Yesterday for day 44, we looked at one of college footballs wildest personalities of all time. For day 43, we highlight a quiet player that was a huge playmaker at just about any offensive position in college and the NFL.
Darren Sproles is known as one of the shiftiest and most versatile offensive players of the last two decades but he got his start in Olathe, Kansas at Olathe North. As a senior, Sproles was named the USA Today Kansas Player of the Year for football.
In addition to being a standout football player, Sproles was a fantastic track athlete. He clocked a 10.6 second one hundred meter and a 21.6 second two hundred meter for the Olathe North Eagles.
The shifty and slippery back stayed in state and went twenty minutes south west to Kansas State University. Sproles played for the Wildcats from 2001 to 2004 and appeared in a total of forty five games.
Sproles was effective in just about every aspect of the game and was the Wildcats best player in those four years. On the ground he tallied 4,979 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. Through the air, Sproles had 609 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The most explosive part of the running backs game was his return skills. In his four years at Kansas State he had 378 yards and 1 touchdown.
2003 was the breakout year for Darren Sproles as he was a Heisman Finalist. He recorded 1,986 scrimmage yards and 16 touchdowns. This season helped push him to eleventh on the NCAA all times scrimmage list.
Over four seasons in Manhattan, Kansas, Sproles earned his fair share of accolades. He was two time All Big 12 in 2002 and 2004 and first team All Big 12 in 2003 when he was in the Heisman race. He was also named to the 2003 All American team.
Sproles was taken in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He then played with the Saints from 2011 to 2013 and the Eagles from 2014 to 2019. He capped off his career with 19,696 scrimmage yards and 64 touchdowns. He now works in the Eagles front office.
Tomorrow for day 42, we highlight a guy who played his high school football ten minutes from me and made his name in South Carolina.