Tavon Austin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tavon Austin

Austin in 2013
No. 11, 10, 16, 8
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1990-03-15) March 15, 1990 (age 35) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:	Dunbar (Baltimore)
College:	West Virginia (2009–2012)
NFL Draft:	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Career history
St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams (2013–2017) Dallas Cowboys (2018–2019) San Francisco 49ers (2020) Green Bay Packers (2020) Jacksonville Jaguars (2021) Buffalo Bills (2022)*
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2013) Paul Hornung Award (2012) Jet Award (2012) 2× First-team All-American (2011, 2012) Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year (2012) Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2011) First-team All-Big 12 (2012) First-team All-Big East (2011) Second-team All-Big East (2010)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 244 Receiving yards: 2,239 Receiving touchdowns: 16 Rushing yards: 1,361 Rushing touchdowns: 10 Return yards: 1,934 Return touchdowns: 3
Player stats at PFR

Tavon Wesley Austin, born on March 15, 1990, is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Tavon played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was recognized as an All-American player twice. The St. Louis Rams chose him in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Tavon's Early Life and High School Days

Tavon Austin was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He went to Dunbar High School in Baltimore. There, he played football, basketball, and ran track.

In football, he played as a running back. He helped Dunbar High win three Class 1A state titles in a row. In his senior year, he ran for 2,660 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. He also returned 12 punts for 446 yards and two scores.

Tavon was named Maryland Offensive Player of the Year twice. He set state records for career points (790), touchdowns (123), total offensive yards (9,258), and rushing yards (7,962). In track and field, Austin was a sprinter and jumper. He ran the 100 meters in 11.47 seconds in 2009. He was also part of Dunbar's 400m relay team.

College Football Journey

Austin received a football scholarship from West Virginia University. He played for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 2009 to 2012. In 2009, his main position changed to wide receiver. However, he still played as a running back sometimes. As a freshman, he had 15 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 47 yards and scored a touchdown. He even scored a touchdown on a kick return.

In 2010, as a sophomore, he caught 58 passes for 787 yards. He led his team with eight touchdowns. He also ran the ball 15 times for 159 yards and another touchdown.

As a junior in 2011, Austin had 100 receptions for 1,180 yards and eight touchdowns. He added 189 rushing yards and another touchdown. He also returned two kicks for touchdowns. CBS Sports named him a first-team All-American. During the Mountaineers' big 70–33 win in the 2012 Orange Bowl, he set an Orange Bowl record. He caught four touchdown passes in that game.

In 2012, as a senior, he had 114 receptions for 1,289 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He also rushed for 643 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he returned 32 kicks for 813 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 15 punts for 165 yards and a punt return touchdown. On November 17, in a game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Austin had an incredible 572 all-purpose yards. This included 344 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards, and 146 yards from kick returns. Even with his amazing effort, West Virginia lost the game 50-49 in the final seconds. He was named the 2012 All-Purpose Performer of the Year.

College Game Stats

Tavon's NFL Career

Playing for the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams

2013 Season with the Rams

The St. Louis Rams picked Austin as the 8th player overall in the 2013 NFL draft. The Rams traded up to get him. They also picked Stedman Bailey, another wide receiver from West Virginia, later in the draft. This reunited the college teammates in the NFL.

On June 13, 2013, Austin signed a four-year contract. In his first NFL year, Austin played 13 games. He had 151 rushing yards, 418 receiving yards, and 678 return yards.

In Week 10, against the Indianapolis Colts, Austin had a fantastic game. The Rams won 38–8. Austin caught only two passes, but they were for 138 yards and both were touchdowns! He also ran the ball once for four yards. Austin returned five kicks and punts for 172 yards, including a 98-yard punt return touchdown. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week and then Player of the Month. He was also chosen for the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

2014 Season with the Rams

Austin's receiving yards went down to 242 in 2014. However, he continued to be an excellent returner. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate for his return skills. His 391 punt return yards ranked 3rd in the NFL that year.

Austin was part of another big special teams play in 2014. In a game against the Seattle Seahawks, Austin pretended to call for a fair catch. But the ball was actually punted to his teammate, Stedman Bailey, on the other side of the field. All the Seattle players focused on Austin, leaving Bailey wide open. Bailey returned the punt 90 yards for a touchdown! The Rams won the game 28–26. Austin earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week again for his Week 14 game against Washington. He had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in that game.

2015 Season with the Rams

Austin was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his game against the Seattle Seahawks. He had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in that game. Austin had one of his best seasons in 2015. He caught 52 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns. Austin also ran the ball 52 times for 434 yards and four touchdowns. After a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Austin became the first player since Gale Sayers in 1965 to score at least five receiving touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, and a punt return touchdown in one season.

2016 Season with the Rams

On May 12, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams (the team had moved) extended Austin's contract. On August 27, 2016, the Rams and Austin agreed to a four-year, $42 million contract. Austin finished the 2016 season with 58 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns.

Even though he had over 500 receiving yards for the first time, Austin's rushing yards dropped to 159. He also did not return a punt for a touchdown, which he had done every year before. He tied his career high for fumbles with five.

2017 Season with the Rams

Austin's performance dropped a lot in 2017. He had many career lows in stats. Under new coach Sean McVay, the Rams made the playoffs. However, Austin's role was very small. He often did not catch a pass in games. Austin was mostly used for short runs or in "garbage time" (when the game's outcome is already decided). He was also removed from special teams after Week 5 because he fumbled the ball too much.

Austin caught 13 passes for 47 yards. He ran the ball a career-high 59 times, but only gained 270 rushing yards. His total yards from scrimmage (running and receiving) were also a new career low at 317. He tied his career high with five fumbles and lost four of them. His only touchdown came from a 27-yard run. This was his second year without a receiving touchdown and his second year in a row without a return touchdown.

2018 Season with the Rams

In 2018, there were talks that the Rams might trade or release Austin. However, on March 15, 2018, Austin agreed to a new contract. This deal changed his original contract.

Playing for the Dallas Cowboys

2018 Season with the Cowboys

On April 28, 2018, Austin was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. He was meant to help as a slot wide receiver. In Week 2 of the 2018 season, against the New York Giants, Austin caught a 64-yard touchdown pass. This was his first touchdown with the Cowboys and his first since 2017.

Austin got a groin injury in the sixth game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This made him miss the last nine games of the season. This led to his third year in a row with lower total yards. However, in the seven games he played, Austin's receiving was better. He had two receiving touchdowns and averaged more than 10 yards per catch for the first time since his rookie year.

He had limited chances to run the ball, but his average yards per carry were his highest since his rookie season. 2018 was the first year Austin did not return a kickoff. His punt returning improved a little. For the first time in his career, he did not fumble the ball at all.

He was able to return for the playoffs. In two games, he caught two passes for five yards and ran once for a loss of three yards. In the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks, he had a 51-yard punt return. He also had a 75-yard punt return called back because of a penalty.

2019 Season with the Cowboys

Austin in 2019

On March 14, 2019, Austin signed again with the Cowboys. In Week 15, against his old team, the Los Angeles Rams, Austin caught a 59-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys won 44–21. With Randall Cobb joining the team as the main slot receiver, Austin did not have a clear role in the offense. He played in 14 games and missed two due to a concussion he got in the first game of the season. He had 13 catches for 177 yards and one receiving touchdown. He also ran six times for 47 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Playing for the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers signed Austin on August 15, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on September 3, 2020. He was released from injured reserve on October 27.

Playing for the Green Bay Packers

On December 1, 2020, Austin signed with the Green Bay Packers. He reunited with coach Matt LaFleur, who was his offensive coordinator with the Rams. He played in four games as a backup wide receiver. He had five catches for 20 yards.

Playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Austin signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 6, 2021. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021. He was activated on September 30. In the 2021 season, Austin played in 13 games. He had 24 catches for 213 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

Playing for the Buffalo Bills

Austin signed with the Buffalo Bills on June 2, 2022. He was released on August 22. He was re-signed to the practice squad on August 31. He was released again on October 5.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

Images for kids

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  Austin in 2013

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  Austin in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Tavon Austin para niños