Todd Pinkston facts for kids

Todd Pinkston was born on April 23, 1977. He is an American football coach and a former professional player. He currently works as the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, a team in the National Football League (NFL).

Pinkston played for five seasons as a wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his time there, he caught 184 passes for 2,816 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. The Eagles made it to the playoffs every year he was a starter. They even played in Super Bowl XXXIX. Todd Pinkston is also the cousin of former football player Jason Pinkston. He was honored by being inducted into the Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2015, he was also inducted into the Scott County Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Forest, Mississippi.

Playing Career Highlights

College Football Journey

Todd Pinkston went to the University of Southern Mississippi. There, he became one of the best receivers in the school's history. He caught 149 passes for 2,366 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. In his final year, he had 48 catches for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Professional Football Journey

Playing for the Philadelphia Eagles

Even though Pinkston was very successful in college, some people were surprised when the Philadelphia Eagles picked him in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft. This was because he was quite thin for a football player. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall but weighed only about 167 pounds when he was drafted.

In his first year, 2000, Pinkston played only a little. But in 2001, he became a starter for the Eagles. He teamed up with James Thrash and caught 42 passes for 586 yards, scoring four touchdowns. The year 2002 was his best. He caught 60 passes for 798 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Because of his great performance, he signed a new five-year contract with the Eagles.

In 2003, Pinkston's numbers were a bit lower, but he still made important plays. He scored a key touchdown in a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. However, the next week, the Eagles lost the 2003 NFC Championship game 14–3 to the Carolina Panthers. This was the third time in a row the Eagles lost in the conference championship.

In 2004, Pinkston's average yards per catch was 18.8, which was one of the best in the NFL for players with similar catches. He also had six catches that gained 40 yards or more. In Super Bowl XXXIX, he caught four passes for 82 yards. He had to leave the game early because of leg cramps.

In 2005, Pinkston suffered a serious injury. He tore his Achilles tendon during training camp. This meant he could not play for the entire 2005 season. He was still recovering from this injury in 2006. On August 29, 2006, the Eagles decided to release him from the team.

Time with Other Teams

After leaving the Eagles, Pinkston signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings on September 3, 2006. The Vikings' head coach, Brad Childress, used to be the Eagles' offensive coordinator. However, Pinkston was released by the Vikings just six days later.

On August 13, 2007, Pinkston signed with the Washington Redskins. He had recovered from his Achilles injury by then. But he did not make the team's final roster.

Coaching Career

In 2009, Todd Pinkston returned to the Philadelphia Eagles as a coaching intern. He helped the wide receivers coach, David Culley, during training camp. He also coached wide receivers at Petal High School in Petal, Mississippi. From 2016 to 2021, he was the wide receivers coach for Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.

On March 17, 2023, Pinkston was hired as the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2024, Pinkston became a Super Bowl champion when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25–22.