Todd Gurley facts for kids

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Todd Gurley

Gurley in 2022

No. 30, 21

Position:

Running back

Personal information

Born:

August 3, 1994 (age 30)
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 professional football running back. He played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Los Angeles Rams.

Gurley played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. He was chosen by the Rams as the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

He quickly became a star in his first season, rushing for over 1,000 yards. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. In 2017 and 2018, he led the league in rushing touchdowns. In 2017, he was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He was also picked for the Pro Bowl three times and was a first-team All-Pro twice.

After the 2018 playoffs, Gurley started having problems with injuries. The Rams released him after the 2019 season. He then played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. Gurley announced he was retiring from football in 2022.

Growing Up and High School Sports
College Football Career
Professional Football Career
NFL Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Postseason
Awards and Honors
Life Outside Football
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up and High School Sports

Todd Jerome Gurley II was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He went to Tarboro High School in Tarboro, North Carolina. There, he was a top athlete in three sports: football, basketball, and track.

In football, he played both running back and defensive back. During his junior year, he ran for 1,472 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. As a senior in 2011, he was named the North Carolina Associated Press Player of the Year. He helped his team win the 2A North Carolina state championship. In that championship game, he ran for 242 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Gurley was also a great hurdler and sprinter in track and field. He even competed for Team USA in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics.

Experts thought Gurley was one of the best running backs in his class. He decided to play college football at the University of Georgia.

College Football Career

Gurley with the Bulldogs in 2013

2012 Season: A Strong Start

Gurley quickly became an important player for the Bulldogs as a freshman. In his very first game, he ran for 100 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. He also had an amazing 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown!

He became the starting running back in the second game. He had many great games that season, often rushing for over 100 yards and scoring touchdowns. He helped Georgia win many games, including important rivalry games.

Gurley became only the second freshman in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards, following the legendary Herschel Walker. He finished the 2012 season with 1,385 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. He was named First-Team All-SEC (Southeastern Conference), which is a big honor for a freshman.

2013 Season: More Ways to Score

In 2013, Gurley's role grew, and he also became a threat in the passing game. In the first game against Clemson, he ran for a career-high 154 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

He continued to have strong rushing performances. He also started catching more passes, adding receiving yards and touchdowns to his stats. For example, against Florida, he had 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, plus 87 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

He finished the season with 989 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He also had 441 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He led his team in rushing and receiving touchdowns. He was named Second-Team All-SEC.

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

2014 Season: Challenges and Leaving College

The 2014 season brought some tough times for Gurley. In the first game against Clemson, he had an incredible performance: 198 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown.

Later in the season, Gurley faced a suspension for a rule violation. He missed four games because of this. In his first game back, against Auburn, he unfortunately tore his ACL (a knee ligament). This injury ended his junior season and his college career.

Even with the injury and suspension, he finished the 2014 season with 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in only six games. 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, ranking very high in Georgia's history.

Professional Football Career

Gurley at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015

Joining the Rams: 2015 Season

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. This was a big deal because he was the highest-drafted running back from Georgia since 1993.

Gurley got better from his knee injury faster than expected. He made his NFL debut in Week 3. In Week 4, he exploded with 144 rushing yards in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals. Over his first four NFL starts, he gained 566 yards, which was amazing for a rookie. His jersey and cleats were even put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

He scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 7. By Week 15, he became only the third rookie in Rams history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He finished his rookie year with 1,106 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Gurley was chosen for the 2016 Pro Bowl and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was ranked 22nd among the top 100 players in the NFL by his fellow players.

2016 Season: A Tough Year

In 2016, the Rams moved to Los Angeles. Gurley had a harder time in his second season. He struggled to gain many rushing yards in games. The team also had a tough year, finishing with a 4–12 record. Gurley ended the season with 885 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

2017 Season: Back on Top

With a new head coach, Sean McVay, Gurley had an incredible comeback season in 2017. He started strong, scoring touchdowns and gaining many yards. In Week 3, he ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a touchdown pass. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

He continued to shine, with games of over 200 total yards. In Week 15, he had a career-best four touchdowns in one game! He became the first Rams player to do this since 2006. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice in a row.

Gurley led the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, 19 total touchdowns, and over 2,000 total yards from scrimmage. He was named to his second Pro Bowl and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. He was ranked 6th among the top 100 players in the NFL.

2018 Season: More Success and Injuries

Before the 2018 season, Gurley signed a big contract, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. He started the season strong, scoring touchdowns and gaining many yards. In Week 2, he scored three rushing touchdowns in one game.

He continued to have amazing performances, including a career-high 208 rushing yards in Week 6. He set a new team record by scoring a touchdown in 13 straight games. He helped the Rams win their division title.

Gurley finished the 2018 season with 1,251 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, plus 580 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He was named to his third Pro Bowl and was a First-Team All-Pro.

In the playoffs, Gurley helped the Rams win against the Dallas Cowboys. However, he struggled in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl LIII due to knee inflammation. It was later reported that he had arthritis in his left knee.

2019 Season: Lingering Knee Issues

Gurley's knee problems continued to affect his play in 2019. He didn't have any 100-yard rushing games, but he was still good at scoring touchdowns near the goal line. He finished the season with 857 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. In March 2020, the Rams released him.

Atlanta Falcons: 2020 Season

In April 2020, Gurley signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He scored his first touchdown as a Falcon in Week 1. He had a few games with multiple touchdowns.

In Week 7, he scored a touchdown that was unusual. The Falcons were trying to run out the clock to kick a game-winning field goal, but Gurley accidentally scored a touchdown too early. This gave the other team a chance to win, which they did. Gurley finished the 2020 season with 678 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

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

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
	AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular Season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2015	STL	13	12	229	1,106	4.8	71T	10	21	188	9.0	31	0	3	1
2016	LAR	16	16	278	885	3.2	24T	6	43	327	7.6	33	0	2	1
2017	LAR	15	15	279	1,305	4.7	57T	13	64	788	12.3	80T	6	5	2
2018	LAR	14	14	256	1,251	4.9	36	17	59	580	9.8	56	4	1	1
2019	LAR	15	15	223	857	3.8	25	12	31	207	6.7	23	2	3	2
2020	ATL	15	15	195	678	3.5	35	9	25	164	6.6	26	0	2	0
Career		88	87	1,460	6,082	4.2	71T	67	243	2,254	9.3	80T	12	16	7

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2017	LAR	1	1	14	101	7.2	33	0	4	10	2.5	4	0	0	0
2018	LAR	3	3	30	160	5.3	35T	2	4	5	1.2	7	0	0	0
Career		4	4	44	261	5.9	35	2	8	15	1.9	7	0	0	0

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

Life Outside Football

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

Gurley has had many sponsorships throughout his career, including companies like Hulu and Gatorade.

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

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

In 2018, Gurley worked with Pizza Hut and the nonprofit organization First Book to help children learn to read. Their goal was to help provide good education for kids who needed it.