Brandon Minor facts for kids
Minor in 2008
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| No. 36 | |
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| Position: | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 24, 1988 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Varina (Henrico, Virginia) |
| College: | Michigan |
| Undrafted: | 2010 |
| Career history | |
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Brandon Ricardo Minor, born on July 24, 1988, is a former American college football player. He played as a running back for the Michigan Wolverines from 2006 to 2009. After college, he joined the National Football League (NFL) in 2010. He played on practice squads for teams like the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.
During his time at Michigan, Brandon Minor was a key player. He was the second-best rusher in his first two years. Then, he led the team in rushing during his junior and senior seasons. Coaches even named him an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten Conference team. Before college, he was known as the top high school fullback in the country.
Minor often shared the starting role in his later years at Michigan. He was even on watch lists for major awards like the Doak Walker and Maxwell Award. Experts at ESPN.com thought he was one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference.
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Brandon Minor's Early Football Days
Brandon Minor was a big fan of the Michigan Wolverines football team from a young age. His mother, Julie Gilliam, has pictures of him wearing a Michigan uniform when he was only six years old. When he was nine, he even wrote to the university. He wanted to know how he could become a Michigan football player one day. Every year, he and his mother would watch the Michigan versus Ohio State game. They always cheered for Michigan.
High School Football Success
Brandon Minor became the starting player for Varina High School's varsity team in 2003. This was when he was just a sophomore. In his very first game as a starter, he ran for an amazing 209 rushing yards. That year, he helped his team reach the championship game for their region. He finished the regular season as a first-team All-District player. After the playoffs, he was chosen for the second-team all-region. He rushed for 1,750 yards and scored 22 touchdowns that season. Minor also played varsity basketball as a sophomore. He once made seven three-point field goals in a single game.
As a junior, Brandon Minor changed his jersey number to honor a fallen soldier. His team's former offensive player of the year, Clarence Adams III, died while serving in Iraq. Minor gave up his number 3 to wear Adams' number 33 as a tribute. In one championship game, he rushed for 239 yards and scored four touchdowns. He later set a regional playoff record by rushing for 296 yards in another game. He finished that season with 2,091 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns. He was also named to the all-state second-team by coaches.
Before his senior year, Minor was considered one of the top football recruits in Virginia. He was looking at colleges like Miami, Michigan, Florida, and Ohio State. However, he started his senior season on crutches because of a hip injury. He returned for the last regular season game and rushed for 174 yards. Even though he missed most of the season, he still received all-district and all-region honors. His high school career totals were 4,259 yards and 64 touchdowns. He was ranked as the number one high school fullback in the nation.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Minor RB |
Richmond, Virginia | Varina (VA) | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 211.5 lb (95.9 kg) | 4.625 | Jan 23, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |
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| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 29 (RB) Rivals: 109, 1 (FB), 10 (VA) ESPN: 34 (RB) | ||||||
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Brandon Minor's College Football Career
In January 2006, Brandon Minor chose to attend the University of Michigan. He started his training there in June. As a freshman, he was behind several other running backs on the team. In his very first play as a Wolverine, he rushed for 24 yards. On October 7, he scored his first touchdown with a 40-yard run. He had his first game with over 100 rushing yards on November 4, gaining 108 yards. As a freshman in 2006, Minor rushed for 238 yards, which was second-most on the team.
Sophomore Season Highlights
In 2007, other running backs on the team faced injuries. This gave Minor more opportunities to play. On October 13, he seemed to get a serious injury, but he recovered quickly. For the next two weeks, he helped fill in for an injured teammate. He had his best game yet on October 27, rushing for 157 yards and scoring a touchdown. As a sophomore in 2007, Minor improved his rushing total to 385 yards. He was again the second-leading rusher for the team.
Junior and Senior Seasons
In 2008, a new head coach, Rich Rodriguez, joined Michigan. Minor became the team's leading rusher as a junior. He started four games that season. Minor rushed for 533 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns. He also caught two touchdown passes. Seven of his eleven touchdowns came in a three-week period. This included a 117-yard, two-touchdown game against Penn State. He also had a 155-yard, three-touchdown game against Purdue. Minor played through various injuries during his junior year. At the end of the 2008 season, coaches named him an honorable mention for the all-conference team.
Before his senior year in 2009, Minor was named to important watch lists for top awards. ESPN also ranked him as the 22nd best player in the Big Ten Conference. Minor missed the first game of the season due to an ankle injury. In his second game, he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame. The ankle injury bothered him for much of the season. He had a season-high 154-yard, three-touchdown game against Purdue on November 7. A shoulder injury kept him out of the last game of the season. Throughout his college career, Brandon Minor scored 20 rushing touchdowns and gained 1,658 rushing yards.
Brandon Minor's Professional Career
2010 NFL Season
Minor signed with the Chicago Bears in April 2010 after the 2010 NFL draft. He was released by the Bears in September. He then joined the practice squad for the New Orleans Saints. Minor later returned to the Bears briefly before being released again. He then signed with the Indianapolis Colts in October. After being released by the Colts, he tried out for the Green Bay Packers. He finished the 2010 season as a member of the Denver Broncos' practice squad.
2011 NFL Season
On September 4, 2011, the Broncos placed Minor on injured reserve. They later released him in October.
