassed 10,000-yard mark during 36-yard run in third quarter…became 23rd player to reach 10K milestone…named Fed Ex Ground NFL Player of Week and Stud of Week by USA Today.com after surpassing 1,000-yard mark with 177 rushing yards in 24-10 win at Kansas City Dec. 2…scored two touchdowns against Chiefs (31 and 28 yards), 110th and 111th of his career to move past boyhood hero Walter Payton (110) and into third place on NFL’s all-time rushing touchdowns list…they were his 10th and 11th rushing touchdowns of season…marked seventh consecutive season with 10-or-more rushing TDs…he’s only player in NFL history to begin career with more than four straight 10+ touchdown seasons…both touchdowns against Chiefs came in second half to break 10-10 tie at half…were only scores by either team in final two quarters…helped set up final touchdown with 34-yard run, going over 1,000 yards on that carry…in doing so, joined Eric Dickerson (1983-89), Barry Sanders (1989-98) and Curtis Martin (1995-04) as only players in NFL history to begin careers with seven or more 1,000-yard seasons...went over 100 yards for day on 12-yard run in third quarter…marked sixth-career 100-yard game vs. Chiefs and second of 2007 season…scored game-winning touchdown on 16-yard run in overtime at Tennessee on Dec. 9…became first player in NFL history with three game-winning TDs in OT…game winner was second touchdown of game, having scored on seven-yard catch midway through fourth quarter to bring Bolts to within seven points at 17-10…finished game with 146 yards rushing for fourth 100-yard game of season and second in as many weeks…146 yards rushing was most allowed by Titans in 2007…rushed for 119 of 146 yards in second half and overtime…added 27 yards receiving, including key nine-yard catch to two yard line on late fourth-quarter game-tying touchdown drive…opened third quarter with game-long 32-yard run to kick start field goal drive for Bolts’ first points of game…scored two touchdowns against Detroit Dec. 16, 126th and 127th of career to move past Hall of Famers, Walter Payton (125) and Jim Brown (126) and into seventh place on NFL’s all-time touchdowns list…TDs were runs of six and two yards…rushed for 116 yards against Lions, all in first half, and finished day with 1,311 yards for season…in surpassing 1,200 yards on 11-yard run in first quarter, he joined another Hall of Famer, Eric Dickerson, as only two players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,200 yards in each of their first seven seasons in league…also raised career rushing total to 10,487 yards to move into 19th place on NFL’s all-time rushing list…started day ranked 21st, but during game, made his way past Eddie George, who had been 20th with 10,441 yards and Tiki Barber, who had been 19th with 10,449 yards…was third-straight 100-yard game…late in second quarter, had season-long 49-yard run to nine on third-and-one play to help set up Bolts’ final touchdown of first half…was 25th straight game with run of at least 10 yards and fourth straight with run of at least 30 yards…combined with Darren Sproles (122 yards, two touchdowns) to become 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…scored 15th rushing TD of season against Denver Dec. 24 on ESPN Monday Night Football on 17-yard run in first quarter to extend streak of 15-TD seasons to four…rushed for 107 yards against Broncos in just over one half of game for fourth-straight 100-yard game…was fifth-career 100-yard game vs. the Broncos…had 16-yard run on first offensive series of night to stretch streak of games with rush of 10 yards or longer to 26…rushed for 56 yards at Oakland Dec. 30 to move past Ricky Watters (10,643) and into 18th place on NFL’s all-time rushing list…finished Raiders game with 63 scrimmage yards to surpass 14,000 scrimmage yards for career…scored touchdown on opening drive of game, catching seven-yard TD pass from Rivers…scored game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown on one-yard run on fourth-and-goal play from one-yard line in Jan. 6 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game vs. Tennessee…scored on patented leap over pile and was given touchdown after second-effort to stretch out ball beyond goal line…he helped ignite that touchdown drive with 12-yard run on second-and-10 play on second play of drive…his TD gave Bolts 17-6 lead midway through final quarter…started AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Indianapolis but was forced to sideline after suffering left knee injury in second quarter…fumbled on play during which he was injured, ending streak of 708 consecutive carries without fumble…it had been longest streak in NFL by running back…longest run against Colts was just eight yards, ending NFL-long streak of 29 consecutive games with run of 10 yards or longer…started AFC Championship Game at New England, but came out of game after two series after re-aggravating knee injury…did not play in Feb. 10 Pro Bowl due to knee injury.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: First-round pick (5) by Chargers, April 21, 2001…signed with Chargers, Aug. 23, 2001…signed eight-year contract with Chargers, Aug. 14, 2004.
2007: Named first-team All-Pro by Associated Press, Sporting News and ESPN.com…All-NFL by Pro Football Weekly and Professional Football Writers of America and USA Today Sports Weekly…selected as starter for AFC Pro Bowl squad…named Chargers Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of Year…won NFL rushing title with 1,474 yards and led NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns…scored 18 total touchdowns to rank second in NFL behind New England’s Randy Moss…ranked second in league with 1,949 total yards from scrimmage behind Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook (2,104 yards)…also had second-most first downs (96) in NFL to Westbrook’s 104…threw 17-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to give Chargers 7-0 lead late in the third quarter of season opening win vs. Chicago…was seventh-career TD pass, second-most all-time by non-quarterback…one series later, scored first TD of season on seven-yard run for final points in 14-3 win…21-yard touchdown catch at Green Bay Sept. 23 gave Bolts 21-17 lead midway through third quarter….scored Chargers’ first touchdown of day on Sept. 30 vs. Kansas City on five-yard run…was 114th career TD, good for sole possession of 11th place on League’s all-time TDs list…finished first half with 116 yards and game with 132 yards for first 100-yard game of season and 40th of career, including playoffs…was first 100-yard half since first half of Dec. 24, 2006 game at Seattle…he went over 100 yards on 37-yard run in second quarter that helped set up field goal on final play of first half…was Tomlinson’s longest run of the season…raised career rushing total at end of game to 9,438 and moved past Earl Campbell (9,407) and into 23rd place on NFL’s all-time rushing yardage list….tallied season-high 73 yards receiving Week 5 at Denver…included 36-yard catch-and-run on first-quarter screen play that helped set up touchdown and was ninth-longest receiving play of his career…also added 29-yard catch-and-run on another screen play that ultimately led to Nate Kaeding field goal…Sports Illustrated.com Offensive Player of Week and Stud of Week by USA Today.com after tying career high with four rushing touchdowns against Oakland Oct. 14…were 103rd-106th of his career…scored from 3, 27, 13 and 41 yards…salted away game with 41-yard TD run to give Bolts 28-14 lead with 2:43 left in fourth quarter…carried four times for 73 yards on game-deciding drive…in Raiders’ game, moved past John Riggins (fifth all-time, 104 TDs, 1971-85) and into tie with Jim Brown (106 TDs, 1957-65) for fourth place on league’s all-time rushing TDs list…also raised his career TD total (rushing and receiving) to 118, again moving past Riggins (116) on list and into 10th place…finished afternoon with 198 yards rushing, eighth-career 100-yard game vs. Oakland…went over 100-yard mark during 13-yard TD run in third quarter…was sixth-best rushing performance of his career and second-best against Oakland…added 16 yards as receiver to finish afternoon with 214 total yards from scrimmage for 12th career 200-yard game…scored touchdown on one-yard run Nov. 4 at Minnesota for 107th career rushing touchdown to move into sole possession of fourth place on NFL’s all-time list, breaking tie with Jim Brown…gave Chargers 23-0 lead over defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 11 with four-yard touchdown run…scored touchdown on six-yard run on opening series of third quarter at Jacksonville Nov. 18…helped set up score with 34-yard catch-and-run on screen during drive…finished game with season-high 93 yards receiving, tying Chris Chambers for team high…rushed for 77 yards Nov. 25 against Baltimore to raise career total to 10,048…tied Emmitt Smith as fourth fastest player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards (106 games)…surpassed 10,000-yard mark during 36-yard run in third quarter…became 23rd player to reach 10K milestone…named Fed Ex Ground NFL Player of Week and Stud of Week by USA Today.com after surpassing 1,000-yard mark with 177 rushing yards in 24-10 win at Kansas City Dec. 2…scored two touchdowns against Chiefs (31 and 28 yards), 110th and 111th of his career to move past boyhood hero Walter Payton (110) and into third place on NFL’s all-time rushing touchdowns list…they were his 10th and 11th rushing touchdowns of season…marked seventh consecutive season with 10-or-more rushing TDs…he’s only player in NFL history to begin career with more than four straight 10+ touchdown seasons…both touchdowns against Chiefs came in second half to break 10-10 tie at half…were only scores by either team in final two quarters…helped set up final touchdown with 34-yard run, going over 1,000 yards on that carry…in doing so, joined Eric Dickerson (1983-89), Barry Sanders (1989-98) and Curtis Martin (1995-04) as only players in NFL history to begin careers with seven or more 1,000-yard seasons...went over 100 yards for day on 12-yard run in third quarter…marked sixth-career 100-yard game vs. Chiefs and second of 2007 season…scored game-winning touchdown on 16-yard run in overtime at Tennessee on Dec. 9…became first player in NFL history with three game-winning TDs in OT…game winner was second touchdown of game, having scored on seven-yard catch midway through fourth quarter to bring Bolts to within seven points at 17-10…finished game with 146 yards rushing for fourth 100-yard game of season and second in as many weeks…146 yards rushing was most allowed by Titans in 2007…rushed for 119 of 146 yards in second half and overtime…added 27 yards receiving, including key nine-yard catch to two yard line on late fourth-quarter game-tying touchdown drive…opened third quarter with game-long 32-yard run to kick start field goal drive for Bolts’ first points of game…scored two touchdowns against Detroit Dec. 16, 126th and 127th of career to move past Hall of Famers, Walter Payton (125) and Jim Brown (126) and into seventh place on NFL’s all-time touchdowns list…TDs were runs of six and two yards…rushed for 116 yards against Lions, all in first half, and finished day with 1,311 yards for season…in surpassing 1,200 yards on 11-yard run in first quarter, he joined another Hall of Famer, Eric Dickerson, as only two players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,200 yards in each of their first seven seasons in league…also raised career rushing total to 10,487 yards to move into 19th place on NFL’s all-time rushing list…started day ranked 21st, but during game, made his way past Eddie George, who had been 20th with 10,441 yards and Tiki Barber, who had been 19th with 10,449 yards…was third-straight 100-yard game…late in second quarter, had season-long 49-yard run to nine on third-and-one play to help set up Bolts’ final touchdown of first half…was 25th straight game with run of at least 10 yards and fourth straight with run of at least 30 yards…combined with Darren Sproles (122 yards, two touchdowns) to become 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…scored 15th rushing TD of season against Denver Dec. 24 on ESPN Monday Night Football on 17-yard run in first quarter to extend streak of 15-TD seasons to four…rushed for 107 yards against Broncos in just over one half of game for fourth-straight 100-yard game…was fifth-career 100-yard game vs. the Broncos…had 16-yard run on first offensive series of night to stretch streak of games with rush of 10 yards or longer to 26…rushed for 56 yards at Oakland Dec. 30 to move past Ricky Watters (10,643) and into 18th place on NFL’s all-time rushing list…finished Raiders game with 63 scrimmage yards to surpass 14,000 scrimmage yards for career…scored touchdown on opening drive of game, catching seven-yard TD pass from Rivers…scored game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown on one-yard run on fourth-and-goal play from one-yard line in Jan. 6 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game vs. Tennessee…scored on patented leap over pile and was given touchdown after second-effort to stretch out ball beyond goal line…he helped ignite that touchdown drive with 12-yard run on second-and-10 play on second play of drive…his TD gave Bolts 17-6 lead midway through final quarter…started AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Indianapolis but was forced to sideline after suffering left knee injury in second quarter…fumbled on play during which he was injured, ending streak of 708 consecutive carries without fumble…it had been longest streak in NFL by running back…longest run against Colts was just eight yards, ending NFL-long streak of 29 consecutive games with run of 10 yards or longer…started AFC Championship Game at New England, but came out of game after two series after re-aggravating knee injury…did not play in Feb. 10 Pro Bowl due to knee injury.
2005: Pro Bowl selection...Sporting News first-team All-Pro…Chargers Most Valuable Player and co-Offensive Player of Year…selected to NFL.com’s All-Interview Team...scored team-record 20 touchdowns to rank third in NFL…NFL’s sixth-leading rusher with 1,462 yards…third-highest single-season total in team history...added 370 yards receiving for 1,832 total scrimmage yards to rank fifth in league and third-best in team annals…carried 339 times, tied for third-most in team history…threw three touchdown passes, tied for second-most in season by running back or fullback since 1970 joining Green Bay’s Willard Harrell (1975), Cleveland’s Greg Pruitt (1977), Los Angeles Raiders Marcus Allen (1983) and Chicago’s Walter Payton (1983)…became fourth player in NFL history with at least two rushing touchdowns, two touchdown catches and two touchdown passes in same season joining Allen (1983), Payton (1983) and Craig James (1985)…two-yard touchdown run in season opener against Dallas marked 13th consecutive game with rushing touchdown, tying NFL record shared by John Riggins (1982-83) and George Rogers (1985-86)…held without catch against Dallas for first time in career, ending streak of 63 consecutive games with at least one reception…16-yard touchdown run in second quarter at Denver Sept. 18 marked NFL-record 14th consecutive game with rushing touchdown…added four-yard touchdown run later in quarter to give Bolts 14-3 halftime lead over Broncos…AFC Offensive Player of Week, FedEx Ground NFL Player of Week, CBS/Westwood One Radio Amtrak Player of the Week and Chargers Alumni Player of Week after racking up 192 yards rushing and three touchdowns against New York Giants Sept. 25 on ESPN Sunday Night Football…tied career high with three touchdowns…192 yards was fifth-highest output of career, seventh-highest in team history and seventh-best performance of season in NFL…first 100-yard rushing game of season and 24th of career…marked 15th consecutive game with rushing touchdown to extend personal NFL record streak…also marked second-longest streak in league history for touchdowns either rushing or receiving breaking tie with O.J. Simpson (14 games)…logged 62-yard run in fourth quarter to set up Nate Kaeding field goal for final points in 45-23 victory…was fourth-longest run of career and seventh-longest play from scrimmage…early in second quarter had 28-yard run that led to 15-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Keenan McCardell on following play…later threw 26-yard touchdown pass to McCardell on halfback option play in third quarter…on touchdown reception, McCardell went over 10,000 career receiving yards…was Tomlinson’s second career touchdown pass…added 28 yards receiving against Giants for 220 total yards from scrimmage…marked eighth career game with 200-plus yards and Chargers improved to 8-0 in said games…sixth-highest total yardage effort of career…on first touchdown against Giants, moved past Dennis Partee (380 points) and into fourth place on team’s all-time scoring list…Tomlinson came into game with 378 points and finished night with 394 points…FedEx Ground NFL Player of Week after logging 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 41-17 win at New England Oct. 2 that ended Patriots’ NFL-record 21-game home winning streak…on first touchdown run in second quarter from eight-yard line, broke three tackles on way to end zone and dragged one defender with him across goal line…scored again in third quarter from one yard out after breaking free from open-field tackle to give Bolts 24-17 lead…added 34 yards as receiver for 168 total yards from scrimmage…second 100-yard rushing game of season and 25th of career…extended NFL record streak of consecutive games with rushing touchdown to 16…scored touchdown on two-yard run with 4:42 remaining in fourth quarter to give Bolts brief 22-21 lead over Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football Oct. 10…stopped short of goal line on two-point conversion attempt…touchdown run extended NFL-record streak to 17 consecutive games with rushing touchdown…converted two third downs during drive, including 14-yard carry on third-and-four and four-yard carry on third-and-one on play before touchdown run…earlier in quarter helped set up Nate Kaeding field goal with season-long 41-yard catch and run on screen pass…was sixth-longest reception of career…play came on second-and-17 from own eight-yard line…led team with seven catches, good for 68 yards…finished MNF contest with 130 total yards, including 62 yards rushing…named AFC Offensive Player of Week, FedEx Ground NFL Player of Week and earned Game Ball from ESPN NFL Prime-Time host Chris Berman after 27-14 win at Oakland Oct. 16...caught 35-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees, scored another touchdown on seven-yard run, and threw four-yard touchdown pass to Justin Peelle…accounted for all three touchdowns in first half…was only fifth time in Super Bowl era (since 1966), and first time since New England’s David Patten in 2001, that player scored rushing touchdown, caught touchdown pass and threw touchdown pass in same game…joined Patten, Walter Payton (1979), Harmon Wages (1969) and Dan Reeves (1967) as others to achieve this rare feat…finished Raiders contest with 183 yards of total offense, including 140 yards rushing, four yards passing and 39 yards receiving…was third 100-yard rushing game of season…during Raiders’ game, Tomlinson reached several milestones…tied Lenny Moore’s (1963-65) NFL record by scoring touchdown in 18th consecutive game…touchdown that he tied record on was 35-yard catch, first touchdown catch of season, seventh-longest catch of career and fourth-longest touchdown catch…when he scored on Chargers’ next series on seven-yard run, it was his 10th rushing touchdown of season, making him first player in NFL history to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in each of his first five NFL seasons…touchdown run also extended NFL-record streak to 18 consecutive games with rushing touchdown…two scores against Raiders raised career touchdown total to 70…reached mark in 69th career game, tying Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown as second-fastest player to reach total…held to career-low seven yards rushing and no touchdowns in 20-17 loss to Philadelphia Eagles Oct. 23…ended NFL record streak of 18 consecutive games with rushing touchdown…also left him tied with Lenny Moore for longest total touchdown streak (rushing or receiving) in NFL history at 18 games…threw 17-yard touchdown pass to Eric Parker on halfback option play in 28-20 win over Kansas City Oct. 30…marked third-consecutive pass attempt that went for touchdown…became first player to throw three consecutive passes for touchdowns since Minnesota’s Daunte Culpepper did it against Green Bay Dec. 24, 2004…Fed Ex Ground NFL Player of Week and CBS/Westwood One Radio Amtrak Player of the Week after four-touchdown performance in 31-26 win over New York Jets on Nov. 6…helped give Bolts 21-10 lead at half with scoring runs of four and one-yard and catch of 25 yards…added one-yard run in third quarter to stretch lead to 28-13…kept first touchdown dive of game alive with 15-yard catch on third-and-seven play…added eight-yard run on third-and-four play during second quarter scoring drive…named Midseason Most Valuable Player by ESPN.com and Offensive MVP by NFL.com, SportsIllustrated.com and CBS SportsLine.com…named to Pro Football Weekly’s Midseason All-Pro Team…scored Chargers first touchdown of game on one-yard run against Buffalo Nov. 20…scored touchdown on fourth-and-one play…also converted third-and-one play with five-yard run during drive…Bolts went on to beat Bills 48-10…beat Washington Redskins with 41-yard touchdown run on second play of overtime at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Nov. 27…capped off 184-yard, three-touchdown performance against Redskins…was 10th-best rushing performance in team history and NFL’s eighth-best rushing game of season…scored Chargers first touchdown of game on one-yard run in second quarter and tied game at 17-17 in fourth quarter with 3:29 left on 32-yard run…threw first incomplete pass of season on halfback option play to Brees in first quarter…ended streak of three-straight touchdown passes…in fourth quarter of Redskins game, moved past Charlie Joiner and into second place on team’s all-time scrimmage yards list…also went over 1,000 rushing yards for season in fourth quarter to become seventh player in NFL history with 1,000 rushing yards in each of first five NFL seasons…briefly left Raiders game Dec. 4 in second quarter with apparent rib injury but returned to finish game…held out of end zone by Raiders…only third game of season without touchdown…rushed for 75 yards against Miami Dec. 11 to raise season total to 1,247…became only third player in NFL history with 1,200 rushing yards in each of first five NFL seasons, joining Erick Dickerson (1983-89) and Eddie George (1996-2000)…pulled himself out of Indianapolis game Dec. 18 in fourth quarter due to chest injury suffered in Dec. 4 game against Oakland…rushed for 76 yards on 24 carries before exiting game…scored touchdown on six-yard run on fourth-and-one play late in second quarter of Dec. 31 season finale against Denver…was 20th touchdown of season, breaking Chuck Muncie’s 24-year-old team record of 19 touchdowns in 1981...was 80th career touchdown…tied Emmitt Smith as second-fastest player (79 games) to score 80 touchdowns…on 28-yard run during touchdown drive, passed Lance Alworth (9,721 yards) to become team’s all-time leader in total scrimmage yards…took Alworth nine seasons to set record while LT did so in fifth pro season.
2004: Pro Bowl selection… first-team All-Pro by Associated Press and College & Pro Football Newsweekly …All-Interview Team by NFL.com…led NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns…ranked second in league with 18 total scores…ranked fifth in NFL with 1,776 scrimmage yards…rushed for 1,335 yards to rank seventh in league…rushed 26 times for 121 yards and touchdown in season opener at Houston for 18th career 100-yard game…scored against Texans on one-yard run in second quarter…set team record against Texans for most career carries, raising total to 1,050 and passing Marion Butts who carried 1,031 times from 1989-1993…scored touchdown on four-yard run against New York Jets Sept. 19…was 39th career rushing touchdown, giving him sole possession of second place on team’s all-time list, breaking deadlock with Paul Lowe…also had 59-yard catch and run against Jets, fourth-longest reception of career…finished game with 163 total yards from scrimmage, including 87 rushing and 76 receiving…was limited against New York due to jammed big toe…completed 38-yard pass to Drew Brees at Denver Sept. 26…pass helped set up Nate Kaeding field goal…became Chargers all-time leading rusher with 147-yard effort against Tennessee Oct. 3…finished Titans’ game with 4,979 career yards, passing Lowe, who had rushed for 4,972 yards from 1960-68…carried 17 times against Tennessee to average season-high 8.6 yards per carry…scored first-quarter touchdown on 15-yard run to move into tie with Chuck Muncie and Kellen Winslow for ninth-place all-time on team’s career scoring list with 270 points…was 19th career 100-yard rushing game…also against Tennessee had 42-yard run in third quarter that was ninth-longest of career and set up Kaeding field goal…one-yard ¬touchdown run in first quarter against Jacksonville Oct. 10…was 46th career touchdown, giving him 276 career points and vaulting him into tie for seventh place with Lowe on team’s all-time scoring list…54-yard catch on screen pass during touchdown drive was fifth-longest of his career…finished Jaguars’ game with 134 total yards from scrimmage to raise career total to 6,789 and move past Winslow for fourth place on team’s all-time list…touchdown on one-yard run in second quarter at Atlanta Oct. 17…was 47th career touchdown, tying him for third place with Charlie Joiner on team’s all-time touchdowns list…also tied Joiner for sixth place on career scoring list with 282 points…scored touchdown on eight-yard run in third quarter at Carolina Oct. 24 to turn 6-0 deficit into 7-6 Chargers lead…touchdown against Panthers was 43rd rushing score of career and moved him into tie with Muncie for most rushing scores in team history…also gave him sole possession of third place on team’s all-time total touchdowns list with 48 and sole possession of sixth place on all-time scoring list with 288 points…scored team-record 44th career rushing touchdown on one-yard run in second quarter against Oakland Oct. 31…scored 50th career touchdown on one-yard run in first quarter against New Orleans Nov. 7…Chargers Alumni Player of Week after rushing for season-high 164 yards and touchdown on season-high 37 carries at Oakland Nov. 21…scored deciding points against Raiders on six-yard touchdown run in fourth quarter…marked seventh-straight game with touchdown, tied for third-longest stretch in team history…attempted pass to Keenan McCardell on halfback option play, which was dropped near goal line at Oakland…scored two rushing touchdowns from one- and three- yards at Kansas City Nov. 28…were first two career scores at Arrowhead Stadium…became third player in NFL history to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in each of first four NFL seasons, joining Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell…was 12th career multi-touchdown game…marked eighth-straight game with touchdown tying Paul Lowe for second-longest streak in team history…led team with season-high 10 catches against Chiefs…rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries versus Denver Dec. 5…five-yard touchdown run on team’s opening drive tied team record of nine-consecutive games with touchdown shared by Natrone Means and Lance Alworth…added one-yard touchdown run in second quarter for 50th career rushing touchdown…was 13th career and second-consecutive multi-touchdown game…was 21st career and fourth 100-yard game of season…raised season total to 1,012 rushing yards to become ninth player in NFL history with over 1,000 rushing yards in first four league seasons…also led squad with five catches against Broncos…selected FedEx Ground NFL Player of Week by fans voting on NFL.com after rushing for 131 yards and touchdown against Tampa Bay Dec. 12…touchdown was seven-yard run in third ¬quarter…was fifth 100-yard game of season and 22nd of career…10th consecutive game with touchdown set new team record and tied Greg Bell and Terry Allen for third-most consecutive games in NFL history with rushing touchdown…was 14th rushing touchdown of season, tying his own team mark for second-most in season…finished day with 150 total yards, including 19 receiving, to raise career total to 7,638 and move past Gary Garrison (7,562) for third place on team’s all-time total yards list…rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in snowstorm at Cleveland Dec. 19…both touchdowns were one-yard runs…scored touchdowns against Browns in 11th-consecutive game, setting new team record and tying NFL mark for second-most consecutive games with rushing touchdown…joined Lenny Moore, Emmitt Smith and Priest Holmes as only players to rush for touchdowns in 11 consecutive games…scores against Browns were 15th and 16th of season, marking second-most in season in team history…career-long 74-yard touchdown catch at Indianapolis Dec. 26…also scored touchdown against Colts on 16-yard run to extend streak of games with rushing touchdown to 12, second-longest in NFL history…moved into eighth place on team’s career receptions list with touchdown catch…was first touchdown catch since Dec. 14, 2003 vs. Green Bay…finished Colts’ game with season-high 176 total yards from scrimmage, including 81 rushing and 95 receiving…inactive versus Kansas City Jan. 2…carried team-record 26 times for 80 yards in Wild Card Playoff Game against New York Jets Jan. 8…tied Eric Parker for team high with nine catches for 53 yards, tied for third-most receptions in playoff game in team history…sealed AFC’s 38-27 victory in Pro Bowl Feb. 13 at Honolulu with four-yard touchdown run late in fourth quarter…started and tallied seven carries for 28 yards and score in Pro Bowl.2003: First-alternate for AFC Pro Bowl squad…second-team All-Pro by Associated Press…named to USA Today’s “All Joe Team”…Offensive Player of Year and All-Pro by Sports-Illustrated.com…Chargers’ Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of Year and co-Most Inspirational Player…recipient of JB Award for community service from James Brown, host of FOX NFL Sunday…led NFL with 2,370 total yards from scrimmage…second-most in NFL history behind only Marshall Faulk who had 2,429 yards for St. Louis in 1999…first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in same season…league’s fourth-leading receiver with 100 catches…accounted for 45.9 percent of team’s offensive yards, second-highest in NFL behind Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis (46.1 percent)…finished season with 1,645 rushing yards, second-most in team history and 38 yards shy of his own team record of 1,683 set in 2002…ranked third in NFL in rushing…scored 13 rushing touchdowns…caught team-record 100 passes, good for career-high 725 yards and four touchdowns…became eighth player in NFL history with consecutive seasons with more than 2,000 scrimmage yards…tied for third in league with 17 total TDs…third in league with 107 first downs…led team with five catches at Kansas City Sept. 7…led team with 93 yards against Denver Sept. 14…had first 100-yard game of season, rushing for 105 yards on 23 carries against Baltimore Sept. 21…scored first touchdown of season on two-yard run and led team with eight catches for 51 yards against Ravens…accounted for 232 yards of total offense at Oakland Sept. 28…rushed for 187 yards and touchdown against Raiders, his second-consecutive game with more than 100 yards rushing and touchdown…touchdown was 55-yarder in second quarter…added 24 yards receiving on team-high seven catches…threw 21-yard touchdown pass to Drew Brees…was first-ever