Jahvid Best facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jahvid Best

Best in August 2009
No. 44
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1989-01-30) January 30, 1989 (age 36) Vallejo, California, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:	Salesian (Richmond, California)
College:	California (2007–2009)
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30
Career history
Detroit Lions (2010–2012)
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2007, 2008) Second-team All-Pac-10 (2009)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 255 Rushing yards: 945 Rushing touchdowns: 6 Receptions: 85 Receiving yards: 774 Receiving touchdowns: 3
Player stats at PFR

Jahvid Andre Best (born January 30, 1989) is an American track and field Olympian athlete. He is also a former professional football running back. The Detroit Lions picked him in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Jahvid played college football for the California Golden Bears. There, he set many school records. These included the most all-purpose yards in one season. He also had the most rushing yards in a single game. In 2008, Best led the Pac-10 conference in total rushing yards. Later, Best competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He represented Saint Lucia in track and field. He also coached high school football for a short time.

Early Life and High School Sports

Jahvid Best went to Salesian High School in Richmond, California. He played for the Salesian Chieftains high school football team. In 2005, during his junior year, he ran for 1,495 yards. He scored 20 touchdowns. Salesian won the North Coast Section championship that year. They finished the season with 12 wins and 1 loss.

In his senior year, Best ran for 3,325 yards. He also scored 48 touchdowns. Both of these were Bay Area records for a single season. Salesian reached the NCS finals again. However, they lost the final game. Experts like Rivals.com thought Best was a top running back. They ranked him as the 9th best in the nation in 2007.

High School Track and Field Success

Best was also a talented track athlete. He ran in the Arcadia Invitational in his junior and senior years. As a junior, he won the 100-meter dash. He did this even with an injured foot. At the 2006 CIF California State Meet, he placed third in the 200 meters.

In his senior year, he won the Arcadia Invitational 200-meter dash. He also won the CIF California State Meet 100 meters. He finished second in the 200 meters. Best ended his senior year with impressive personal bests. His 100-meter time was 10.31 seconds. His 200-meter time was 20.65 seconds. These were among the fastest times in the nation.

Best at the 2016 Olympics next to James Dasaolu and Usain Bolt.

Best later competed in the 100 meters at the 2016 Olympics. He ran in Heat 7 of the first round. He raced against famous sprinters like Usain Bolt.

College Football Career

Best received many scholarship offers from top universities. He chose to play for the California Golden Bears in 2006.

Freshman Year (2007)

As a new player in 2007, Best was a backup running back. He ran for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 29 carries. He also caught 13 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. He was named the team's Most Valuable Freshman.

Sophomore Year (2008)

Best quickly gained national attention in 2008. In the first game, he ran for 111 yards. His big game came against Washington State. He had two long touchdown runs of 80 and 86 yards. He finished that game with 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Best faced a challenge against Maryland. He dislocated his elbow later in the season. He missed one game because of this injury. He returned for the Arizona game. There, he had a 67-yard score. He gained 140 all-purpose yards in that game.

Best carries the ball during the Big Game.

Best had great games against UCLA and Oregon. He then ran for 201 yards against the Stanford Cardinal. This was during the 2008 Big Game. After this, Best became the seventh player for Cal to rush for over 1,000 yards. In the last game of the regular season, Best ran for over 300 yards. He was the first Cal player to do this. He finished the regular season as the Pac-10's top rusher.

In the 2008 Emerald Bowl, Best ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the Offensive MVP of the game. He ended the 2008 season with 1,580 rushing yards. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns.

Junior Year (2009)

In January 2009, Best had surgery on his elbow and foot. He missed spring football practice. Despite this, he was named the most explosive player in college football. Many thought he could be a Heisman candidate.

In Cal's first game of 2009, Best rushed for 137 yards. He scored two touchdowns. Against Eastern Washington, he ran for 144 yards. He also had a 22-yard receiving touchdown. Against Minnesota, he ran for 131 yards. He scored all five of Cal's touchdowns in that game. This was a personal best and a school record.

Best was injured in a game against Oregon State. He landed on his head after hurdling a defender. This caused a concussion. It was his second concussion in two weeks. He was taken to the hospital but released the next day. He missed the rest of the season due to these injuries. On January 2, 2010, Best announced he would enter the NFL draft. He decided not to play his senior year.

College Statistics

College Records

• Cal record for most rushing yards in a single game (311 yards). He achieved this on December 6, 2008, against the Washington Huskies.
• Second highest Cal single season rushing record (1,580 yards in 2008). This is second only to J. J. Arrington's record of 2,018 yards in 2004.
• Most all-purpose yards in a single season (2008) with 2,247 total yards.
• 2008 Emerald Bowl rushing record with 186 yards.
• Set a modern era Cal record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game (five). He scored these against Minnesota on September 19, 2009.

Professional Football Career

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Best showed his speed. He had one of the fastest 40-yard dash times. He was the fastest among all running backs.

The Detroit Lions chose Best as the 30th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He signed a five-year contract with the Lions.

2010 Season

Best started 15 games for the Lions. He scored his first NFL rushing touchdowns on September 12. This was against the Chicago Bears. His best game came the next week against the Philadelphia Eagles. He ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught passes for 154 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.

Later in the season, a toe injury limited his play. He did not score more rushing touchdowns. However, he had a 53-yard receiving touchdown. This was during the Lions' winning streak. Overall, he played in 16 games and started nine. He finished with 555 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also had 487 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

2011 Season

Best suffered a concussion in a pre-season game on August 19. On October 10, he had his first 100-yard game. He rushed for 163 yards against the Chicago Bears. This included an 88-yard touchdown run.

However, Best suffered another concussion on October 16. This was his last game in the NFL. In November, he was placed on injured reserve. This meant he could not play for the rest of the season.

2012 Season and Retirement

Due to ongoing concussion issues, Best did not play in 2012. He was placed on injured reserve again. He worked on cognitive therapy to help with his symptoms. He hoped to return to football.

However, the Lions released Best on July 17, 2013. The many concussions he had during his career prevented him from playing again.

NFL Career Statistics

Olympic Track and Field Career

After his football career, Best focused on track and field. In May 2015, he ran a fast 100 meters. He was training for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He represented Saint Lucia, his father's home country.

On April 2, 2016, he ran the official qualifying time for the Olympics. On July 16, 2016, Best was named to Saint Lucia's 2016 Olympics team. He competed in the 100 meters. He became the first former NFL player to participate in the Summer Olympic Games.

At the 2016 Olympics, Best ran a time of 10.39 seconds in his 100-meter heat. He did not move on to the semifinals.

Coaching Career

In January 2014, Best joined the Cal Bears coaching staff. In 2021, Saint Mary's College High School hired him as head coach. Best coached the Saint Mary Panthers to a 3–6 record in 2021. He then left the team. He is currently a running backs coach for Bishop O'Dowd High School.

Personal Life

Jahvid's name is a mix of "Jah" and the last part of his father's name, David. His father is from St. Lucia. Jahvid has one sister named Laurie.