Tashard Choice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tashard Choice

Choice with the Buffalo Bills in 2013
Texas Longhorns
Position:	Running backs coach
Personal information
Born:	(1984-11-20) November 20, 1984 (age 40) Jonesboro, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lovejoy (Hampton, Georgia)
College:	Oklahoma (2003–2004) Georgia Tech (2005–2007)
NFL Draft:	2008 / Round: 4 / Pick: 122
Career history
As player:
Dallas Cowboys (2008–2011) Washington Redskins (2011) Buffalo Bills (2011–2013) Indianapolis Colts (2013)
As coach:
Dallas Cowboys (2016) Coaching intern North Texas (2017) Graduate assistant North Texas (2018) Running backs coach Georgia Tech (2019–2021) Running backs coach Texas (2022–present) Running backs coach
Career highlights and awards
2× Second-team All-ACC (2006, 2007)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 372 Rushing yards: 1,579 Receptions: 81 Receiving yards: 574 Total touchdowns: 10
Player stats at PFR

Tashard J. Choice, born on November 20, 1984, is a former American football player. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). His teams included the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts. Before going pro, he played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Tashard started his college football journey at the University of Oklahoma. In 2005, he moved to Georgia Tech. He played high school football at Lovejoy High School in Lovejoy, Georgia. There, he scored 40 total touchdowns during his time. Choice earned good grades in college, making the academic honor rolls in both the Big 12 and ACC conferences. After his playing career, Choice became a coach. He worked for the Cowboys, North Texas, and Georgia Tech. He is currently the running backs coach for the Texas team.

Early Life and High School Football

Tashard Choice grew up and played football at Lovejoy High School. He was a talented running back for his team. In his senior year, he ran for 1,200 yards and caught passes for 600 yards. He also scored 15 rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns.

Even after dislocating his shoulder in November, he kept playing. He received many honors, including being named the Daily's Southern Crescent Offensive Player of the Year. In 2007, his high school honored him by retiring his jersey number 2.

College Football Career

Tashard Choice played college football for two different teams. He started at the University of Oklahoma. Later, he transferred to Georgia Tech.

Starting at Oklahoma (2003-2004)

In 2003, Choice was a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. The team had a strong running game and a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

In 2004, Choice was set to be the starting running back. However, a hamstring injury kept him out of the first three games. This allowed another player, Adrian Peterson, to become the starter. Peterson became a very famous player. Choice only played in two games that year, rushing for 100 yards. After the season, he transferred to Georgia Tech to be closer to his family.

Playing for Georgia Tech (2005-2007)

In 2005, Choice joined Georgia Tech. He shared playing time with another running back, P. J. Daniels. In a big upset game against the #3 ranked Miami Hurricanes, Choice started. He ran for 84 yards and scored a touchdown, helping his team win. This game showed he could be a strong player.

Choice (#22) scores against Maryland in 2006.

In 2006, Choice became the main running back for Georgia Tech. He was the first player since 2003 to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. He set school records by rushing for over 100 yards nine times. He also had seven straight games with over 100 rushing yards. Choice scored 12 touchdowns that year. He helped lead Georgia Tech to the ACC Title Game. He even played the last month of the season with a knee injury.

In 2007, Choice was expected to have another great season. He was the reigning ACC Rushing Champion. However, he faced several injuries throughout the year. He had a hamstring pull and a knee sprain, which caused him to miss some games.

Despite his injuries, Choice still had an amazing season. He rushed for 1,310 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. One of his best games was against the University of Miami, where he ran for 204 yards. He also threw his first career passing touchdown in that game.

Choice made history at Georgia Tech. He was the first player to rush for over 1,000 yards in two seasons in a row. He also led the ACC in rushing for two straight seasons. He finished his college career with 3,365 rushing yards, which ranks fourth in school history.

College Honors

Tashard Choice received several awards and honors during his college career:

• 2003 Big 12 All-Academic Team
• 2006 Second Team All-ACC
• 2006 ACC All-Academic Team
• 2006 ESPN All-Bowl Team
• 2007 ACC All-Academic Team
• 2007 First Team All-ACC
• 2007 Honorable Mention All-America by Sports Illustrated

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

Tashard Choice was drafted into the NFL in 2008. He played for several teams during his professional career.

Dallas Cowboys (2008-2011)

Choice in 2009 with the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys picked Choice in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He got his first chance to run the ball in the first game of the season. Later, injuries to other running backs gave him more playing time.

In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had a very strong defense, Choice played well. He ran for 88 yards and caught passes for 78 yards. He continued to play strongly in other games, scoring his first NFL touchdown against the New York Giants. He finished his first season with 472 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

In 2009, Choice was still behind other running backs on the team. However, when those players got injured, he stepped up. He had a great game against the Carolina Panthers, rushing for 82 yards and scoring a touchdown. He finished the season with 349 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys saw him as a starting-level player.

In 2010, Choice had a tough start to the season. He fumbled the ball in the first game, which led to a touchdown for the other team. This play was very important in a close loss. He didn't play as much after that. However, in December, he had a strong game against the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown.

In 2011, the Cowboys drafted another running back, which made Choice's spot on the team less secure. He started one game but another rookie running back had an amazing performance. Choice was then released by the Cowboys in October. He ended his time with the Cowboys with 1,139 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns.

Washington Redskins (2011)

After leaving the Cowboys, Choice was picked up by the Washington Redskins in October 2011. He played in one game against his old team, the Dallas Cowboys. He was later released in November due to a hamstring injury.

Buffalo Bills (2011-2013)

The Buffalo Bills then signed Choice in November 2011. This reunited him with his former college coach, Chan Gailey. He played in six games, rushing for 70 yards and one touchdown. He signed with the Bills again in 2012 and 2013. He was released by the team in December 2013.

Indianapolis Colts (2013)

The Indianapolis Colts signed Choice in December 2013. He played in three games for them, rushing for 44 yards. He was released by the Colts in February 2014.

NFL Career Statistics

Coaching Career

After his playing days, Tashard Choice began a career in coaching. In 2016, he worked as an intern for the Dallas Cowboys. Later that year, he became an offensive analyst at the University of North Texas.

In 2018, he was promoted to running backs coach at North Texas. He then joined the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as their running backs coach in 2019. In 2021, he briefly accepted a job at USC. However, he soon decided to take the running backs coach position at Texas, where he coaches today.

Images for kids

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  Tashard Choice vs the Maryland Terrapins in 2007.