Kevan Barlow

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Kevan Barlow
Date of birth	January 7, 1979 (age 28)
Place of birth	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Position(s)	Running Back
College	Pittsburgh
NFL Draft	2001 / Round 3 / Pick 18
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
2001–2005 2006	San Francisco 49ers New York Jets

Kevan C. Barlow (born on January 7, 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) is a player in the National Football League.

Currently he is a free agent. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted in the 3rd round (80th overall) by the 49ers in the 2001 NFL Draft.

After enjoying a breakout 2003-2004 season behind a reliable run blocking line in which Barlow had a 5.1 yard per carry average and 1024 yards, the 49ers gave him the starting job by releasing Garrison Hearst. 2004-2005 was an underachieving year for Barlow, where he didn't reach the 1000 yard mark even though he was the primary back. At one point he was demoted to second string by Coach Dennis Erickson in favor of Maurice Hicks. In the 2005 NFL Draft the 49ers selected Frank Gore to be the backup running back behind Barlow.

The 2005-2006 season seemed to mark a rebound in his running game. He had 420 yards on 102 carries for a 4.0 average through 7 games but finished the season with just 581 yards on 176 carries for only a 3.3 rushing average after missing the final 3 games of the season. While many blame Barlow for his underachieving statistics, the San Francisco offensive line became one of the worst in the league after the 2003 season and seems to be largely behind Barlow's struggles, although it should be noted that Frank Gore was able to make do with this same troubled offensive line with more success than Barlow.

In August of 2006 Barlow was traded to the New York Jets for a fourth-round draft pick. He then caused a controversy when he compared San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan to Nazi Dictator Adolf Hitler. Barlow told the Contra Costa Times that Nolan "walks around with a chip on his shoulder, like he's a dictator, like he's Hitler." Barlow quickly called back the paper and apologized for his comments.

On February 21, 2007, Barlow was released by the Jets.

[edit] High school career

At Peabody High School in Pittsburgh, Kevan Barlow ran for 3,121 yards, and 31 touchdowns, and received for 433 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a senior he had 3.5 sacks, 33 tackles, and one interception from the safety position. During his high school career, he was a two time All-City choice.

[edit] College career

Kevan Barlow attended the University of Pittsburgh. While there he rushed 486 times for 2324 yards (4.78 yards per rush) and 20 touchdowns. He left school, being ranked 11th on the school's career scoring list with 144 points.