DeShaun Foster
Encyclopedia
DeShaun Xavier Foster is an American football
running back
who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers
in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at UCLA
.
in Tustin, California
, and lettered three times each in football and basketball
, and four times in track. In football, as a senior, he was named the USA Today
Player of the Year and finished his senior season with 3,998 rushing yards and a state single season record 59 touchdowns. For his career, he rushed for a total of 5,885 yards. As a senior he led his team to the CIF championship game where they lost to Santa Margarita, and QB Carson Palmer
.
, where he set a team rushing record for true freshmen with 673 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games. The next year he spent mostly on the bench with an ankle
sprain
, but still managed to record 375 yards and 6 scores on 111 carries. As a junior, he led the Bruins with 1,037 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. His final year, he posted 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns; he had six games of over 100 rushing yards. He set a school record with a 301 yard game against Washington, and tied a record with four touchdowns (both records since broken by Maurice Jones-Drew
). He ended his college career in the team top 10 in touchdowns, rushing yards, and points scored.
. He had a promising preseason, but was injured in a game against the New England Patriots
, and sat out the remainder of the season on injured reserve
. However, he returned the following season as a complement to Stephen Davis
; Davis' bruising style matched well with Foster's speed. Foster finished the regular season with 113 carries for 429 yards. However, his best performances came in the 2003-04 playoffs
. He had a memorable run in the NFC Championship Game
against the Philadelphia Eagles
, where he broke four tackles on a one yard run to score, giving the Panthers a 14-3 lead. In Super Bowl XXXVIII
against the Patriots, Foster scored on a 33 yard run that stands as the fifth-longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history. The following season looked promising for the Panthers, but many of the starters suffered season-ending injuries, and Foster was no exception. He broke his clavicle
in a game against the Denver Broncos
. He returned the following season, and eventually surpassed his mentor, Davis, as the Panthers' starter. He led the team in yardage and carries, but suffered a broken ankle
in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears
that left him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
On, March 10, 2006, Foster agreed to a three year, $14.5 million dollar contract with a $4.5 million dollar signing bonus with another $3 million in escalators and incentives. This is a $700,000 raise over the transition tag tender placed on Foster last month.
On February 21, 2008 he was released by the Panthers.
On February 29, 2008, the San Francisco 49ers
signed Foster to a one year contract worth around $1.8 million, to be a back-up behind starter Frank Gore
.
He played 16 games, ( 76 att. 234 yds. 1 TD and 16 rec. 133 yds. 1 TD).
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. 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 UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
.
Early years
Foster was born to father Albert and mother Cheryl. Foster attended Tustin High SchoolTustin High School
Tustin High School is a public high school located in Tustin, California, United States. Tustin High was originally founded in 1921 as Tustin Union High School.Tustin High School is officially a Title I school and was a California Distinguished School...
in Tustin, California
Tustin, California
-Top employers:According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Tustin had a population of 75,540. The population density was 6,816.7 people per square mile...
, and lettered three times each in football and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and four times in track. In football, as a senior, he was named the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Player of the Year and finished his senior season with 3,998 rushing yards and a state single season record 59 touchdowns. For his career, he rushed for a total of 5,885 yards. As a senior he led his team to the CIF championship game where they lost to Santa Margarita, and QB Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
.
College career
Foster played football at UCLAUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he set a team rushing record for true freshmen with 673 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games. The next year he spent mostly on the bench with an ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
sprain
Sprain
A sprain is an injury in a joint, caused by the ligament being stretched beyond its capacity. A muscular tear caused in the same manner is referred to as a strain. In cases where either ligament or muscle tissue is torn, immobilization and surgical repair may be necessary...
, but still managed to record 375 yards and 6 scores on 111 carries. As a junior, he led the Bruins with 1,037 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. His final year, he posted 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns; he had six games of over 100 rushing yards. He set a school record with a 301 yard game against Washington, and tied a record with four touchdowns (both records since broken by Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew is a professional American football player who currently plays running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
). He ended his college career in the team top 10 in touchdowns, rushing yards, and points scored.
Carolina Panthers
Foster was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He had a promising preseason, but was injured in a game against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, and sat out the remainder of the season on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
. However, he returned the following season as a complement to Stephen Davis
Stephen Davis (American football)
Stephen Lamont Davis is a former American football running back in the National Football League. Davis will be the Carolina Panthers' minority coaching intern for the 2010-11 season.-College career:...
; Davis' bruising style matched well with Foster's speed. Foster finished the regular season with 113 carries for 429 yards. However, his best performances came in the 2003-04 playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
. He had a memorable run in the NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
against 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...
, where he broke four tackles on a one yard run to score, giving the Panthers a 14-3 lead. In Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
against the Patriots, Foster scored on a 33 yard run that stands as the fifth-longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history. The following season looked promising for the Panthers, but many of the starters suffered season-ending injuries, and Foster was no exception. He broke his clavicle
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
in a game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He returned the following season, and eventually surpassed his mentor, Davis, as the Panthers' starter. He led the team in yardage and carries, but suffered a broken ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
that left him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
On, March 10, 2006, Foster agreed to a three year, $14.5 million dollar contract with a $4.5 million dollar signing bonus with another $3 million in escalators and incentives. This is a $700,000 raise over the transition tag tender placed on Foster last month.
On February 21, 2008 he was released by the Panthers.
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...
signed Foster to a one year contract worth around $1.8 million, to be a back-up behind starter Frank Gore
Frank Gore
Franklin Gore is an American football running back who plays for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami. NFL Network analysts have nicknamed Gore "The Inconvenient Truth".-High school career:Gore attended Coral Gables High...
.
He played 16 games, ( 76 att. 234 yds. 1 TD and 16 rec. 133 yds. 1 TD).
Career statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2003 2003 NFL season -Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *... |
Carolina | NFL | 14 | 113 | 429 | 0 | 14 | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2004 2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005... |
Carolina | NFL | 4 | 59 | 255 | 2 | 9 | 76 | 0 | ||
| 2005 2005 NFL season The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006... |
Carolina | NFL | 15 | 205 | 879 | 2 | 34 | 372 | 1 | ||
| 2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
Carolina | NFL | 14 | 227 | 897 | 3 | 49 | 159 | 0 | ||
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
Carolina | NFL | 16 | 247 | 876 | 3 | 25 | 182 | 1 | ||
| 2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
San Francisco | NFL | 16 | 76 | 234 | 1 | 16 | 133 | 1 | ||
| Regular season totals | 79 | 927 | 3,570 | 11 | 142 | 1,129 | 5 | ||||