Darren McFadden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Darren McFadden

McFadden with the Cowboys in 2015
No. 20
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1987-08-27) August 27, 1987 (age 37) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:	Oak Grove (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
College:	Arkansas (2005–2007)
NFL Draft:	2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2008–2014) Dallas Cowboys (2015–2017)
Career highlights and awards
Walter Camp Award (2007) 2× Doak Walker Award (2006, 2007) 2× Jim Brown Trophy (2006, 2007) Unanimous All-American (2007) Consensus All-American (2006) 2× SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2006, 2007) 3× First-team All-SEC (2005–2007) SEC Freshman of the Year (2005)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 5,421 Rushing average: 4.2 Rushing touchdowns: 28 Receptions: 254 Receiving yards: 2,114 Receiving touchdowns: 5
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Oakland Raiders picked him fourth overall in the 2008 NFL draft. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys for three seasons.

During his time at Arkansas, McFadden had a very successful career. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy twice. He was also named an All-American multiple times. He was a highly praised player when he left college. McFadden was chosen as the fourth overall pick by the Raiders. In his professional career, he rushed for over 1,000 yards twice. He never started all 16 games in a season. He retired from the NFL in 2017. In 2019, he was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Early Life and High School Football

Darren McFadden was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on August 27, 1987. He was one of twelve children. He faced some challenges in his early life.

He went to Oak Grove High School. This school is in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a talented athlete in three sports: football, baseball, and track. In football, he played many positions. He was mainly a running back on offense and a safety on defense. In track & field, he was a fast sprinter. He ran the 100-meter dash in 10.8 seconds.

In his senior year (2004), McFadden was a Parade magazine high school All-American. He was also named the Arkansas High School player of the year. This award came from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. After his senior year, he won the Landers Award. This award goes to the best player in Arkansas each year. Rivals.com ranked him as the 23rd best player in the nation. They also called him the third-best athlete. He received a five-star rating, which is the highest possible. Many colleges wanted him to play for them. These included Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn. However, he chose to attend the University of Arkansas.

College Football Career

Darren McFadden received a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. He was a star running back for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He played there from 2005 to 2007.

Freshman Season (2005)

McFadden played his first game for Arkansas against Missouri State. He ran for 70 yards and scored a touchdown. On October 8, he rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe. The next week, he had 108 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn. He also had big games against Georgia (190 yards, two touchdowns) and South Carolina (187 yards). Against Mississippi State, he ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He even completed a pass for 13 yards against LSU.

In his first year, McFadden rushed for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns. This was the most yards a freshman running back had ever gained at Arkansas. He was also only the seventh player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to rush for over 1,000 yards as a freshman. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year. He also earned Freshman All-American honors. ESPN named him Newcomer of the Year for the SEC. He remained the top running back for the Razorbacks throughout his college career.

Sophomore Season (2006)

In 2006, McFadden rushed for a school-record 1,647 yards. This was the fifth-best single-season total in SEC history. He scored 14 touchdowns and even threw for three more. He became a first-team All-American. He had four games with over 180 rushing yards. He also had four games where he scored multiple rushing touchdowns. He set a new career high with 219 yards against South Carolina.

His efforts helped Arkansas win ten games and the SEC Western Division Championship. They lost to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. On December 6, 2006, McFadden was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He finished second in the voting. On December 7, 2006, he became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award. This award goes to the nation's best running back. He also won the Jim Brown Trophy in 2006. He was named a consensus All-American and SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

McFadden also played a key role in the "Wildhog formation." In this play, he often lined up as a quarterback. He could run, throw, or hand off the ball.

Junior Season (2007)

Before the 2007 season, many thought McFadden would be a top pick in the 2008 NFL draft. Sports Illustrated even suggested he could be the number one pick. He was also expected to win many awards.

McFadden started the 2007 season strong. He gained at least 120 yards in his first five games. This included 195 yards against Alabama. On November 3, 2007, he tied the SEC single-game rushing record. He ran for 321 yards against South Carolina. On November 23, 2007, McFadden led Arkansas to a big win. They beat the number one ranked LSU Tigers in triple overtime. He rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns in that game. He also threw a touchdown pass. After Arkansas lost to Missouri in the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic, McFadden decided to enter the NFL draft.

McFadden in 2007 during a game between Arkansas and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium

McFadden's 2007 season was very successful. Sporting News named him National Player of the Year. He was a First-team All-American for the second year in a row. He won the Doak Walker Award again, becoming only the second player to win it twice. He also won the Walter Camp Award, given to the nation's best overall player. He finished his junior season with 1,829 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He also threw four touchdown passes and caught one. For the second year in a row, McFadden finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He was the first player since 1949 to finish second in Heisman voting in back-to-back years. He also won the Jim Brown Trophy again.

McFadden with Arkansas in 2007

McFadden ended his college career as one of the most celebrated players in Arkansas history. He holds many of the university's rushing records. His career total of 4,590 yards ranks third all-time in SEC history. He is widely considered one of the best football players in Arkansas Razorbacks history. In March 2008, Electronic Arts announced that McFadden would be on the cover of the Xbox 360 version of NCAA Football 09.

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

NFL Draft and Early Years

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February 2008, McFadden ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. This was the second-fastest time among all running backs. The Oakland Raiders drafted McFadden in the first round as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft. He signed a six-year contract with the Raiders.

On September 8, McFadden made his NFL debut against the Denver Broncos. He rushed for 46 yards. He scored his first professional touchdown on September 14, 2008, against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, he gained 164 yards. He also had an injury to his big toe, which affected him for the rest of the season. He finished his first season with 499 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 285 yards.

Oakland Raiders (2008–2014)

In 2009, McFadden dealt with several injuries. He had a career low in carries and rushing yards. He finished the season with 357 rushing yards and one touchdown.

McFadden with the Raiders in 2010

The 2010 season was a breakout year for McFadden. In Week 2, he rushed for 145 yards against the St. Louis Rams. In Week 3, he had 105 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. On October 24, 2010, he ran for 165 yards and three touchdowns against the Denver Broncos. He also caught a touchdown pass. He became only the fourth player in Raiders history to score four touchdowns in a game. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. In Week 14, he had 209 total yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

McFadden finished the 2010 season as one of the top running backs in the NFL. He played in 13 games. He had career highs in rushing yards (1,157), receiving yards (506), and total touchdowns (10). His rushing yards per game (89.0) and yards per carry (5.2) were among the best in the league.

McFadden (far right) in 2012

In the 2011 season opener, McFadden rushed for 150 yards against the Denver Broncos. This was the most for a Raiders running back in a season opener. In Week 3, he set a new career high with 171 rushing yards against the New York Jets. He also scored two rushing touchdowns. His performance earned him FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week. By Week 6, McFadden was leading the league in rushing with 610 yards. However, he suffered a foot injury in Week 7 and missed the rest of the season.

McFadden evades Paul Soliai in 2012.

McFadden returned for the 2012 season. He finished with 707 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. He led the Raiders in rushing. He had three games with over 100 rushing yards. Injuries continued to be a challenge for him. In 2013, he played in 10 games. He had 379 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

In 2014, the Raiders re-signed McFadden. He played in all 16 games for the first time in his career. He finished the year with 534 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His number of carries went down as another running back, Latavius Murray, started to play more.

Dallas Cowboys (2015–2017)

On March 13, 2015, McFadden signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. He was brought in to help replace DeMarco Murray. He started the season as a backup. In Week 7, he became the main running back. He rushed for a season-high 152 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants. This was his first 100-yard game since 2013.

He remained the starter and finished the season with 1,089 rushing yards. This was the fourth-highest in the NFL that year. He played in all 16 games for the second time in his career. He had 1,417 total yards from scrimmage. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which was third-best among running backs with many carries. He had five games with over 100 rushing yards. He also had 40 receptions for 328 receiving yards.

McFadden became the first former Arkansas Razorback running back to have two seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards in the NFL. His 100-yard rushing games were against the Giants (152 yards), Philadelphia Eagles (117 yards), Miami Dolphins (129 yards), Green Bay Packers (111 yards), and New York Jets (100 yards).

In 2016, McFadden competed for the starting role with rookie Ezekiel Elliott. He broke his right elbow in an accident at home. He had surgery and was placed on a special list. He was activated to the regular season roster on December 13. He became the backup running back. In the last game of the season, he started to save Elliott for the playoffs. He finished the season playing in three games, with 87 rushing yards.

On March 16, 2017, McFadden signed a one-year contract extension with the Cowboys. During the preseason, another running back, Alfred Morris, moved ahead of him on the depth chart. The Cowboys also chose to play Rod Smith because he could play on special teams. On November 26, McFadden asked to be released from the team. He had been a healthy scratch (meaning he was not playing despite being healthy) for most of the season.

Retirement

On November 28, 2017, just two days after being released, Darren McFadden announced his retirement from football. He played 10 seasons in the NFL.

NFL Career Statistics

Personal Life

Darren McFadden is married. He is also an enthusiastic rabbit hunter.

See also

In Spanish: Darren McFadden para niños