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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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Elijhaa Penny (born August 17, 1993) is a former American football player. He played as a fullback. A fullback is a strong player who helps block for other runners. They also sometimes carry the ball themselves. Penny played for the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cardinals after the 2016 NFL draft. Before that, he played college football at Idaho and Cerritos College.
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Early Years
Elijhaa Penny grew up in Norwalk, California. He went to Norwalk High School. While playing high school football, he was a very strong runner. In his second year, he ran for 1,338 yards. He also scored 20 touchdowns, which was a school record.
College Career
Penny started his college football journey at College of the Sequoias. He played in eight games there. Later, he transferred to Cerritos College. After that, he moved to the University of Idaho.
At Idaho, Penny played for two seasons. He started 14 of the 23 games he played. He ran for a total of 1,748 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. He also caught 39 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. As a senior, he led his team with 1,159 rushing yards. He also scored 10 touchdowns that year. In his first year at Idaho in 2014, he scored 12 rushing touchdowns. This was the most by an Idaho player since 2009. Penny studied general studies at Idaho.
Professional Career
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals signed Penny on May 9, 2016. He joined them as a player who was not picked in the NFL draft. He spent his first year on the practice squad. This is a group of players who train with the team but don't usually play in games.
In 2017, Penny got his first chance to carry the ball in a game. This happened in a win against the San Francisco 49ers. On December 3, he scored his first professional touchdown. This was 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. On September 1, 2018, the Cardinals let Penny go. He then joined their practice squad again.
New York Giants
2018 Season
On September 19, 2018, the New York Giants signed Penny. He joined their team from the Cardinals' practice squad. In the 2018 season, Penny played in 14 games. He started three of them. He caught eight passes for 50 yards and ran for 25 yards. Penny became the Giants' main fullback. He also helped out on their special teams.
2019 Season
Penny signed a new contract with the Giants on March 12, 2019. In the 2019 season, he played in all 16 games. He ran for 39 yards on 15 carries.
2020 Season
On March 12, 2020, Penny signed another two-year contract with the Giants. In January 2021, he was placed on injured reserve. This means he couldn't play due to an injury. Penny played in 14 games this season. He ran for 15 yards and caught two passes for 20 yards.
2021 Season
In the 2021 season, 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 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 14, he scored a receiving touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. He played in all 17 games this season and started three.
On November 28, 2022, Penny announced that he was retiring from the NFL.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Elijhaa Penny became a coach. On March 26, 2023, he became the head coach. He now coaches the football team 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.
