Laurence Maroney
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| Laurence Maroney | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 5, 1985 (age 22) |
| Place of birth |  St. Louis, Missouri |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| College | Minnesota |
| NFL Draft | 2006 / Round 1 / Pick 21 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2006–Present | New England Patriots |
Laurence Maroney (born February 5, 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and one of the league's top rookies of the 2006 NFL season.
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[edit] High School Years
Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he garnered four varsity letters in football, three in track, two in basketball, and one in baseball. In basketball, he was twice named team MVP; in track, he placed third at the state meet in the 200-meter dash as a senior. Maroney holds Normandy High School's single season rushing record, with 1,903 yards in 2002.
[edit] College career
At the University of Minnesota, he split duties with current Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III in 2003 and 2004 and then with Gary Russell in 2005. As such, he started only 14 of 36 games, but still became the first Golden Gopher and the third in Big Ten Conference history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He gained a total of 3,933 yards with the Golden Gophers and was a two time All-Big Ten first team selection (2004-2005).
[edit] NFL career
Maroney declared for the 2006 NFL Draft after the completion of his junior season and was selected in the first round with the 21st overall pick by the New England Patriots. He was the second running back selected behind Reggie Bush. He is splitting time with fellow running back Corey Dillon in 2006 as part of what coach Bill Belichick has called the best running back corps he has ever coached.
Before the NFL Draft Denver coach Mike Shanahan said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he became the best back in the NFL." His lateral quickness and explosive speed complement the powerful, downhill style of Dillon. The tandem of Maroney and Dillon are bringing up comparisons to the much hyped "Thunder and Lightning" combo that NFL coaches search for. The nickname "Dreads and Treads" has been suggested for the duo (reflecting their different hair and running styles), as has Two if by Land (A play on the famous lines said by Paul Revere). By the end of the regular season, Maroney and Dillon became the first Patriots running back tandem in 26 years to exceed 700 yards each in the same season. In addition, a number of commentators have noted that, even as a rookie, Maroney has developed an effective stiff arm to beat would-be tacklers.
In Week 4, Maroney earned 125 yards and 2 TDs (of 11 and 25 yards) on just 15 carries, a performance that earned him both FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week and Diet Pepsi Rookie NFL Player of the Week honors. In Week 7, he was voted AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after a 74-yard kickoff return, while in Week 8 he had a 77-yard kickoff return (the two longest non-TD returns of the season). Moreover, those two returns gave Maroney the longest kickoff return average among all NFL players (not just rookies).
In Week 11, Maroney had 82 yards rushing, and four receptions for 34 yards, including a 19-yard reception that became his first receiving touchdown.
All in all, Maroney racked up an impressive 1,722 all-purpose yards in his rookie season.
In February of 2007, Dillon asked the Patriots for his release. The Patriots granted Dillon's wish and Maroney will become the Patriots main running back for the 2007-2008 season.[1]
In March of 2007, it was revealed that Maroney had significant damage to his shoulder and that surgery had been conducted to repair it.
[edit] Career Stats
Data accurate as of December 31, 2006.
| Rushing | Receiving | Returning | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Carries | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs | Receptions | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs | Returns | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs |
| 2006 | 175 | 745 | 4.3 | 41 | 6 | 22 | 194 | 8.8 | 31 | 1 | 28 | 783 | 28.0 | 77 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 175 | 745 | 4.3 | 41 | 6 | 22 | 194 | 8.8 | 31 | 1 | 28 | 783 | 28.0 | 77 | 0 |
[edit] Postseason statistics
Data accurate as of January 7, 2007 (and are presented separately since the NFL does not combine regular-season and postseason statistics).
| Rushing | Receiving | Returning | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postseason | Carries | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs | Receptions | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs | Returns | Yds | Avg | Long | TDs |
| 2006 | 18 | 69 | 3.8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 29 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 18 | 69 | 3.8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 29 | 0 |
[edit] Trivia
- Maroney stated, in an interview with CBS NFL Sunday, that his favorite food is pizza.
- One of Maroney's lifetime goals is to one day visit Mexico.
- When at the University of Minnesota he shared duties with Marion Barber III, who has now gone onto play for the Dallas Cowboys. They coincidently both have dreadlocks.
[edit] External links
- NFL.com bio
- New England Patriots Bio Page
- Run, Laurence, Run!.
- Behind the Scenes with RB Laurence Maroney
| Preceded by Corey Dillon |
New England Patriots Starting Running Back 2007-present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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This biographical article relating to a running back is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
