Todd Gurley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Todd Gurley

Gurley in 2022
No. 30, 21
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1994-08-03) August 3, 1994 (age 31) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tarboro (Tarboro, North Carolina)
College:	Georgia (2012–2014)
NFL Draft:	2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10
Career history
As player:
St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams (2015) Atlanta Falcons (2020)
As executive:
FCF Beasts (2022–present) Owner
Career highlights and awards
NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2017) NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2015) 2× First-team All-Pro (2017, 2018) Second-team All-Pro (2015) 3× Pro Bowl (2015, 2017, 2018) 2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2017, 2018) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015) First-team All-SEC (2012) Second-team All-SEC (2013)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 6,082 Rushing average: 4.2 Rushing touchdowns: 67 Receptions: 243 Receiving yards: 2,254 Receiving touchdowns: 12
Player stats at PFR

Todd Jerome Gurley II (born August 3, 1994) is a former American football running back. He played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Los Angeles Rams. Before joining the NFL, he played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Gurley was picked 10th overall in the 2015 NFL draft by the Rams. He quickly became a star. In his first season, he rushed for over 1,000 yards. He also won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. From 2017 to 2018, he led the league in rushing touchdowns twice. He was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. Gurley was also chosen for the Pro Bowl three times and was a first-team All-Pro twice.

After the 2018 playoffs, Gurley started having injury problems. The Rams released him after the 2019 season. He then played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. Gurley announced his retirement in 2022.

Early Life and High School Sports

Todd Jerome Gurley II was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in Tarboro, North Carolina. At Tarboro High School, he was a talented athlete in three sports: football, basketball, and track.

In his junior year of football (2010), he played both running back and defensive back. He ran for 1,472 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. He also made 79 tackles and had an interception. As a senior in 2011, he was named the North Carolina Associated Press Player of the Year. That year, he gained 2,600 yards and scored 38 touchdowns. Gurley helped his team win the 2A North Carolina state championship. In the final game, he rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns.

Gurley was also a top hurdler and sprinter in track and field. He competed for Team USA in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics. He ran his fastest 100-meter dash in 10.70 seconds.

Experts considered Gurley a top recruit for college football. He chose to play for the University of Georgia.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Todd Gurley RB	Tarboro, NC	Tarboro High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.40	Jan 13, 2012
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13 (RB)   Rivals: 5 (RB)  247Sports: 6 (RB)  ESPN: 22 (ATH)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Football Career

Freshman Year (2012)

Gurley quickly became a key player for the Georgia Bulldogs. In his very first game, he rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 100 yards for another touchdown. He became the starting running back in the second game.

Throughout the 2012 season, Gurley had many strong performances. He rushed for over 100 yards in several games. He helped Georgia win the SEC East division. In the SEC Championship game against Alabama, he rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia finished the season with 12 wins and 2 losses.

Gurley rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns in his freshman year. His 17 rushing touchdowns were tied for third-most in school history for a single season. He was named First-Team All-SEC.

Sophomore Year (2013)

Gurley with the Bulldogs in 2013

In 2013, Gurley's role expanded to include more receiving plays. In the season opener, he rushed for a career-high 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored receiving touchdowns in several games.

Despite playing in only ten games due to injuries, Gurley rushed for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 441 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. He led the team in rushing and receiving touchdowns. After the season, he was named Second-Team All-SEC.

In the spring of 2013, Gurley also joined the Georgia Bulldogs indoor track team. He competed in the 60-meter hurdles.

Junior Year (2014)

The 2014 season was challenging for Gurley. In the first game, he rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. Later in the season, he rushed for 208 yards against Tennessee. This was the most by a Georgia running back since 1992.

However, Gurley was suspended by the University of Georgia for four games. This was because he had received money for signing autographs. In his first game back from suspension, he suffered a serious knee injury (tore his ACL). This injury ended his junior season and his college career.

Gurley decided to leave college early and enter the 2015 NFL draft. He finished his college career with 3,285 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. These numbers ranked him very high in Georgia's school history.

College Statistics

Professional NFL Career

St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams

Gurley at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015

Rookie Season (2015)

The St. Louis Rams picked Todd Gurley as the 10th overall player in the 2015 NFL draft. He was the first running back chosen that year. Gurley recovered quickly from his college injury.

He made his NFL debut in Week 3. In Week 4, he rushed for 144 yards in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals. Over his first four NFL starts, Gurley gained 566 yards. This was the most by any player in their first four games since the AFL-NFL merger. His jersey and cleats were even put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gurley finished his rookie year with 1,106 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He was chosen for the 2016 Pro Bowl. He also won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Second Season (2016)

The Rams moved to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. Gurley had a tougher second year. He finished with 885 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. This was a drop from his rookie season.

Breakout Season (2017)

With a new coach, Sean McVay, Gurley had an amazing 2017 season. He started strong with good performances in the first few games. In Week 3, he ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for a touchdown. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

Gurley continued to shine, with many games over 100 rushing yards. In Week 15, he scored a career-best four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving). He gained 180 total yards in that game. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice in a row.

Gurley led the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns and 19 total touchdowns. He also led the league with 2,093 total yards from scrimmage. He was named to his second Pro Bowl. After the season, Gurley was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He finished second in the voting for the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Peak Performance (2018)

Gurley walking off the field after winning the NFC Championship Game

In 2018, the Rams gave Gurley a big contract extension. He continued his strong play. In Week 2, he scored three rushing touchdowns. In Week 6, he ran for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.

Gurley set a new team record by scoring a touchdown in 13 straight games. He helped the Rams win their division title. He finished the 2018 season with 1,251 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. He also had 580 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. He was named to his third Pro Bowl and was a First-Team All-Pro.

In the playoffs, Gurley helped the Rams reach Super Bowl LIII. However, he struggled with a knee injury during the Super Bowl. The Rams lost to the New England Patriots. It was later reported that Gurley had arthritis in his left knee.

Final Rams Season (2019)

Gurley's knee issues affected his play in 2019. He was used less often and did not have a 100-yard rushing game. However, he was still good at scoring touchdowns near the goal line. He finished the season with 857 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. The Rams released him in March 2020.

Atlanta Falcons (2020)

Gurley with the Falcons in 2020

In April 2020, Gurley signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He scored his first touchdown as a Falcon in Week 1. In Week 4, he scored two rushing touchdowns.

In Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, Gurley scored a touchdown late in the game. However, he tried to stop before the goal line to run out the clock, but accidentally scored. This gave the Lions enough time to get the ball back and win the game.

Gurley finished the 2020 season with 678 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns. He shared carries with other running backs.

After not playing in 2021, Gurley confirmed in October 2022 that he was done playing professional football.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Awards and Honors

• 3× Pro Bowl selection (2015, 2017, 2018)
• NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2017)
• 2× First-team All-Pro selection (2017, 2018)
• 3x NFC Offensive Player of the Month (September 2017, December 2017, October 2018)
• 5x NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 4, 15, 16 in 2017; Week 6, 13 in 2018)
• FedEx Ground Player of the Year (2017)
• FedEx Ground Player of the Week (Week 15, 16 in 2017; Week 6 in 2018)
• Ranked No. 22 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016
• Ranked No. 6 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018
• Ranked No. 5 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019
• Ranked No. 51 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2015)
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)

Life After Football

On May 23, 2022, Gurley became part of the ownership group for the FCF Beasts team in the Fan Controlled Football League.

Personal Life and Community Work

Todd Gurley has had many sponsorships during his career, including with Hulu and Gatorade.

He also helped start the M.A.D.E. Sports Foundation. This group uses sports to help young people build good character in their communities.

After his successful 2017 season, many fantasy football players who had Gurley on their teams donated some of their winnings to Shriners Hospitals for Children. This was Gurley's chosen charity, and the effort raised over $10,000 for the hospital.

In 2018, Gurley worked with Pizza Hut on a program to help children learn to read. They partnered with the nonprofit organization First Book to provide good education for kids in need.

See also

In Spanish: Todd Gurley para niños