DeShaun Foster

DeShaun Foster

Foster in 2006 as a member of the Panthers
No. --     Free Agent
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: January 10, 1980 (1980-01-10) (age 31)
Place of birth: Charlotte, North Carolina
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
College: UCLA
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34
Debuted in 2003 for the Carolina Panthers
Career history
Carolina Panthers (2002-2007) San Francisco 49ers (2008)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Glenn Davis Award NFL Ed Block Courage Award (2003) 1x NFL FedEx Ground Player of the Week (2004)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008
Rushing yards	3,570
Rushing average	3.9
Rushing TDs	11
Stats at NFL.com

DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980) 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.

Early years

Foster was born to father Albert and mother Cheryl. Foster attended Tustin High School 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.

College career

Foster played football at UCLA, 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.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Foster was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. 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.^[1]

San Francisco 49ers

Foster carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams on November 16

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).^[2]

Career statistics

				Rushing					Receiving
Season	Team	League		GP	Att	Yds	TD		Rec	Yds	TD
2003	Carolina	NFL		14	113	429	0		14	26	2
2004	Carolina	NFL		4	59	255	2		9	76	0
2005	Carolina	NFL		15	205	879	2		34	372	1
2006	Carolina	NFL		14	227	897	3		49	159	0
2007	Carolina	NFL		16	247	876	3		25	182	1
2008	San Francisco	NFL		16	76	234	1		16	133	1
Regular season totals				79	927	3,570	11		142	1,129	5

References

1. ^ ESPN - Panthers release Foster to start offseason overhaul - NFL
2. ^ ESPN - Dolphins sign guard Smiley to 5-year, $25M deal - NFL

External links

• Carolina Panthers bio

Preceded by Lamar Smith	Carolina Panthers Starting Running Back 2003-2007 (with Stephen Davis and Nick Goings)	Succeeded by DeAngelo Williams
Preceded by Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers' Starting Running Back 2008	Succeeded by Frank Gore

Persondata
Name	Foster, DeShaun
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 10, 1980
Place of birth	Charlotte, North Carolina
Date of death
Place of death