Dominic Rhodes facts for kids

Dominic Dondrell Rhodes (born January 17, 1979) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). A running back is a player who carries the ball and tries to run past the opposing team to score.

Dominic played college football for the Midwestern State Mustangs. The Indianapolis Colts signed him in 2001. He was not chosen in the draft, so he was called an undrafted free agent.

Rhodes also played for the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. They beat the Chicago Bears in that game. He also set an NFL record for rushing yards by an undrafted rookie. He ran for 1,104 yards in his first year. Later, Rhodes played in the United Football League (UFL). He played for the Virginia Destroyers and the Florida Tuskers.

Dominic Rhodes' College Football Journey

Dominic Rhodes went to Abilene Cooper High School. Many big college football programs wanted him to play for them. These included Texas Tech and Texas Christian University.

Instead, he chose to play for Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. Rhodes played there for two years. He earned All-America honors, which means he was recognized as one of the best players in the country. He was also named an all-conference player twice. After that, Rhodes went to Midwestern State University. He continued to be a great running back there.

Dominic Rhodes' Professional Football Career

Playing for the Indianapolis Colts (First Time)

After playing for two years at Midwestern State University, Dominic Rhodes wanted to join the NFL. Even with his college experience, no team picked him in the 2001 NFL draft. But the Indianapolis Colts signed him as an undrafted free agent. This means he joined a team without being drafted.

In 2001, during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rhodes returned a kickoff for a touchdown. In the same game, the Colts' main running back, Edgerrin James, got hurt. His injury ended his season. Because of this, Rhodes became the starting running back for the rest of the 2001 season. That year, Rhodes ran for 1,104 yards. This was the most rushing yards ever by an undrafted rookie in NFL history. He achieved this even though he only started in the last nine games.

Rhodes missed the entire 2002 season. He had a serious knee injury called a torn ACL. After he got better, he played as a backup to James from 2003 to 2005.

During the 2006 NFL season, Rhodes shared playing time with a new running back, Joseph Addai. This was because James had moved to the Arizona Cardinals. Rhodes finished that year with 641 rushing yards and five touchdowns. On February 4, 2007, he played in Super Bowl XLI. He scored a one-yard touchdown and ran for over 100 yards. This helped the Colts win the Super Bowl with a 29–17 victory.

Time with the Oakland Raiders

After the 2006 season, Rhodes became a free agent. On March 9, 2007, he signed a two-year contract with the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders released Rhodes on April 28, 2008. This happened two days after they picked another running back, Darren McFadden, in the 2008 NFL draft.

Back with the Indianapolis Colts (Second Time)

On May 7, 2008, Dominic Rhodes returned to the Colts. He signed a one-year contract. During the 2008–09 season, Rhodes again shared playing time with Joseph Addai. He ran for 538 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns, which was the most on the team. He also helped in the passing game. He gained 302 receiving yards and scored three receiving touchdowns.

In the offseason, on April 19, 2009, Rhodes signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. However, the Bills released him during the preseason. He did not play any games for them.

Playing in the United Football League (UFL)

Florida Tuskers

Rhodes signed with the UFL team, the Florida Tuskers, for their 2010 season. The UFL was a professional football league that ran for a few years. During the 2010 season, Rhodes set new UFL records. He had the most total touchdowns (10), rushing yards (547), and all-purpose yards (918) in a single season. He was also third in the UFL for yards from scrimmage (652). He was second in kickoff return average (21.7). Rhodes scored at least one touchdown in seven of the eight games that season.

Rhodes and the Tuskers made it to the 2010 UFL Championship Game. But they lost to the Las Vegas Locomotives by a score of 23–20.

Indianapolis Colts (Third Time)

On December 7, 2010, the Indianapolis Colts signed Dominic Rhodes again. This was just 10 days after the UFL Championship game. He played in their last three games of the 2010 season. He finished with 172 rushing yards. He also played in their playoff game, which they lost to the New York Jets. He did not sign with the Colts for the 2011 season.

Virginia Destroyers

The Virginia Destroyers, who used to be the Florida Tuskers, signed Dominic Rhodes for the 2011 season. This was their first season playing in Virginia. In a game against the Sacramento Mountain Lions, Rhodes ran for 217 yards and scored three touchdowns. Both of these were new UFL single-game records. Rhodes was named the UFL's Offensive Player of the Year for 2011.

The Destroyers had a great season, winning four games and losing only one. Rhodes and the Destroyers then beat the Las Vegas Locos 17–3 in the 2011 UFL Championship Game. This game was played in front of a big crowd at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. Rhodes ran for 90 yards and scored a touchdown in the game.

Dominic Rhodes is one of only four former NFL players to win both a Super Bowl and a UFL Championship. His teammates on the 2011 Virginia Destroyers, Diyral Briggs, Jay Alford, and John Standeford, also achieved this.

Playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL)

On March 27, 2013, when he was 34 years old, Rhodes signed with the Montreal Alouettes. This team plays in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was released by the team on June 16, 2013.

Dominic Rhodes' NFL Career Statistics