Steve Slaton facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

For the American DJ, see Steve Slaton (DJ). For the baseball player, see Steve Slayton.

Quick facts for kids
Steve Slaton

Slaton with the Houston Texans in 2010

No. 20, 23

Position:

Running back

Personal information

Born:

January 4, 1986 (age 39)
Levittown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Height:

5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)

Weight:

199 lb (90 kg)

Career information

High school:

Conwell-Egan Catholic (Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania)

College:

West Virginia (2005–2007)

NFL Draft:

2008 / Round: 3 / Pick: 89

Career history

Career highlights and awards

Unanimous All-American (2006)
First-team All-Big East (2006)

Career NFL statistics

Rushing yards:	1,896
Rushing average:	4.3
Rushing touchdowns:	18
Receptions:	100
Receiving yards:	808
Receiving touchdowns:	5

Player stats at PFR

Player stats at CFL.ca (archive)

College Football Hall of Fame

Steve Slaton (born January 4, 1986) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. In 2006, he was named a unanimous All-American. The Houston Texans picked him in the 2008 NFL Draft. Slaton also played for the Miami Dolphins and the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

Early Life and High School Football
College Football Career
Professional Football Career
Personal Life and Post-Football Career
See also

Early Life and High School Football

Steve Slaton was born in Yardley, Pennsylvania. He grew up with five brothers and sisters. When he was very young, ear problems sometimes made it hard for him to hear.

Steve went to Immaculate Conception Elementary School. He was also part of the track team there.

He played varsity football as a freshman at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School. As a senior, he became team captain. He was named the most valuable player in the Philadelphia Catholic League. He was also chosen for the all-conference team for four years. In his senior year, he ran for 1,836 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. He set five school records, rushing for over 6,000 career yards and 73 touchdowns. Steve was also a talented track athlete. In 2004, his long jump was one of the best in high schools across the U.S.

Steve chose to attend West Virginia for college. He had offers from other schools like North Carolina and Maryland.

College Football Career

Steve Slaton played for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2005 to 2007. His coach was Rich Rodriguez.

Freshman Year: 2005 Season Highlights

Steve started his first year as the fourth-string running back. He first played in the second game against Wofford. Later, he led the team with 90 rushing yards against #3 Virginia Tech. He got his first start against Rutgers, rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown.

One of his most famous games was against Louisville. West Virginia was losing badly but came back to win 46–44 in triple overtime. Steve had an amazing game with 188 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He also scored his first receiving touchdown. His six touchdowns in one game set a record for West Virginia and the Big East Conference. He was named national player of the week.

Steve continued to play well, scoring four touchdowns against Cincinnati. He also had 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Pitt. West Virginia finished the regular season with a 10–1 record. Steve ended his freshman year with 1,128 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.

In the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl, West Virginia beat the Georgia Bulldogs. Steve was named the Sugar Bowl MVP. He set a new Sugar Bowl record with 204 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His performance was ranked as one of the best in BCS bowl game history by ESPN.

Sophomore Year: 2006 Season Highlights

Slaton during the 2006 season

Steve started his sophomore year strong. He rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns against Marshall. He also gained 195 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland. He continued to score touchdowns against teams like Mississippi State and Syracuse.

In a game against Connecticut, he had a career-high 56-yard touchdown run. Against Louisville, he rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the "Backyard Brawl" against Pitt, Steve made history. He became the first Mountaineer to have over 100 yards rushing (215) and 100 yards receiving (130) in the same game. He also scored two rushing and two receiving touchdowns.

Steve finished the 2006 season with 1,744 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. This set a new West Virginia rushing record for a single season. He also had 360 receiving yards. His total of 2,104 yards from scrimmage was also a school record. Steve and quarterback Pat White had an incredible season together. They combined for 2,963 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns.

Junior Year: 2007 Season Highlights

Steve Slaton (left) and Pat White on the sideline in 2007

In the first game of 2007, Steve had 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He also had 61 receiving yards and a touchdown. In the second game, he gained 146 yards against Marshall. In this game, he became the third Mountaineer to rush for over 3,000 career yards.

Against Maryland, Steve rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns. He tied the school record for career rushing touchdowns against ECU. He then became the school's all-time leading ground scorer with 43 rushing touchdowns.

Steve and the Mountaineers won the 2007 Big East Championship. This was a 66–21 victory over Connecticut. Steve surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the third year in a row. He and Pat White both rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. This was a rare achievement in college football history.

Steve finished his junior season with 1,053 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had 25 receptions for 348 yards and a touchdown. Steve and Pat White combined for 5,460 total yards that season. Their three years together ended with over 13,000 total yards and 106 combined touchdowns. This made them one of the greatest duos in NCAA history.

Steve Slaton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

College Career Statistics

WVU		Rushing					Receiving					Kickoff returns					Defense
Season	Games	Att	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD	Solo	Assist	Tackle
2005	10	205	1,128	5.5	52	17	12	95	7.9	19	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
2006	13	248	1,744	7.0	65	16	27	360	13.3	67	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	0	2
2007	12	211	1,051	5.0	58	17	26	350	13.5	51	1	3	47	15.6	26	0	0	0	0
Total	35	644	3,923	5.8	65	50	65	805	11.5	67	5	3	47	15.6	26	0	2	0	2

Awards and Records in College

Steve Slaton received many awards and set several records during his college career:

He was named national player of the week after his amazing game against Louisville in 2005.
He was the MVP of the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Athlon Sports magazines.
He was a finalist for important awards like the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award.
He was named an All-American by many different groups in 2006.
He finished 4th in the 2006 Heisman Trophy race, which is a huge honor.
He set a West Virginia school record for most touchdowns in a single game (6).
He holds the WVU record for most rushing yards in a season (1,744).
He is the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns for WVU (50).
He is second all-time in 100-yard rushing games for WVU (21).
He and Pat White were one of only three duos in college football history to both rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

Professional Football Career

Steve Slaton decided to enter the 2008 NFL draft after his junior year. He was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine to show his skills.

Houston Texans (2008–2011)

The Houston Texans drafted Steve in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He signed a contract with them in July.

In his first NFL game, he rushed for 43 yards. On September 21, 2008, he scored his first NFL touchdown. He rushed for 116 yards in that game, including a 50-yard run. After this great performance, his coach named him the starting running back.

Steve continued to impress. He rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts. He won the NFL Rookie of the Week award for that game. He had another big game against the Colts later, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown. His 71-yard touchdown run was the longest in Texans' history at the time.

He went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season in December 2008. He finished his rookie year with 1,282 rushing yards. This was the most among all rookie running backs in the NFL that year. It also ranked him sixth overall in the league.

In his second season (2009), Steve started as the Texans' main running back. He gained some weight to be stronger. However, he struggled with fumbles early in the season. He was eventually benched and later placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. The Texans waived him in September 2011.

Miami Dolphins (2011)

The Miami Dolphins picked up Steve Slaton in September 2011. He played in three games for them. He was released by the Dolphins in September 2012.

Toronto Argonauts (2014)

Steve signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in April 2014. He played in 12 games that season. He rushed for 510 yards and scored one rushing touchdown. He also had 46 receptions for 388 yards and four receiving touchdowns.

Steve Slaton retired from professional football in May 2015.

NFL Career Statistics

Source: NFL.com

		Rushing						Receiving					Fumbles
Season	Team	GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Long	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Long	TD	Fum	Lost
2008	HOU	16	268	1,282	4.8	71	9	50	377	8.2	46	1	3	2
2009	HOU	11	131	437	3.3	32	3	44	417	9.5	38	4	7	5
2010	HOU	12	19	93	4.9	23	0	3	11	3.7	12	0	0	0
2011	HOU	3	7	20	2.9	13	0	1	6	6.0	6	0	0	0
2011	MIA	3	17	64	3.8	28	1	1	-2	-2.0	-2	0	0	0
Career		45	442	1,896	4.3	71	13	99	809	8.2	46	5	10	7

Personal Life and Post-Football Career

Steve Slaton is married to his high school sweetheart, Kimberly Sierra. They have two sons. His favorite NFL player is Emmitt Smith.

After retiring from football, Steve went to culinary school. He worked with a chef in Houston, helping prepare healthy meals for several Houston Texans players.