GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2010 (15/1), 2011 (16/5). Total- 31/6.
- Had career-best 2 TD receptions vs. New Orleans in 2011.
- Recipient of the Doak Walker Award after his senior season as the nation’s top RB and runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting.
- Earned degree from Stanford in spring 2010.
OFF THE FIELD Valedictorian of his Norco High class of over 700 students...A 3-year letterman on the Stanford baseball team as an OF…Helped the baseball team reach the 2008 College World Series while earning All-Tournament Team honors…A 1st-team Pac-10 All Academic choice as a senior…Turned down a professional baseball contract in 2009 to continue playing college football…Graduated from Stanford in June 2010 in management science and engineering…Brother, Garth, is chasing NFL dream as a rookie in 2012…Father, Todd was a RB at Cal State-Fullerton before joining the USFL for 2 seasons and went to training camp with the Vikings in 1986…Has triplet sisters who all play college softball, two at Stanford and one at Cal Poly-SLO...Grew up in neighboring community of fellow Viking Heath Farwell (Norco and Corona, CA).
GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2010 (15/1), 2011 (16/5). Total- 31/6.
- Had career-best 2 TD receptions vs. New Orleans in 2011.
- Recipient of the Doak Walker Award after his senior season as the nation’s top RB and runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting.
- Earned degree from Stanford in spring 2010.
OFF THE FIELD Valedictorian of his Norco High class of over 700 students...A 3-year letterman on the Stanford baseball team as an OF…Helped the baseball team reach the 2008 College World Series while earning All-Tournament Team honors…A 1st-team Pac-10 All Academic choice as a senior…Turned down a professional baseball contract in 2009 to continue playing college football…Graduated from Stanford in June 2010 in management science and engineering…Brother, Garth, is chasing NFL dream as a rookie in 2012…Father, Todd was a RB at Cal State-Fullerton before joining the USFL for 2 seasons and went to training camp with the Vikings in 1986…Has triplet sisters who all play college softball, two at Stanford and one at Cal Poly-SLO...Grew up in neighboring community of fellow Viking Heath Farwell (Norco and Corona, CA).
PRO Had most productive game of rookie season in his lone start, vs. Chicago (12/20/10) on Monday Night Football in frigid conditions at TCF Bank Stadium...Scored 1st career TD at Washington (11/28/10) in Interim Head Coach Leslie Frazier’s debut with the club...Was inactive for season opener but played in next 15 games as a rookie...Selected with #51 overall pick after the Vikings traded up with the Houston Texans…Joins Adrian Peterson (2004) as former Heisman Trophy runner-ups with the Vikings.
2011 Saw increased playing time in and started career-high 5 games...Notched longest run by a Viking during the season with 67-yard jaunt at Washington (12/24)...Recorded 1st career 100-yard rushing day at Washington...Snared career-high receptions vs. Denver (12/4) and tied season-high with 42 yards through the air...Caught season-long 42-yard pass vs. Tampa Bay (9/18)...Had career-best 2 TD receptions vs. New Orleans (12/18), matching Vikings record for receiving TDs by a RB in a game...Ran for 413 yards in the final 6 games of the season, averaging nearly 69 yards per game...Had consecutive games with 90+ yards rushing vs. Denver (12/4) and at Detroit (12/11) with 91 and 90 yards respectively...Caught 1st career scoring pass vs. Detroit (12/11) on a 2-yard pass from Joe Webb...Had 29 offensive touches vs. Denver (12/4) with 21 carries and 8 receptions.
2010 Grew into bigger role in the Vikings offense as season went on...Started 1st career game vs. Chicago (12/20) on Monday Night Football, a game played at TCF Bank Stadium following the collapse of the Metrodome roof...Started game in place of injured Adrian Peterson and notched career-best 77 yards on the ground vs. Chicago...Season-high 22 rushing attempts came at Washington (11/28) and scored 1st career TD on a 5-yard run in the win...Played in final 15 games of season after being inactive for opener...Had a carry in 14 of his 15 games, but caught season-high 5 passes in game he did not run the ball, at New England (10/31).
COLLEGE Started 26-of-38 career games…Finished his collegiate career ranked 2nd on Stanford’s all-time career rushing list with 3,522 yards...Ranked 1st in career rushing TDs with 44, and rushing attempts with 671...Holds the 2 top single-season rushing marks in school history...Was just the 2nd RB in school history to rush for 1,000+ yards in consecutive seasons, joining former Viking Darrin Nelson…Ran for 100+ yards 19 times in his career, including 3 contests in which he rushed for 200 or more yards...Set Stanford’s single-game rushing record with a 223 yard performance against Oregon in 2009...Consensus All-America and named the Pacific-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a senior...Finished 2nd in the 2009 Heisman Trophy balloting, 28 points behind Mark Ingram in the closest race in Heisman history...Limited to 1 game his sophomore season due to a knee injury…Played in all 12 games as a freshman.
PREP Was coached by his father at Norco (CA) High…Set California high school rushing record with 9,662 yards…Consensus All-America…A 1st-team All-State, All-CIF Southern Selection, CIF Southern Player of the Year, CIF Division V Player of the Year and Los Angeles Times Player of the Year as a senior…Gatorade’s High School Player of the Year for California…Rushed for 3,233 yards and 39 TDs as a senior…All-State in baseball as a junior and senior…Played 3 seasons of basketball.
