Allen Rossum
Encyclopedia
Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum (born October 22, 1975 in Dallas, Texas
) is an American football
cornerback
and return specialist
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Notre Dame
.
Rossum has also played for the Green Bay Packers
, Atlanta Falcons
, Pittsburgh Steelers
, San Francisco 49ers
and Dallas Cowboys
. He was a Pro Bowl
selection in 2004
. Rossum has been one of the most consistent returners in the league during his 12-year career. That consistency has put him in the top five of all-time return leaders and he currently sits in first among active players in both punt and kickoff return yards. He is the only player in NFL history to have a kickoff return for a touchdown with five different teams.
, where he became a starter for the Fighting Irish football team during his sophomore year and served as one of three senior captains in 1997. During his career there, he set an NCAA
career record with nine touchdown returns (three interceptions, three punts and three kickoffs). As a cornerback, he tallied seven interceptions, 144 tackles, two sacks and 12 passes defensed. He also ran for the Irish track team, becoming a two-time All-America
n competing in the 55-meter dash. Rossum graduated early from Notre Dame with a dual degree in business and computer applications.
in the third round (85th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft. Rossum set Eagles single-season records for kickoff returns (54) and kickoff return yds (1,347), while ranking 4th in NFC (and 5th in the NFL) with a 24.9 avg. He was selected as the special teams MVP by his teammates. Tallied 12 tackles and 2 PDs at CB, adding a career-high 17 special teams stops and ranking 7th in conference with an 8.9 avg. on 28 punt returns in addition to an 86-yd. return to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In his rookie season shared punt return duties with Freddie Solomon, Jr., returning 22 for 187 yds. (8.5 avg.).
He played two seasons with the Eagles as a return specialist and backup cornerback. During his career with the Eagles, he returned 50 punts for 437 yards and 98 kickoffs for 2,427 yards with one returned for a touchdown (an 89-yard return against the Washington Redskins
).
for an undisclosed draft pick in 2000 and spent two seasons with the team, during which he returned 40 punts for 357 yards and one touchdown (a 55-yard return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
), and returned 73 kickoffs for 1,719 yards and one touchdown (a 92-yard return against the Indianapolis Colts
and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
as an unrestricted free agent and became the team’s all-time leader in kickoff and punt return yardage. Rossum won the NFL's "fastest man" competition at the 2005 Pro Bowl, where he also made his first appearance for the NFC squad as a kick returner, replacing injured Eddie Drummond
of the Detroit Lions
. In his five seasons with Atlanta, he returned 154 punts for 1,723 yards and two touchdowns (one a 59-yard return against the Tennessee Titans
, another a 75-yard return against the Kansas City Chiefs
), and returned 250 kickoffs for 5,489 yards and one touchdown (a 91-yard return against the Seattle Seahawks
). During the 2004 season, Rossum also recorded two interceptions as a cornerback and set a playoff record in a win against the St. Louis Rams
with 152 punt return yards on just three returns, an average of 50.7 yards per return.
for a 2008 conditional draft pick, but was released after one season. He returned 36 punts for 232 yards, and returned 38 kickoffs for 885 yards and one touchdown (a 98-yard return against the San Francisco 49ers
).
on February 29, 2008. The 49ers used him primarily as a kick returner, although he occasionally played as a receiver during the season, scoring a rushing touchdown on a reverse against the Detroit Lions
- the first rushing touchdown of his career. Rossum became the first 49ers defensive back to score an offensive touchdown since Dicky Moegle in 1955 (December 11, 1955 vs. Baltimore Colts
). He returned 15 punts for 223 yards, and returned 47 kickoffs for 1,259 yards and a touchdown (a 104-yard return, the longest of his NFL career, against the Arizona Cardinals
on a Monday Night Football
game). Rossum finished sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC with a 26.8 average on kickoff returns and a 14.9 yard average on punt returns. He also scored an offensive touchdown on an end around play. Due to his strong performance, he was named a second alternate returner for the 2009 Pro Bowl.
An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, Rossum was re-signed by the 49ers on February 27, 2009.
He recorded his 300th career punt return in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, but was ultimately released on October 12, 2009 to make room on the roster for rookie Michael Crabtree
.
on October 13, 2009. The Cowboys had not used a return specialist in quite some time, and Rossum takes over for Felix Jones and Patrick Crayton on kick and punt return duties, an area where the Cowboys have had trouble with in the past.
Rossum suffered an injury on his first play as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In his absence, Patrick Crayton
returned two punts for touchdowns. He was waived on November 23.
Kick Returns
Punt Returns
Rossum's Highs
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
and return specialist
Return specialist
A Return Specialist is a player on American football or Canadian football special teams who specializes in returning punts and kickoff returns. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most play other positions as well. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
.
Rossum has also played for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He was a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection in 2004
2005 Pro Bowl
The 2005 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played February 13, 2005 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was AFC 38 - NFC 27. The most valuable player was Peyton Manning of the Colts. The game holds the record as the latest Pro Bowl played during the calendar year.-Game summary:The game...
. Rossum has been one of the most consistent returners in the league during his 12-year career. That consistency has put him in the top five of all-time return leaders and he currently sits in first among active players in both punt and kickoff return yards. He is the only player in NFL history to have a kickoff return for a touchdown with five different teams.
Early years
Rossum attended Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas, where he played option quarterback, receiver and tailback in addition to returning kicks and playing defensive back. He recorded 580 tackles and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,634 yards and had 12 touchdown receptions as a senior. Rossum was an accomplished track star as well, captaining his high school team all four years and setting the 1993 HS record in the 100m with a 10.02.College career
Rossum was recruited by every school in the former Southwest Conference. He accepted a scholarship from the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where he became a starter for the Fighting Irish football team during his sophomore year and served as one of three senior captains in 1997. During his career there, he set an NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
career record with nine touchdown returns (three interceptions, three punts and three kickoffs). As a cornerback, he tallied seven interceptions, 144 tackles, two sacks and 12 passes defensed. He also ran for the Irish track team, becoming a two-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n competing in the 55-meter dash. Rossum graduated early from Notre Dame with a dual degree in business and computer applications.
Philadelphia Eagles
Rossum was drafted by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the third round (85th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft. Rossum set Eagles single-season records for kickoff returns (54) and kickoff return yds (1,347), while ranking 4th in NFC (and 5th in the NFL) with a 24.9 avg. He was selected as the special teams MVP by his teammates. Tallied 12 tackles and 2 PDs at CB, adding a career-high 17 special teams stops and ranking 7th in conference with an 8.9 avg. on 28 punt returns in addition to an 86-yd. return to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In his rookie season shared punt return duties with Freddie Solomon, Jr., returning 22 for 187 yds. (8.5 avg.).
He played two seasons with the Eagles as a return specialist and backup cornerback. During his career with the Eagles, he returned 50 punts for 437 yards and 98 kickoffs for 2,427 yards with one returned for a touchdown (an 89-yard return against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
).
Green Bay Packers
Rossum was acquired by the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
for an undisclosed draft pick in 2000 and spent two seasons with the team, during which he returned 40 punts for 357 yards and one touchdown (a 55-yard return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
), and returned 73 kickoffs for 1,719 yards and one touchdown (a 92-yard return against the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
Atlanta Falcons
After two seasons with the Packers, he signed with the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an unrestricted free agent and became the team’s all-time leader in kickoff and punt return yardage. Rossum won the NFL's "fastest man" competition at the 2005 Pro Bowl, where he also made his first appearance for the NFC squad as a kick returner, replacing injured Eddie Drummond
Eddie Drummond
Edward Matthew Drummond is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is currently with the Las Vegas Locomotives in the United Football League. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
of the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. In his five seasons with Atlanta, he returned 154 punts for 1,723 yards and two touchdowns (one a 59-yard return against the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, another a 75-yard return against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
), and returned 250 kickoffs for 5,489 yards and one touchdown (a 91-yard return against the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
). During the 2004 season, Rossum also recorded two interceptions as a cornerback and set a playoff record in a win against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
with 152 punt return yards on just three returns, an average of 50.7 yards per return.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2007, Rossum was traded to the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
for a 2008 conditional draft pick, but was released after one season. He returned 36 punts for 232 yards, and returned 38 kickoffs for 885 yards and one touchdown (a 98-yard return against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
).
San Francisco 49ers
Rossum signed with the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
on February 29, 2008. The 49ers used him primarily as a kick returner, although he occasionally played as a receiver during the season, scoring a rushing touchdown on a reverse against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
- the first rushing touchdown of his career. Rossum became the first 49ers defensive back to score an offensive touchdown since Dicky Moegle in 1955 (December 11, 1955 vs. Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
). He returned 15 punts for 223 yards, and returned 47 kickoffs for 1,259 yards and a touchdown (a 104-yard return, the longest of his NFL career, against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game). Rossum finished sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC with a 26.8 average on kickoff returns and a 14.9 yard average on punt returns. He also scored an offensive touchdown on an end around play. Due to his strong performance, he was named a second alternate returner for the 2009 Pro Bowl.
An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, Rossum was re-signed by the 49ers on February 27, 2009.
He recorded his 300th career punt return in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, but was ultimately released on October 12, 2009 to make room on the roster for rookie Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
.
Dallas Cowboys
Rossum was signed by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on October 13, 2009. The Cowboys had not used a return specialist in quite some time, and Rossum takes over for Felix Jones and Patrick Crayton on kick and punt return duties, an area where the Cowboys have had trouble with in the past.
Rossum suffered an injury on his first play as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In his absence, Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
returned two punts for touchdowns. He was waived on November 23.
Career statistics
Defensive- Tackle: 97.0
- Ast:19
- Sack: 2
- INT:2
- INT yds:22
- INT yd avg:11.0
- Pass Def: 10
Kick Returns
- Number: 375
- Yds: 8553
- Avg: 22.8
- Long: 104
- TD: 4
- 40 yd+:20
Punt Returns
- Number: 207
- Yards: 2229
- Avg: 10.8
- Lng:75
- TD:3
- 20 yd+:32
Rossum's Highs
- Tackles 8 Atl (9-13-98)
- Kick Returns 8 Ind (11-19-00)
- Kick Returns-Yds. 222 Wash (11-14-99)
- Punt Returns 5 Phi (9-17-00)
- Punt Returns-Yds. 68 T.B (11-14-01)