Kevan Barlow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kevan Barlow

No. 32
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1980-01-07) January 7, 1980 (age 45) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:	Peabody (Pittsburgh)
College:	Pittsburgh (1997–2000)
NFL Draft:	2001 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2001–2005) New York Jets (2006) Pittsburgh Steelers (2007)*
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big East (1999)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 1,022 Rushing yards: 3,984 Rushing touchdowns: 30 Receptions: 144 Receiving yards: 1,164 Receiving touchdowns: 3
Player stats at PFR

Kevan Courtney Barlow, born on January 7, 1980, is a former American professional football player. He was a talented running back in the National Football League (NFL). Kevan played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He was then chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2001 NFL draft. During his NFL career, he played for the 49ers, the New York Jets, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early Life and High School Football

Kevan Barlow grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played high school football at Peabody High School. He was the star player on his team. Kevan helped lead his team to win the City League Championship three times in a row.

During his time in high school, Barlow was chosen as an All-City player twice. He was also named the City League Player of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was even part of the Post Gazette Fabulous 22, which highlights top players. Kevan was picked to play in the famous Big 33 Football Classic, an all-star game. Some people even compared him to Curtis Martin, who later became an NFL Hall of Famer. After finishing high school, he decided to play college football for the University of Pittsburgh.

In 2017, Kevan Barlow was honored. He was inducted into the Pittsburgh City League High School Hall of Fame.

College Football Career

Kevan Barlow attended the University of Pittsburgh for college. He played football there before he entered the NFL draft. During his college career, he ran the ball 486 times. He gained a total of 2,324 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.

In his junior year, Barlow was named to the All Big East team. He scored the very last touchdown at Pitt Stadium. This happened at 7:06 PM, just before a huge crowd of 60,190 fans rushed the field. They even tore down the goal posts to celebrate!

Barlow also played in the final college game at Three Rivers Stadium. On November 24, 2000, he had an amazing game against the West Virginia Mountaineers. He gained 274 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns. In that game, Barlow broke a record for most rushing yards against West Virginia. The old record was 216 yards, set by Larry Csonka in 1965. When he left college, he was ranked 11th in school history for scoring. He had 144 points and three games where he ran for over 200 yards.

In 2010, Barlow was recognized for his college performance. He was ranked among the top 10 players in the Big East in many areas. These included rushing attempts, rushing yards, and touchdowns. He was also listed by ESPN sports expert Mel Kiper Jr. as one of the best running backs available for the NFL Draft. He finished his college career with 2,234 rushing yards. This placed him 7th on Pittsburgh's all-time list for career rushing yards.

Professional Football Career

The San Francisco 49ers picked Kevan Barlow in the 3rd round of the 2001 NFL draft. He was the 80th player chosen overall. He signed a contract to play for them. The Denver Head Coach, Mike Shanahan, even said the 49ers picked "the best back in the draft." Kevan played a total of seven seasons in the NFL. Five of those seasons were with San Francisco.

San Francisco 49ers

Kevan Barlow started his first professional NFL game on December 7, 2003. This was against the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers' main running back, Garrison Hearst, had been injured. The 49ers won that game 50–14. Barlow ran for 154 yards and scored a touchdown. Even though he only started nine games that year, he led the 49ers in rushing. He gained 1,024 yards and scored 6 touchdowns. He also averaged 5.1 yards every time he carried the ball. Barlow and Hearst together ran for 1,792 yards that season.

In 2002, Barlow played in an exhibition game in Osaka, Japan. This was part of the American Bowl series.

After his great 2003 season, Barlow became a restricted free agent. The 49ers decided to make him their main running back. They signed him to a new, long-term contract. However, Barlow later suffered a knee injury. This injury affected his playing ability in several games.

The 2005 season looked like it would be a comeback for him. But he got another knee injury, which ended his season early. Before the injury, he had 420 yards on 102 carries.

Barlow played in 72 games for the 49ers. He ran for 3,614 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. He also caught the ball 137 times for 1,143 yards.

New York Jets

The New York Jets needed a new running back. Their star player, Curtis Martin, had a serious knee injury. So, on August 20, 2006, the Jets traded for Barlow from the 49ers. He was even mentioned by Bleacher Report as one of the best trades in the New York Jets' history.

Barlow played in twelve games for the Jets, starting three of them. He ran for 370 yards and scored 6 touchdowns. However, he got another knee injury. Because of this, he was placed on injured reserve and later released by the team on February 21, 2007.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers were looking for a running back in 2007. Barlow met with the team and signed a one-year contract on May 10, 2007. He was expected to share running-back duties with Willie Parker. But Barlow was released on August 27, 2007. This was due to another knee injury, which unfortunately ended his professional career.

Community Involvement and Philanthropy

While playing for the 49ers, Kevan Barlow often visited San Quentin State Prison. He would talk to inmates and encourage them for their lives after prison. Barlow also spent time reading to kids at different schools in the San Francisco area. He visited children at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital as well.

Barlow has always been a strong supporter of charities for children's cancer. He has joined events with former San Francisco mayor and governor Gavin Newsom. These events aimed to fight breast cancer. In 2012, Barlow spoke out about new cancer treatments. He supported findings that folic acid could help reduce the rates of two types of childhood cancers.

Barlow is also a big supporter of the YMCA. He is involved in their summer camp programs and other activities for kids.

NFL Career Statistics