Elijhaa Penny facts for kids
Penny with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017
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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||
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| Born: | August 17, 1993 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||
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| High school: | Norwalk (Norwalk, California) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Idaho (2014–2015) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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Elijhaa Penny (born August 17, 1993) is a former professional American football player. He played as a fullback in the NFL. A fullback is a player who helps block for the running back and sometimes carries the ball or catches passes.
Penny started his NFL journey with the Arizona Cardinals. He later played for the New York Giants. Before joining the NFL, he played college football at Idaho and Cerritos College.
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Early Life and High School Football
Elijhaa Penny grew up in Norwalk, California. He went to Norwalk High School. During his time there, he was a star player on the football team.
As a sophomore, he ran for 1,338 yards. He also scored 20 touchdowns in one season. This set a new record for his high school.
College Football Career
Penny began his college football career at College of the Sequoias. He played in eight games there. He gained 102 yards and scored two touchdowns.
He then transferred to Cerritos College. After that, he moved to the University of Idaho. At Idaho, he played for two seasons. He was a starter in 14 of his 23 games.
Penny ran for a total of 1,748 yards at Idaho. He scored 22 touchdowns by running the ball. He also caught 39 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. In his senior year, he led his team with 1,159 rushing yards. He also scored 10 touchdowns that season.
Professional Football Career
Playing for the Arizona Cardinals
After college, Elijhaa Penny was not chosen in the NFL draft. However, the Arizona Cardinals signed him on May 9, 2016. He spent his first year on the team's practice squad. This is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster.
In 2017, Penny got his chance to play in a regular season game. He had his first professional carry against the San Francisco 49ers. Later that year, he scored his first NFL touchdown. This happened in a game against the Los Angeles Rams. For the 2017 season, he ran for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 38 yards.
In September 2018, the Cardinals released Penny. He then joined their practice squad again.
Time with the New York Giants
On September 19, 2018, the New York Giants signed Penny. He joined their team from the Cardinals' practice squad. He quickly became the Giants' main fullback. He also played an important role on their special teams. In 2018, he had 25 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards.
Penny re-signed with the Giants in March 2019. That season, he ran for 39 yards in 16 games. He signed a new two-year contract with the Giants in March 2020. He played in 14 games that year.
In 2021, Penny was used as both a fullback and a running back. This was because many other running backs were injured. On October 17, 2021, he scored his first rushing touchdown for the Giants. This was against the Los Angeles Rams. He also caught a receiving touchdown in Week 14. He played in all 17 games that season.
Elijhaa Penny announced his retirement from the NFL on November 28, 2022.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Elijhaa Penny became a football coach. On March 26, 2023, he was named the head coach. He now coaches at John Glenn High School in Norwalk, California.
Personal Life
Elijhaa Penny has a younger brother named Rashaad Penny. Rashaad also played in the NFL as a running back. He has since retired from the league.
