Austin Ekeler facts for kids
Ekeler in 2024
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 30 – Washington Commanders | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: |
|
||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 17, 1995 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Eaton (Eaton, Colorado) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Western Colorado (2013–2016) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Austin Ekeler (born May 17, 1995) is an American professional football player. He is a running back and return specialist for the Washington Commanders in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, he played college football for the Western Colorado Mountaineers. He became their all-time leader in rushing yards. Austin Ekeler joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. He led the NFL in touchdowns for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Austin Ekeler was born on May 17, 1995, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He grew up in Eaton, Colorado, and went to Eaton High School. There, he played high school football for the Fightin' Reds. Even though he was small as a freshman, he ran for 454 yards and scored 8 touchdowns.
By the end of his high school career, Austin had run for an amazing 5,232 yards. He scored 71 touchdowns, with 39 of those in his senior year alone. He also caught passes for 581 yards and 10 touchdowns. Despite these great numbers, not many big colleges showed interest in him. Only a few smaller schools offered him scholarships. Western Colorado was the only one that wanted him to play running back, which was his favorite position.
College Football Career
Austin Ekeler played college football at Western Colorado from 2013 to 2016. He became the school's all-time leader in rushing yards.
As a freshman, he led his team with 1,049 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. In his second year, he set new school records. He rushed for 1,676 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He also gained 2,093 total yards, which was a lot! As a junior, he scored 19 rushing touchdowns. He led Division II in total yards per game and points per game. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,495 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Professional Football Journey
Austin Ekeler started his NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers. He signed with them in 2017 after not being chosen in the draft.
Starting Strong with the Chargers (2017-2018)
In his first NFL game in 2017, Austin caught two passes for 18 yards. In Week 4, he scored his first NFL touchdown with a 35-yard run. Later that season, he had a great game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He ran for 42 yards and caught five passes for 77 yards, scoring two touchdowns. He finished his first year with 260 rushing yards and 279 receiving yards.
In 2018, Austin continued to make big plays. He scored receiving touchdowns in several games. He finished the season with 554 rushing yards and 404 receiving yards. He helped the Chargers reach the playoffs. They won their first playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Becoming a Key Player (2019-2020)
In 2019, Austin became the Chargers' main running back. In Week 1, he rushed for a game-winning touchdown and caught two more touchdowns. He had many strong games, showing he could run and catch the ball well. In Week 14, he had an amazing game against the Jaguars. He rushed for 101 yards and caught passes for 112 yards, scoring a touchdown. He was one of only a few players ever to gain over 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game. He ended the 2019 season with 557 rushing yards and 993 receiving yards.
In March 2020, Austin signed a new contract with the Chargers. He continued to be a key player, but he got injured in Week 4. He missed several weeks but came back later in the season. He finished 2020 with 530 rushing yards and 403 receiving yards.
Leading the League in Touchdowns (2021-2022)
.jpg)
The 2021 season was a huge year for Austin. He had many games where he scored multiple touchdowns. In Week 4, he had 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In Week 11, he had 115 total yards and four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving). He finished 2021 with 911 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had 647 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. With 20 total touchdowns, he tied for the most in the NFL that year. He also joined LaDainian Tomlinson as the only Chargers players to score 20 touchdowns in a single season.
In 2022, Austin continued his amazing performance. He had 915 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He also caught a career-high 107 passes for 722 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. For the second year in a row, he led the entire league in total touchdowns with 18! He and Marshall Faulk are the only two players in NFL history to have 10 or more rushing touchdowns and five or more receiving touchdowns in two seasons in a row.
Recent Seasons (2023-2024)
In 2023, Austin started strong but suffered an ankle injury. He missed three games. He still had some good games, like scoring a receiving touchdown against the Bears. He finished the season with 628 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He also caught 51 passes for 436 receiving yards.
In March 2024, Austin Ekeler signed a two-year contract with the Washington Commanders. He continued to be a strong player for his new team. He finished the 2024 season with 367 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also had 366 receiving yards. Austin also became a great kick returner for the Commanders. He had 594 kickoff return yards and averaged 31.3 yards per return, which was one of the best in the league. Because of his excellent performance as a kick returner, he was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2024. This was his first All-Pro award!
NFL Career Highlights
Austin Ekeler has achieved some impressive things in his NFL career:
- He is one of only four players in 15 years to score at least 15 touchdowns in two seasons in a row.
- He and Marshall Faulk are the only two players in NFL history to have 10+ rushing touchdowns and 5+ receiving touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.
- He holds the record for the most catches by a running back in a single season for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Personal Life
.jpg)
Austin Ekeler has a younger brother, Wyett Ekeler, who also played football at the University of Wyoming. His mother, Suzanne Ekeler, played college basketball.
In 2021, Austin started the Austin Ekeler Foundation. Its goal is to help people find opportunities to follow their dreams. He also created the Gridiron Gaming Group that same year. This group helps sports stars connect with fans by playing video games online. Austin Ekeler married Melanie Wilking on May 25, 2024.
Images for kids
-
Ekeler in 2024
-
Ekeler with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021
-
Ekeler speaking with Kayla Grey, 2024
