Rodney Kinlaw
Encyclopedia
Rodney Eddrick Kinlaw is a professional American Football
running back
. He currently plays for the Mönchengladbach Mavericks
of the German Football League
. He has also played for the Edmonton Eskimos
and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the Canadian Football League
. He was signed by the New York Jets
as an undrafted free agent in 2008, out of Penn State
.
at Stratford High School
in Goose Creek, South Carolina
, where he amassed 1,783 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior. Kinlaw was named Offensive Back-of-the-Year by the Charleston Post and Courier
and Palmetto Touchdown Club. He was named an All-America
n by SuperPrep and was a finalist for South Carolina's Mr. Football and was named Associated Press
first-team all-state.
behind Tony Hunt and Austin Scott while nursing a serious ACL
injury.
He did not see significant playing time until week five of his senior season (2007). Kinlaw's career-best performance came versus Temple
that year when he rushed for 168-yards on 27 carries, the most since previous Penn State running back Larry Johnson who had 271 yards rushing in a single game. Solid performances the second half of the 2007 season saw him become the 11th running back in Penn State history to reach 1,000 yards in a season ending with 1,329 yards rushing and 123 yards receiving.
His convincing 143-yard performance in the 2007 Alamo Bowl
earned him recognition as the game's offensive MVP
.
announced they signed Kinlaw as an undrafted free agent. He was later released on August 26 during the preseason.
of the Canadian Football League
on February 9, 2009.
However, on April 3, 2009, Kinlaw was released.
practice roster on August 26, 2009.
of the Indoor Football League
on December 31, 2009.
signed Kinlaw to play in the German Football League
for the 2011 season.
n Courtney Brown, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns
in the 2000 NFL Draft
.
Kinlaw earned his Bachelor of Arts
in Labor and Industrial Relations in May 2007. He is working on a second degree, in Sociology.
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...
. He currently plays for the Mönchengladbach Mavericks
Mönchengladbach Mavericks
The Mönchengladbach Mavericks are an American football team from Mönchengladbach, Germany.The club won promotion to the German Football League in 2010, and qualified for the semi finals of the play-offs the following year, its greatest success.-History:...
of the German Football League
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
. He has also played for the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He was signed by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2008, out of Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
Kinlaw was a standout running back and defensive backDefensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
at Stratford High School
Stratford High School (Goose Creek, South Carolina)
Stratford High School is a high school located in Goose Creek, South Carolina.Stratford serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Berkeley County School District. Stratford High School was originally built in 1981 and opened in 1983 with approximately 1100 students. An addition was added in...
in Goose Creek, South Carolina
Goose Creek, South Carolina
Goose Creek is a city in Berkeley county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,938 at the 2010 census. Most of the Naval Weapons Station Charleston is in Goose Creek. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
, where he amassed 1,783 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior. Kinlaw was named Offensive Back-of-the-Year by the Charleston Post and Courier
The Post and Courier
Charleston's The Post and Courier is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the South and the eighth oldest newspaper still in publication in the United States. It is published in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the Charleston Courier, founded in 1803, the...
and Palmetto Touchdown Club. He was named an 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 by SuperPrep and was a finalist for South Carolina's Mr. Football and was named Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
first-team all-state.
College career
Kinlaw, who at one time was considered to be the third best of the three tailbacks in the Nittany Lions' 2003 recruiting class, spent most of his career at Penn State on the depth chartDepth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
behind Tony Hunt and Austin Scott while nursing a serious ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injury.
He did not see significant playing time until week five of his senior season (2007). Kinlaw's career-best performance came versus Temple
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
that year when he rushed for 168-yards on 27 carries, the most since previous Penn State running back Larry Johnson who had 271 yards rushing in a single game. Solid performances the second half of the 2007 season saw him become the 11th running back in Penn State history to reach 1,000 yards in a season ending with 1,329 yards rushing and 123 yards receiving.
His convincing 143-yard performance in the 2007 Alamo Bowl
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is a major American college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It matches the second choice team from the Pacific-12 Conference and the third choice team from the Big 12 Conference.Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been...
earned him recognition as the game's offensive MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
New York Jets
On August 1, 2008, the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
announced they signed Kinlaw as an undrafted free agent. He was later released on August 26 during the preseason.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Kinlaw was signed by the Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
on February 9, 2009.
However, on April 3, 2009, Kinlaw was released.
Edmonton Eskimos
Kinlaw signed with the Edmonton EskimosEdmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
practice roster on August 26, 2009.
Omaha Beef
Kinlaw signed with the Omaha BeefOmaha Beef
The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...
of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
on December 31, 2009.
Mönchengladbach Mavericks
The Mönchengladbach MavericksMönchengladbach Mavericks
The Mönchengladbach Mavericks are an American football team from Mönchengladbach, Germany.The club won promotion to the German Football League in 2010, and qualified for the semi finals of the play-offs the following year, its greatest success.-History:...
signed Kinlaw to play in the German Football League
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
for the 2011 season.
Personal
Kinlaw is the nephew of former Penn State All-AmericaAll-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 Courtney Brown, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
.
Kinlaw earned his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Labor and Industrial Relations in May 2007. He is working on a second degree, in Sociology.