Louis Ivory is a former American 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...

 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...

. He played for Furman. He grew up 140 miles from Division I-AA (now known as Division I FCS) powerhouse Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern Eagles football

The Georgia Southern Eagles represent Georgia Southern University in football as part of the Southern Conference under head coach Jeff Monken. The Eagles have won an unprecedented six FCS national championships and eight Southern Conference championships and have produced two Walter Payton Award...

, which did not recruit him. He instead attended rival Furman. In 2000, Ivory recorded 2,079 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 286 carries

Carry (American football)

In American football, a carry is a statistical term equivalent to a single rushing play. The term is typically used in reference to "yards per carry," meaning yards per attempt rushing the ball. Any offensive player who performs a carry is known as a ballcarrier, regardless of position....

. As a junior, he received the 2000 Walter Payton Award

Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...

 for the most outstanding player in Division I-AA. In his senior year, Ivory rushed for 1,719 yards and 19 touchdowns on 289 carries.