Justin Fargas

Infobox NFLactive
currentteam=Oakland Raiders
currentnumber=25
currentposition=Running back


width=175
birthdate=birth date and age|1980|1|25
birthplace=Encino, California
heightft=6
heightin=1
weight=220
debutyear=2003
debutteam=Oakland Raiders
college=Michigan, Southern California
draftyear=2003
draftround=3
draftpick=96
pastteams=
* Oakland Raiders (2003-present)
statweek=2
statseason=2008
statlabel1=Rushing yards
statvalue1=2,165
statlabel2=Rushing average
statvalue2=4.3
statlabel3=Rushing TDs
statvalue3=6
nfl=FAR068315

Justin Fargas (born January 25, 1980 in Encino, California) is a football player in the NFL.

Professional career

Fargas was drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. At the start of the 2006 season he was the Raiders' second-string running back. With an injury to LaMont Jordan, Fargas took over as starter for most of the second half of the 2006 season. [cite news |first=Len |last=Pasquarelli |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Raiders RB Jordan confirms MCL tear will end season |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2673580 |work=ESPN |publisher= |date=2006-11-23 |accessdate= ]

In 2007, with LaMont Jordan's continuing injuries and struggles, Fargas was promoted to the first string once again. He has averaged near 100 yards per game since taking over as a starter and has solidified himself as a starting running back in the NFL. On December 16, 2007 against the Indianapolis Colts, Fargas reached the 1,000 yard mark for rushing in a season.

Fargas had the best day of his career on September 30, 2007, rushing for 179 yards on 22 carries against the Miami Dolphins.

On February 13, 2008, the Oakland Raiders re-signed Fargas to a three-year extension reportedly worth up to $14 million after incentives with $6 million guaranteed. Fargas is expected to start going into next season; the Raiders released Dominic Rhodes on April 28, 2008. Former starter Lamont Jordan was released on July 26, 2008. Oakland drafted Darren McFadden as the fourth pick overall in the 2008 NFL draft. Oakland also is expecting a contribution in 2008 from Michael Bush, who missed his entire rookie season while recovering from a broken leg suffered in his first game as a senior in college.

College career

Fargas attended the University of Michigan, as a highly regarded football prospect, for three years (1998-2000). He was named one of the Top 10 Freshmen in the country by Sports Illustrated. During his freshman year he ran for 277 yards with 1 TD on 77 carries (3.6 avg.) in 10 games. He started there as a running back before switching to safety in the middle of the 2000 season. Yet his college career at Michigan was cut short during his freshman season when he broke his leg. He was redshirted in 1999 while he rehabilitated his broken right leg.

After looking at both California and Southern California, Fargas chose to transfer to USC in 2001.Eric Sondheimer, [http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/22/sports/sp-3314 Fargas Makes Contact With California, USC] , "Los Angeles Times", December 22, 2000, Accessed July 15, 2008.] Due to NCAA transfer rules he sat out the 2001 season. In 2002, his final season in college, Fargas rushed for 1,677 yards on 257 carries (6.53 yards per rush) with the Trojans.

High school career

Fargas went to Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA, where he was a "Parade" All-American and "USA Today" All-USA first team. Fargas was the state 100 meter champion.

As a junior, Fargas rushed for 2,946 yards and 34 touchdowns, garnering national attention as a college prospect and was regarded as his region's best player going into his senior season.Tris Wykes, [http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/07/sports/sp-29761 Notre Dame, Fargas and Away] , "Los Angeles Times", September 7, 1997, Accessed July 16, 2008.]

Personal

He is the son of "Starsky and Hutch" actor Antonio Fargas, who played Huggy Bear. His father is of Puerto Rican and Trinidadian descent. His half-brother is film producer Matthew Chausse.

Other Interests

* Owner of 3rd Eye Entertainment.
* Completed work on his solo rap CD title "Young Hugg in Black and White" which was released around Christmas 2006.
* Has acted in 2 feature length films, Hood of Horror (2006) and The Caper (2007)

References

External links

* [http://www.cnnsi.com/football/nfl/players/6432/ CNN/SI Justin Fargas player page]
* [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395956 CBS Sportsline Justin Fargas]
* [http://football.about.com/cs/justinfargas/ football.about.com Justin Fargas]
* [http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/fargas_justin00.html Justin Fargas NCAA player page]