Jonathan Stewart facts for kids
Stewart with the Carolina Panthers in 2013
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | March 21, 1987 Fort Lewis, Washington, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Timberline (Lacey, Washington) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Oregon (2005–2007) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Jonathan Creon Stewart, born on March 21, 1987, is a former professional football player. He was a talented running back in the National Football League (NFL). Stewart played college football for the Oregon Ducks, where he was recognized as an All-American. The Carolina Panthers picked him in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played for the Panthers for 10 seasons and was even chosen for the 2016 Pro Bowl. After his time with the Panthers, he played one season with the New York Giants. In 2018, Stewart officially retired as a Panther.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Jonathan Stewart holds the record for the most rushing yards in Washington state high school football history. He played for Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, from 2001 to 2004. During his high school career, he ran for an amazing 7,755 yards and scored 105 touchdowns!
As a freshman in 2001, he rushed for 1,279 yards. In 2002, as a sophomore, he gained 1,609 yards despite an ankle injury. His junior year in 2003 was incredible, with 2,566 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. In his senior year (2004), he rushed for 2,301 yards and 32 touchdowns. In one game against Centralia High School in 2002, Stewart rushed for 422 yards and scored nine touchdowns! After his senior season, he received many honors, including being named to the Parade High School All-American team.
Track and Field Talents
Besides football, Jonathan Stewart was also a strong track & field athlete. He was a fast sprinter. In 2003, he placed third in the 100 meters at a championship event. His fastest time in the 100 meters was 10.78 seconds in 2005, which is still the school's record. When he was at the University of Oregon, he also competed in the 60-meter dash.
Choosing a College Team
Many top colleges wanted Jonathan Stewart to play for them. He chose the University of Oregon over other famous schools like USC and Notre Dame.
College Football Career
2005 Season Highlights
In his first year at Oregon, Stewart showed off his skills by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. This made him the first player in the program's history to do that more than once! He led the country in kickoff return average, with 33.7 yards per return. Even though an ankle injury made him miss some games, he scored nine touchdowns that season.
2006 Season Achievements
Stewart became the team's top rusher in his sophomore year. He almost reached 1,000 rushing yards, even with ongoing ankle problems. He had five games where he rushed for over 100 yards, and the Ducks won all those games. He also caught 20 passes and was one of the best in the country for kickoff returns. In a big win against Oklahoma, he rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown.
2007 Season and Records
The 2007 season was a fantastic one for Stewart and the Ducks. They started with four straight wins. Against Michigan, Stewart ran for 111 yards and a touchdown. He then rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Fresno State. One of his touchdowns was an 88-yard run, the longest ever at Autzen Stadium!
Against Stanford, Stewart had a career-best 310 all-purpose yards. He also had an amazing game against Washington, rushing for 251 yards, which was the second-highest single-game total in Oregon's history. He continued his strong play against USC and Arizona State.
Stewart finished his record-setting season with 1,722 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. In the 2007 Sun Bowl, he rushed for a career-high 253 yards, setting a new Sun Bowl record! He was named the game's Most Valuable Player. At the end of the season, he was selected for the All-Pacific-10 Conference first-team.
College Awards and Honors
- First-team All-Pac-10 (2007)
- Second-team All-Pac-10 (2006)
- Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (2005)
- Sun Bowl Champions (2007)
- Sun Bowl MVP (2007)
- 2005 NCAA leader in kick return touchdowns (2 TDs)
- 2006 NCAA leader in kick return yards (646 yds)
- 2007 Pac-10 leader in rushing yards (1,722 yds)
College Statistics
| Season | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Kick Returns | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | 100+ | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Lng | TD | ||
| 2005 | 10 | 53 | 188 | 3.5 | 0 | 33 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 6.4 | 1 | 12 | 404 | 97 | 2 |
| 2006 | 13 | 183 | 981 | 5.4 | 5 | 63 | 10 | 20 | 144 | 7.2 | 1 | 23 | 646 | 68 | 0 |
| 2007 | 13 | 280 | 1,722 | 6.2 | 9 | 88 | 11 | 22 | 145 | 6.6 | 2 | 23 | 614 | 64 | 0 |
| Career | 36 | 516 | 2,891 | 5.6 | 14 | 88 | 27 | 49 | 334 | 6.8 | 4 | 58 | 1,664 | 97 | 2 |
Professional Football Career
Joining the NFL
Jonathan Stewart decided to enter the NFL Draft early, after his junior year at Oregon. He was considered one of the top running backs available. The Carolina Panthers chose him as the 13th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In July 2008, he signed a big contract with the team.
Carolina Panthers Years (2008–2017)
2008 Rookie Season
In his first NFL game, Stewart rushed for 53 yards. In his second game, he scored his first two NFL touchdowns! He finished his rookie season with 10 rushing touchdowns, which was a new record for Panthers rookies. He also gained 836 rushing yards.
2009 Season: A Dynamic Duo
Stewart and fellow running back DeAngelo Williams formed a powerful rushing duo for the Panthers. In Week 13, Stewart started his first career game and rushed for 120 yards. In Week 16, he set a team record with 206 rushing yards in a single game! This performance helped him reach over 1,000 rushing yards for the season. He and Williams became the first running back pair in NFL history to each rush for over 1,100 yards in one season. Stewart finished with 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns.
2010 and 2011 Seasons
In 2010, Stewart continued to share carries and had some strong games, including two where he rushed for over 130 yards. In 2011, with rookie quarterback Cam Newton, Stewart and Williams helped the Panthers have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. Stewart rushed for 761 yards that year.
2012 and 2013 Seasons: Battling Injuries
In 2012, Stewart signed a new contract with the Panthers. However, he struggled with injuries during these two seasons, which limited his playing time and production.
2014 Season: Strong Comeback
Stewart had a great comeback season in 2014. In Week 14, he rushed for 155 yards, including a career-long 69-yard touchdown run! He finished the regular season with 809 rushing yards and three touchdowns. In the playoffs, he rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown in a win against the Arizona Cardinals.
2015 Season: Super Bowl Appearance
Stewart had an impressive 2015 season. He rushed for two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks and gained 125 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though he missed some games due to injury, he finished with 989 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
In the playoffs, Stewart rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Seahawks. He also played a key role in the NFC Championship game, helping the Panthers reach Super Bowl 50. In Super Bowl 50, Stewart scored the Panthers' only touchdown, but the team lost to the Denver Broncos. He was ranked among the top 100 players in the NFL that year.
2016 and 2017 Seasons
Stewart continued to be the Panthers' starting running back in 2016. He had three games where he scored two touchdowns, which was a first for him since 2009. He led the team with 824 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. In 2017, he signed a contract extension. In Week 14, he ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns, including a 60-yard run! This earned him the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
On February 28, 2018, Stewart was released by the Panthers. He left as the team's all-time leading rusher, a truly impressive achievement!
Panthers Franchise Records
As of 2017, Jonathan Stewart holds several important records for the Carolina Panthers:
- Most rush attempts in his career (1,501) and in a rookie season (184).
- Most rush yards in his career (7,318) and in a rookie season (836).
- Most rushing touchdowns in the playoffs (5) and in a playoff season (3 in 2015).
- Most 100+ rushing yard games in the playoffs (2).
New York Giants (2018)
In March 2018, Stewart signed a contract with the New York Giants. However, a foot injury placed him on injured reserve, and he only played in three games that season. The Giants later decided not to keep him on the team.
Retirement from Football
On April 23, 2019, Jonathan Stewart signed a special one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers. This allowed him to officially retire as a member of the team he played for the longest and where he made history.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
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| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Kickoff Returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2008 | CAR | 16 | 0 | 184 | 836 | 4.5 | 41 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 5.9 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 349 | 23.3 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009 | CAR | 16 | 3 | 221 | 1,133 | 5.1 | 67 | 10 | 18 | 139 | 7.7 | 19 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2010 | CAR | 14 | 7 | 178 | 770 | 4.3 | 48 | 2 | 8 | 103 | 12.9 | 55 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 |
| 2011 | CAR | 16 | 3 | 142 | 761 | 5.4 | 32 | 4 | 47 | 413 | 8.8 | 26 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | CAR | 9 | 6 | 93 | 332 | 3.6 | 21 | 1 | 17 | 157 | 9.2 | 30 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 2013 | CAR | 6 | 1 | 48 | 180 | 3.8 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 6.3 | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | CAR | 13 | 8 | 175 | 809 | 4.6 | 69 | 3 | 25 | 181 | 7.2 | 22 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | CAR | 13 | 13 | 242 | 989 | 4.1 | 44 | 6 | 16 | 99 | 6.2 | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2016 | CAR | 13 | 13 | 218 | 824 | 3.8 | 47 | 9 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2017 | CAR | 15 | 10 | 198 | 680 | 3.4 | 60 | 6 | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 21 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| 2018 | NYG | 3 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 2.8 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 134 | 64 | 1,705 | 7,335 | 4.3 | 69 | 51 | 162 | 1,295 | 8.0 | 55 | 7 | 17 | 366 | 23.3 | 38 | 0 | 24 | 15 | |
Postseason Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2008 | CAR | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | CAR | 2 | 2 | 37 | 193 | 5.2 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | CAR | 3 | 3 | 50 | 218 | 4.4 | 59 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CAR | 1 | 1 | 11 | 51 | 4.6 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 6 | 101 | 474 | 4.7 | 59 | 5 | 9 | 49 | 5.4 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Personal Life
On March 9, 2017, Jonathan Stewart and his wife, Natalie Hills, welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Kaia Grey.
Music Career
Jonathan Stewart is also interested in music and is an aspiring music producer. He has said that he wants to create music that is positive and respectful.
