Glen Coffee facts for kids
Coffee at 49ers Family Day in June 2009
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| No. 29 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||
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| Born: | May 1, 1987 Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 209 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Fort Walton Beach | ||||||||||
| College: | Alabama (2005–2008) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2009 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74 | ||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
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Glen Coffee
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| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 2013–2017 |
| Rank | Specialist |
Glenwood Razeem Coffee Jr. (born May 1, 1987) is a former American football player. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Glen was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2009 NFL draft. He played for one season before deciding to retire from football in 2010. Later, he served in the United States Army from 2013 to 2017. Glen Coffee also played college football for the University of Alabama.
Contents
College Football Journey
Starting Out: The 2005 Season
Glen Coffee began his college football career at Alabama in 2005. He played in all twelve games as a freshman. In one game against South Carolina, he ran for 75 yards. He was a backup player, learning from older teammates. Later that season, he scored his first college touchdown. It was a 9-yard catch from his quarterback.
By the end of his first year, Coffee had run for 179 yards. He also caught eight passes for 91 yards and one touchdown.
Returning Strong: The 2007 Season
After taking a year off from playing (called "redshirting"), Coffee returned in 2007. This was under a new coach, Nick Saban. He shared the starting running back spot with another player. In the first game, he ran for 76 yards and scored a touchdown.
He had his first game where he ran for over 100 yards against Houston. He finished that game with 121 rushing yards. Later, in the Independence Bowl game, he ran for 72 yards. Overall, in 2007, Coffee gained 545 yards on the ground. He also scored four touchdowns and caught 18 passes.
Big Achievements: The 2008 Season
The 2008 season was Glen Coffee's best year at Alabama. He started all 14 games. He still shared playing time with other running backs. In a game against Arkansas, he ran for an amazing 162 yards and two touchdowns. One of his runs was 87 yards long!
The next week, he scored two more touchdowns against Georgia. His best game came against Kentucky, where he ran for 218 yards. This was the most by an Alabama running back since 1996. Alabama made it to the SEC Championship game that year. Coffee ran for 126 yards and a touchdown in a big win against LSU. He also had a great game against rival Auburn, running for 144 yards.
In 2008, Coffee ran for 1,383 yards and ten touchdowns. He was named to the All-SEC first-team. After this successful season, he decided to enter the NFL draft early.
College Statistics Overview
Here's a look at Glen Coffee's college football stats:
| Team | Season | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
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| Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | ||
| Alabama | 2005 | 48 | 179 | 3.7 | 37 | 0 | 8 | 91 | 11.4 | 40 | 1 |
| 2006 | Redshirt season | ||||||||||
| 2007 | 129 | 545 | 4.2 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 142 | 7.9 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 233 | 1,383 | 5.9 | 87 | 10 | 16 | 118 | 7.4 | 15 | 1 | |
| Total | 410 | 2,107 | 5.1 | 87 | 14 | 42 | 351 | 8.4 | 40 | 2 | |
Professional Football Career
Joining the San Francisco 49ers
Glen Coffee was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He was the 74th player chosen overall. With the 49ers, he mostly played as a backup to star running back Frank Gore. In his one season, Coffee carried the ball 83 times for 226 yards. He also scored one rushing touchdown in 14 games. He started two of those games.
Unexpected Retirement
On August 13, 2010, Glen Coffee surprised many by announcing his retirement. This was just before the 2010 NFL preseason began. He explained that his heart was not truly in football anymore. He felt that God wanted him to follow a different path in life.
After retiring, Coffee planned to go back to the University of Alabama. He wanted to finish his degree in consumer affairs. He also thought about going to graduate school.
A Brief Comeback Attempt
On April 21, 2017, Coffee was officially allowed to play in the NFL again. The San Francisco 49ers, who still held his player rights, then released him. Coffee shared that he wanted to play in a special showcase event called The Spring League.
He also returned to the University of Alabama to complete his college degree. He even worked as an assistant coach for the running backs on Nick Saban's coaching staff.
Serving in the Military
In February 2013, Glen Coffee decided to join the United States Army. He wanted to become a paratrooper.
By June 2013, Coffee had successfully graduated from the United States Army Airborne School. He trained as a paratrooper and was assigned to the 6th Ranger Training Battalion. He reached the rank of Specialist (E-4). He served as an airborne infantryman, which means he was a soldier who could jump from planes. His service in the Army lasted until 2017.
Personal Life
Glen Coffee has a brother named Matt. Matt also played football as a fullback for the University of South Carolina. Glen Coffee also co-wrote a book with his father, Glen Coffee Sr. The book is titled There’s More to Life than the Pursuit of Money.
