Lorenzo Booker
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Booker is an American football
running back
for the Minnesota Vikings
of the National Football League
. He was drafted
by the Miami Dolphins
in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Florida State
.
Booker has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles
and Hartford Colonials.
in Ventura, California
. In his senior year, Booker ran for 2878 yards and 50 touchdown
s, and also had 16 receptions
for 300 yards along with three more touchdowns. He was widely regarded as the nation's top running back prospect and was named a Parade
All-American and to the PrepStar Dream Team. He also earned USA Today
All-USA first-team honors and was ranked by Rivals.com
as the number 3 overall prospect in the country and a five star recruit. In his junior year, Booker had an equally-impressive 3103 yards and 49 touchdowns, and for his three-year career had 8502 rushing yards and 137 touchdowns, both state records. During this time, he led his team a 42-0 record. After an initial verbal commitment to Notre Dame,Booker chose Florida State over Notre Dame
and USC in a press conference televised nationally on ESPN
. Following his high school career, Booker played in the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
alongside fellow Florida State Seminoles Kamerion Wimbley
and Buster Davis. Following his senior season, he was awarded the Gatorade High School Heisman, honoring the top high school athlete in the nation.
Booker redshirted
his first year at Florida State
. In his freshman year with the Seminoles in 2003, Booker was fourth on the team in carries with 62, third in rushing yards with 334, and third in rushing touchdowns with three, and also recorded 19 receptions for 86 yards. In his sophomore year in 2004, Booker led the team in carries with 173, and was second in both rushing yards (887) and touchdowns (four), and also had 24 catches for 160 yards. Booker led the Seminoles in rushing yards, carries, and touchdowns in his junior year in 2005, with 119 carries for 552 yards (4.8 average) and four touchdowns. He also recorded 38 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns. While in college, Booker earned the nickname L-Boogie.
by the Miami Dolphins
. He signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins on May 24, 2007.
Booker got his first significant action in the loss to the Jets on December 12, 2007, when he was used primarily as a receiver. He had one carry for six yards and six catches for 63 yards.
on April 26, 2008 for a fourth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft
. He rushed for 53 yards on 20 carries and caught six passes for 11 yards in 2008
. He was waived on September 5, 2009 during final cuts.
after rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Booker boycotted the Colonials' November 20, 27-14 win over the Las Vegas Locomotives
to protest the league's $150,000 transfer fee. The fee was payable to a UFL team if one of its players is signed by an NFL team. Booker and other players believed they were led to believe the fee would be waived once the season is over, not until February 1, 2011, since the previous season the fee was waived and 43 UFL players eventually were signed by NFL teams. On November 22, Booker was suspended by the UFL for the boycott.
after the UFL transfer fee was reduced to $25,000.
In his four games with the Vikings, Booker was used primarily as a kick returner. On 18 returns, he amassed 429 yards for an average of 23.8 yards a return. He also had 5 catches for 32 yards.
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...
for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. 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 Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Booker has also been a member of 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...
and Hartford Colonials.
Early years
Booker attended St. Bonaventure High SchoolSt. Bonaventure High School
St. Bonaventure High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Ventura, California. It is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The school is named in honor of Bonaventure, the Patron of the Mission San Buenaventura and the City of Ventura.-Athletics:St....
in Ventura, California
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
. In his senior year, Booker ran for 2878 yards and 50 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, and also had 16 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 300 yards along with three more touchdowns. He was widely regarded as the nation's top running back prospect and was named a Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
All-American and to the PrepStar Dream Team. He also earned 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...
All-USA first-team honors and was ranked by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
as the number 3 overall prospect in the country and a five star recruit. In his junior year, Booker had an equally-impressive 3103 yards and 49 touchdowns, and for his three-year career had 8502 rushing yards and 137 touchdowns, both state records. During this time, he led his team a 42-0 record. After an initial verbal commitment to Notre Dame,Booker chose Florida State over 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...
and USC in a press conference televised nationally on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. Following his high school career, Booker played in the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
alongside fellow Florida State Seminoles Kamerion Wimbley
Kamerion Wimbley
-Cleveland Browns:On July 22, 2006, he signed a six-year deal with the Browns and includes $9.3 million in guaranteed money and $23.7 million total. After being converted to outside linebacker from his college position of defensive end, he played the entire season as the starting linebacker playing...
and Buster Davis. Following his senior season, he was awarded the Gatorade High School Heisman, honoring the top high school athlete in the nation.
College career
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
his first year at Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. In his freshman year with the Seminoles in 2003, Booker was fourth on the team in carries with 62, third in rushing yards with 334, and third in rushing touchdowns with three, and also recorded 19 receptions for 86 yards. In his sophomore year in 2004, Booker led the team in carries with 173, and was second in both rushing yards (887) and touchdowns (four), and also had 24 catches for 160 yards. Booker led the Seminoles in rushing yards, carries, and touchdowns in his junior year in 2005, with 119 carries for 552 yards (4.8 average) and four touchdowns. He also recorded 38 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns. While in college, Booker earned the nickname L-Boogie.
Miami Dolphins
Booker was selected in the third round (71st overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins on May 24, 2007.
Booker got his first significant action in the loss to the Jets on December 12, 2007, when he was used primarily as a receiver. He had one carry for six yards and six catches for 63 yards.
Philadelphia Eagles
Booker was traded to 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...
on April 26, 2008 for a fourth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He rushed for 53 yards on 20 carries and caught six passes for 11 yards in 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...
. He was waived on September 5, 2009 during final cuts.
Hartford Colonials
Booker signed with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League on August 17, 2010. He was named the UFL Offensive Player of the Week for week 7 during the 2010 season2010 UFL season
The 2010 United Football League season was the second season of the United Football League. The regular season ran from September 18 to November 20 and featured five teams playing eight games each over a 10-week span. The 2010 season was a relatively competitive one as no team won more than five...
after rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Booker boycotted the Colonials' November 20, 27-14 win over the Las Vegas Locomotives
Las Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
to protest the league's $150,000 transfer fee. The fee was payable to a UFL team if one of its players is signed by an NFL team. Booker and other players believed they were led to believe the fee would be waived once the season is over, not until February 1, 2011, since the previous season the fee was waived and 43 UFL players eventually were signed by NFL teams. On November 22, Booker was suspended by the UFL for the boycott.
Minnesota Vikings
On December 6, 2010 Booker was signed by the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
after the UFL transfer fee was reduced to $25,000.
In his four games with the Vikings, Booker was used primarily as a kick returner. On 18 returns, he amassed 429 yards for an average of 23.8 yards a return. He also had 5 catches for 32 yards.