Darren Sproles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Darren Sproles

Sproles in 2011
Philadelphia Eagles
Position:	Personnel consultant
Personal information
Born:	(1983-06-20) June 20, 1983 (age 42) Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Olathe North (Olathe, Kansas)
College:	Kansas State (2001–2004)
NFL Draft:	2005 / Round: 4 / Pick: 130
Career history
As player:
San Diego Chargers (2005) New Orleans Saints (2011) Philadelphia Eagles (2014)
As executive:
Philadelphia Eagles (2020–present) Personnel consultant
Career highlights and awards
As a staff member / executive: Super Bowl champion (LIX) As a player: Super Bowl champion (LII) Second-team All-Pro (2014) 3× Pro Bowl (2014–2016) NFL 2010s All-Decade Team San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team First-team All-American (2003) 2× First-team All-Big 12 (2003, 2004) Second-team All-Big 12 (2002) NFL record Most all-purpose yards in a season: 2,696 (2011)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 732 Rushing yards: 3,552 Rushing touchdowns: 23 Receptions: 553 Receiving yards: 4,840 Receiving touchdowns: 32 Return yards: 11,313 Return touchdowns: 9
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

Darren Lee Sproles, born on June 20, 1983, is a former American football player. He was a talented running back. He now works as a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).

Sproles played college football at Kansas State University. He was a top player, becoming the school's all-time leading rusher. The San Diego Chargers picked him in the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2021, he joined the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Chargers honored him on their 50th Anniversary Team as a great kick returner. He joined the New Orleans Saints in 2011. That year, he broke an NFL record. He gained the most all-purpose yardage in a single season, with 2,696 yards. He was the first NFL player to have over 2,200 all-purpose yards in four different seasons. Sproles ranks 5th in NFL history for career all-purpose yards. He gained 19,696 yards in total.

Early Life and High School Football

Darren Sproles grew up in Olathe, Kansas. He went to Olathe North High School. Since he was a child, he has worked to overcome a speech impediment. Sproles was a football star in high school. He was nicknamed "Tank" because he was born weighing 10 pounds.

For two years, he was named All-Sunflower League and All-Metro. He was also an All-State player. The Kansas City Star newspaper named him Player of the Year twice. In his senior year, he was the Kansas Hall of Fame Player of the Year. USA Today also named him Kansas Player of the Year. During his high school career, Sproles ran for 5,230 yards. He scored 79 touchdowns.

High School Achievements

Sproles was a high school All-American. He won the Thomas A. Simone Trophy. This award goes to the best big-class football player in the Kansas City area. In 1999, he rushed for 2,031 yards in nine games. In 2000, his senior year, Sproles ran for 2,485 yards. He scored 49 touchdowns. He led his Olathe North Eagles team to a perfect 12–0 record. They won their fourth Kansas 6A state title in five years.

Track and Field Talents

Besides football, Sproles was also a track star at Olathe North. In his junior year, he finished second in the state in the 200 meters race. His time was 21.6 seconds. He also placed fourth in the Class 6A States in the 100 meters race. His time was 10.93 seconds. He finished third in the 200 meters with a time of 22.04 seconds.

Sproles's best personal times were 10.6 seconds in the 100 meters. He ran the 200 meters in 21.6 seconds.

College Football Career

Sproles played college football for Kansas State University from 2001 to 2004. He was a starter in his last two seasons. He set 23 school records. In 2001, he played his first college game. He had 49 yards and a touchdown. He finished that season with 210 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Expanding Role in 2002

In 2002, Sproles became a bigger part of the team's offense. In the first game, he ran for 135 yards and a touchdown. He had 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Colorado. Against Kansas, he gained 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He followed that with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Iowa State. In the next game, he had 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska. For the 2002 season, he finished with 1,465 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

Amazing 2003 Season

Sproles continued to play great in 2003. In the first game, he had 175 rushing yards and a touchdown. Against Massachusetts, he gained 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns. This helped the Wildcats start the season 4–0. In a game at Iowa State, he had 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Against Missouri, he ran for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

In the Big 12 Conference championship game in 2003, Kansas State beat #1 ranked Oklahoma 35–7. Sproles had 235 rushing yards and 88 receiving yards. He also scored a receiving touchdown. He finished the 2003 season with 1,986 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year. He led all FBS teams in rushing yards in 2003.

Final College Year (2004)

Sproles started the 2004 season strong. He had 221 yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky. Against Louisiana–Lafayette, he gained 292 rushing yards and a touchdown. He had 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Nebraska. Against Missouri, he ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns. In his last college game, he had 167 rushing yards and a touchdown against Iowa State. He finished the 2004 season with 1,318 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Sproles ended his college career with the 11th most rushing yards ever. He had the 6th most all-purpose yards in NCAA history. In 2021, Sproles was inducted into the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame.

College Statistics Overview

Professional Football Career

Darren Sproles was chosen by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He was the 130th player picked overall.

Time with the San Diego Chargers

2005 and 2006 Seasons

In 2005, Sproles was the third-string running back. He mainly returned kicks and punts. He missed the entire 2006 season. He broke his ankle during the preseason and was placed on the injured reserve list.

2007 Season Highlights

Sproles playing for the Chargers in 2011

On November 11, 2007, Sproles made history. He returned a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns. This was the first time a player had done this in the same game since 2003. He returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. Later, he returned a punt 46 yards for another touchdown.

On December 16, 2007, Sproles scored his first rushing touchdown. He ran for one yard against the Detroit Lions. He then had an 11-yard run for his second rushing touchdown. This was his first game with over 100 rushing yards. In the 2007 regular season, he had 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 1,008 kick return yards and a touchdown. The Chargers made the playoffs. In a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, he had a 56-yard receiving touchdown.

2008 Season and Playoff Heroics

On September 14, 2008, Sproles became only the second player in NFL history to have 50+ rushing yards, 50+ receiving yards, and 100+ return yards in one game. He gained 317 all-purpose yards in a close loss to the Denver Broncos. He also had a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In the last regular season game, he had 115 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos.

On January 3, 2009, in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sproles scored two rushing touchdowns. He ran for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. He finished that game with 328 all-purpose yards. This was the third most all-purpose yards by a player in a single NFL playoff game.

2009 and 2010 Seasons

In 2009, Sproles signed a contract with the Chargers. In Week 2, he had seven catches for 124 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. On October 19, he returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown. On Christmas Day, he scored two rushing touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans. In the 2009 season, he had 343 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He also had 497 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

In 2010, Sproles played in all 16 games. He had 59 catches for 520 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 267 yards. He continued to be a key player on special teams.

Time with the New Orleans Saints

2011 Record-Breaking Season

On July 29, 2011, Sproles signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. In his first game with the Saints, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown. He also had 175 yards from special teams returns. On offense, he had 75 receiving yards.

On September 25, 2011, Sproles had 193 all-purpose yards against the Houston Texans. This included a 30-yard rushing touchdown. On October 23, he had 190 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts. He broke the 1,000 all-purpose yards mark in this game.

On December 26, 2011, Sproles had 236 all-purpose yards against the Atlanta Falcons. He had a 92-yard kickoff return. He also caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees. This pass helped Drew Brees break the NFL single-season passing yards record.

On January 1, 2012, in the last regular season game, Sproles broke the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season. He finished with 2,696 yards. This record was previously set in 2000. He played in both of the Saints' playoff games. He scored three touchdowns, including a 44-yard catch.

2012 and 2013 Seasons

In Week 2 of the 2012 season, Sproles had 13 catches for 128 yards. On November 2, 2012, he fractured his hand and missed some games. He returned later in the season. He finished with 244 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also had 667 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

In 2013, Sproles played in 15 games. He ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 71 passes for 604 yards and two touchdowns. He played in both of the Saints' playoff games.

Time with the Philadelphia Eagles

Sproles with the Eagles in 2014

2014 Season and Pro Bowl

On March 13, 2014, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Sproles. Drew Brees, his former teammate, said that a player like Darren Sproles comes along "once in your career."

In his first game with the Eagles, he had a 49-yard rushing touchdown. This was his longest run ever. He won NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2. He rushed for 26 yards and a touchdown. He also caught seven passes for 152 yards. He earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice that season.

In 2014, Sproles played in 15 games. He ran for 329 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 387 receiving yards. He returned 39 punts for 506 yards and two touchdowns. This was the most punt return yards in the NFL in 2014. Because of his great play, he was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. He was also named second-team All-Pro as a return specialist.

2015 Season and First-Team All-Pro

In 2015, some thought Sproles might play less. However, he still had a big impact. In Week 3, he was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown. He also rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown. This helped the Eagles win their first game of the season.

In Week 13, Sproles had his biggest workload since 2009. He carried the ball 15 times for 66 yards. He also had five punt returns for 115 yards and a touchdown. Sproles finished the season with three rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, and two punt return touchdowns. He led the NFL in punt return touchdowns for the second year in a row. He was chosen for his second straight Pro Bowl. He was also named First Team All-Pro.

2016 Season and Starting Role

On July 29, 2016, Sproles signed a contract extension with the Eagles. He was a strong weapon catching passes from the backfield. In the first three games, he caught 10 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. In a Week 8 game, Sproles became the lead running back. He carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards. The next week, head coach Doug Pederson officially named Sproles the starting running back. He finished the 2016 season with 438 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 427 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He earned his third straight Pro Bowl nomination.

2017 Season and Super Bowl Win

On September 25, 2017, Sproles suffered a broken arm and a torn ACL in the same play. This happened in a game against the New York Giants in Week 3. His season ended early. In three games, he rushed for 61 yards and had 73 receiving yards. The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII that season. After the season, Sproles said he wanted to play one more year with the Eagles.

2018 and 2019 Seasons

Sproles re-signed with the Eagles for the 2018 season. He announced that 2018 would be his last NFL season. He returned from his injury in the first game of the season. However, he injured his hamstring before Week 2. He returned in Week 13 and scored a rushing touchdown. He added two receiving touchdowns later in the season. He finished the 2018 season with 120 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also had 160 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Sproles re-signed with the Eagles again for the 2019 season. In Week 5, he moved into 5th place all-time on the all-purpose yards list. However, he suffered a torn hip flexor muscle and missed the rest of the season. On December 21, 2019, Sproles announced his retirement from the NFL. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team.

NFL Records and Achievements

NFL Records

• Most combined all-purpose yards in a two-game playoff span (2008): 602 yards
• Most All-purpose yards in a single season (2011): 2,696 yards
• Most receiving touchdowns by a player shorter than 5 feet 7 inches: 32 touchdowns

Chargers Team Records

• Most career kickoff return yards: 6,469 yards

Eagles Team Records

• Most career punt return touchdowns: 4 (Tied with DeSean Jackson)

After Playing Football

On February 7, 2020, Sproles was hired by the Eagles. He became a personnel consultant in their football operations department. He works alongside his former teammate Brent Celek.

Personal Life

Darren Sproles's father, Larry, also played running back. He played at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Larry was 5 feet 5 inches tall. Darren's mother, Annette, passed away in April 2004. Sproles lives near San Diego in Poway, California. He is married to Michel Sproles.

NFL Career Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Darren Sproles para niños