Avon Cobourne facts for kids
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| Born: | March 6, 1979 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | RB |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| College | West Virginia |
| High school | Holy Cross |
| NFL draft | 2003 / Undrafted |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 2014–2015 | Saskatchewan Roughriders (RB) |
| 2016 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (RB) |
| As player | |
| 2003–2004 | Detroit Lions |
| 2004 | Cologne Centurions |
| 2005 | Miami Dolphins* |
| 2006–2010 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 2011–2012 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| CFL All-Star | 2009 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2008, 2009, 2012 |
| Records | Collegiate:
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| Career stats | |
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Avon Cobourne (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional football player. He was a talented running back in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Cobourne played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 1999 to 2002 before becoming a professional player.
He became the main running back for the Montreal Alouettes in 2008. That year, he gained 1,557 total yards and was named a CFL East Division All-Star. In 2009, he had an amazing season, rushing for 1,214 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was recognized as a CFL All-Star and was named the MVP of the 2009 Grey Cup.
Early Life
Avon Cobourne grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He went to Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, New Jersey. There, he was a star football player. In his junior year, he rushed for 1,400 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. However, he had a knee injury early in his senior year.
College Career
Avon Cobourne played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He quickly became a key player for the team.
Freshman Season (1999)
Cobourne started playing right away as a freshman. He was ranked 13th in the NCAA for rushing yards with 1,139 yards. This made him the top freshman rusher in the country. He also broke the freshman rushing record at West Virginia. His best game was against Pitt, where he rushed for 210 yards.
Sophomore Season (2000)
In his second year, Cobourne was still one of the top running backs in the nation. He gained 1,028 yards and scored 6 touchdowns, even though he dealt with some injuries. He had a great game in his coach's final game, rushing for 125 yards in the Music City Bowl.
Junior Season (2001)
Cobourne had his third straight season with over 1,000 rushing yards. He gained a career-high 1,298 yards and scored 9 touchdowns. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He was also the only player to rush for over 100 yards against the national champions, the Miami Hurricanes.
Senior Season (2002)
In his final college season, Cobourne was considered for the Heisman Trophy award. He set a school record for most rushing yards in a single season with 1,710 yards. He also scored a career-high 17 touchdowns. His 260 rushing yards against ECU was his best single-game performance.
College Legacy
Avon Cobourne finished his college career as the all-time leading rusher for both the Big East Conference and West Virginia University. He had an amazing 5,164 rushing yards. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in all four of his seasons. Many people consider him one of the greatest running backs in West Virginia history.
Professional Career
National Football League (NFL)
After college, Cobourne was signed by the Detroit Lions in 2003. He played in seven games, carrying the ball seven times for 27 yards. In 2004, he played for the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe, gaining 525 yards. He also signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 but did not play in any games for them.
Canadian Football League (CFL)
Avon Cobourne then moved to the Canadian Football League (CFL) to play for the Montreal Alouettes.
2006 Season
In his first CFL season, Cobourne mostly played on special teams. He led the team with 21 special teams tackles. He also had the longest missed field goal return in the league, running it back 95 yards.
2007 Season
In 2007, Cobourne was a backup running back. He became known as a dangerous returner. In one game, he returned a missed field goal for an amazing 111-yard touchdown. This play was even shown on ESPN's SportsCenter. He finished the season with 160 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
2008 Season
Cobourne became the starting running back for the Alouettes in 2008. He had a strong start, rushing for 107 yards in the first game. He then had a streak of five consecutive games where he rushed for over 100 yards. Even with an injury that caused him to miss some games, he finished the season with 950 rushing yards and 607 receiving yards. He was named an East Division All-Star.
2009 Season
This was a standout year for Cobourne. He had a career-high 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Later, he rushed for another career-high of 193 yards and two touchdowns against Hamilton. The season ended with him winning the Most Valuable Player award in the 97th Grey Cup. His team, the Montreal Alouettes, won the championship 28–27.
2011 Season
In 2011, Avon Cobourne signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He started 17 games as their running back. He was released by the team in early 2012.
2012 Season
The Tiger-Cats re-signed Cobourne for the 2012 season. He had another strong year and was named a CFL East Division All-Star for the third time in his career. He was released by the Tiger-Cats again in 2013.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Avon Cobourne became a football coach.
- 2014–2015: Running backs coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- 2016: Running backs coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Pre-Game Enterprises
Avon Cobourne studied marketing at West Virginia University. In the off-season, he uses his degree to run his own business called Pre-Game Enterprises. It's a sporting goods company based in West Virginia. His company sells T-shirts, caps, and mouthpieces with his special slogan, "Chill Son." His wife, Rebecca, helps run the company during the football season.
