Darren Sproles facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Darren Sproles

Sproles in 2011

Philadelphia Eagles

Position:

Personnel consultant

Personal information

Born:

June 20, 1983 (age 41)
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:

As executive:

Philadelphia Eagles (2020–present)
Personnel consultant

Career highlights and awards

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 June 20, 1983) is an American football executive and former running back. He works as a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League (NFL).

Sproles played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats. He earned top honors as a first-team All-American. He also became the school's all-time leading rusher. The San Diego Chargers picked him in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Eagles. In 2021, he joined the College Football Hall of Fame.

Sproles was known for his amazing all-purpose yardage. He was named to the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team as a kick returner. In 2011, he joined the New Orleans Saints and broke the NFL record for most single-season all-purpose yardage with 2,696 yards. He is the first NFL player to have over 2,200 all-purpose yards in four different seasons (2008–2011). Sproles ranks 5th in NFL history for career all-purpose yards with 19,696 yards.

Early Life and High School Football

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

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

In 1999, as a junior, he rushed for 2,031 yards in nine games. In 2000, his senior year, Sproles rushed for 2,485 yards and 49 touchdowns. He led his Olathe North Eagles team to a perfect 12–0 record. They also won their fourth Kansas 6A state title in five years.

Track and Field Achievements

Sproles was also a talented track athlete at Olathe North. As a junior, he finished second in the state in the 200 meters race. He also placed fourth in the 100 meters and third in the 200 meters at the Class 6A State championships.

College Football Career

Sproles played college football at Kansas State University from 2001 to 2004. He started every game in his last two seasons. During his time there, he set 23 school records.

In 2001, he played his first college game against New Mexico State. He ran for 49 yards and scored a touchdown. He finished his first season with 210 rushing yards and one touchdown in six games.

In 2002, Sproles's role in the offense grew. He had 135 rushing yards and a touchdown in the first game. He had several games with over 100 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns. Overall, he finished the 2002 season with 1,465 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

Sproles continued to excel in the 2003 season. He had 175 rushing yards in the season opener. He helped the Wildcats start 4–0 with 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Massachusetts. In a game against Missouri, he rushed for 273 yards. In the Big 12 Conference championship in 2003, he led Kansas State to a 35–7 win over top-ranked Oklahoma. He had 235 rushing yards and 88 receiving yards with a receiving touchdown in that game. He finished the 2003 season with 1,986 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He also finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year. He led all FBS teams in rushing yards in 2003.

Sproles started the 2004 season strong with 221 yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky. He had an amazing 292 rushing yards against Louisiana–Lafayette. He continued to have strong performances against Nebraska and Missouri. In his final college game, he rushed for 167 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 11th on the all-time college rushing yards list. He had the 6th most all-purpose yards in NCAA history. In 2021, he was inducted into the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional Football Career

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

San Diego Chargers (2005–2010)

In 2005, Sproles was the third-string running back. He mainly returned kicks and punts. In 2006, he missed the entire season due to a broken ankle.

Making History in 2007

On November 11, 2007, Sproles made NFL history against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same game. He was the first player ever to do this. He returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. Later, he returned a punt 46 yards for another touchdown.

On December 16, 2007, he scored his first career rushing touchdown against the Detroit Lions. He also had his first game with over 100 rushing yards. The Chargers made the playoffs that year. Sproles had a 56-yard receiving touchdown in a win against the Colts.

Key Player in 2008

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 had 317 all-purpose yards in a game against the Denver Broncos, including a 103-yard touchdown return. He finished the 2008 season with 330 rushing yards and five receiving touchdowns.

In the playoffs, Sproles shined against the Indianapolis Colts. He ran for two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime. He had 328 all-purpose yards in that game, which is the third most in NFL playoff history.

Later Chargers Seasons

The Chargers kept Sproles by using the franchise tag in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, he had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also scored two rushing touchdowns on Christmas Day. In 2010, he played in all 16 games. He had 59 catches for 520 yards and two touchdowns.

New Orleans Saints (2011–2013)

On July 29, 2011, Sproles signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.

Record-Breaking 2011 Season

Sproles had an incredible 2011 season. On September 8, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers. He had 257 all-purpose yards in that game. On September 25, he had a 30-yard touchdown run against the Houston Texans.

On October 23, he scored two touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts. He had 190 all-purpose yards in that game. By December 26, he had 236 all-purpose yards against the Atlanta Falcons. A nine-yard touchdown pass he caught from Drew Brees helped Brees break the single-season passing yards record.

On January 1, 2012, Sproles broke the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,696 yards. He surpassed the previous record set in 2000. He scored three touchdowns in the Saints' playoff games that year. His amazing performance earned him a spot on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 list.

2012 and 2013 Seasons

In 2012, Sproles had 13 catches for 128 yards against the Carolina Panthers. He later fractured his hand but returned to play. He finished the season with 244 rushing yards and 667 receiving yards. In 2013, he played in 15 games. He had 220 rushing yards and 604 receiving yards.

Philadelphia Eagles (2014–2019)

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

Pro Bowl Seasons (2014–2016)

In his first game with the Eagles, Sproles had a 49-yard rushing touchdown. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2. He also earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice. In 2014, he led the NFL in punt return yards with 506. He was selected for his first Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro.

In 2015, Sproles continued his strong play. He returned an 89-yard punt for a touchdown against the New York Jets. He also had a great game against the New England Patriots, with 15 carries for 66 yards and a punt return touchdown. He finished the season with three rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, and two punt return touchdowns, leading the NFL in punt return touchdowns for the second year. He was selected to his second straight Pro Bowl and named First Team All-Pro.

In 2016, Sproles signed a contract extension. He became the Eagles' starting running back in Week 8. He finished the season with 438 rushing yards and 427 receiving yards. He earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nomination.

Injuries and Retirement (2017–2019)

In 2017, Sproles suffered a broken arm and a torn ACL in Week 3. This ended his season early. The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII that year. Sproles wanted to return for one more season.

He re-signed with the Eagles in 2018. He announced that 2018 would be his last NFL season. He returned from injury but then injured his hamstring. He came back later in the season and scored a rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns.

Sproles re-signed with the Eagles for 2019. In Week 5, he moved into 5th place all-time on the all-purpose yards list. However, he suffered a torn hip flexor muscle, which ended his 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

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

Team Records

Chargers franchise record: Most career kickoff return yards: 6,469
Eagles franchise record: Most career punt return touchdowns: 4 (Tied with DeSean Jackson)

Post-Playing Career

On February 7, 2020, Sproles was hired as a personnel consultant for the Eagles' football operations department. He works alongside his former teammate Brent Celek.

Personal Life

Darren Sproles's father, Larry, was also a running back. He played at MidAmerica Nazarene University and was 5 feet 5 inches tall. Sproles's mother, Annette, passed away from cancer in April 2004. Sproles lives with his wife, Michel Sproles, in Poway, California.

Images for kids

Sproles with the Chargers in January 2011
Sproles with the Eagles in 2014

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand size	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press	Wonderlic
5 ft 6+1⁄8 in (1.68 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	28+1⁄4 in (0.72 m)	8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m)	4.46 s	1.52 s	2.58 s	3.96 s	6.96 s	33 in (0.84 m)	8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)	23 reps	21
All values from NFL Combine