Ahmad Bradshaw

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Ahmad Bradshaw

New York Giants — No. 44
Running back
Date of birth: March 19, 1986 (1986-03-19) (age 22)
Place of birth: Bluefield, Virginia
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Weight: 198 lb (90 kg)
National Football League debut
2007 for the New York Giants
Career history
College: Marshall
NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 7 / Pick: 250
Teams: New York Giants (2007-present)
Current status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2x All-Conference USA (2005-2006) Super Bowl champion (XLII)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Rushing yards	190
Rushing average	8.3
Rushing TDs	1
Stats at NFL.com

Ahmad Bradshaw (born March 19, 1986 in Bluefield, Virginia^[1]) is an American football running back for the New York Giants in the National Football League. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft, out of Marshall University.

[edit] High school

Born to Diana Davis and James Bradshaw, Ahmad Bradshaw had an amazing athletic career at Graham High School. He was ranked as the #7 player in Virginia and the #28 running back prospect in the country by Rivals.com. Bradshaw rushed for 2,282 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior and 2,557 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior at Graham, totaling 5,265 yards and 92 touchdowns while averaging nearly 10 yards a carry for his high school career.

Bradshaw originally signed a letter of intent to Virginia and arrived in Charlottesville for football practice, but was kicked off the team by Al Groh before his first season started, after being arrested for underage drinking and running from police.^[2] He then enrolled at Marshall.^[3]

[edit] Collegiate career

[edit] Freshman (2004)

Bradshaw only had 462 yards and 3 touchdowns in his freshman season in 2004,^[4] but also totaled 187 yards receiving on 14 receptions for two touchdowns. Bradshaw missed two games that season, the Georgia and Miami games, due to an ankle sprain. Bradshaw also recorded nine punt returns for 108 yards and 15 kick returns for 322 yards as a freshman. Bradshaw rushed for a then career-high 145 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown run, in just eight first half carries against Western Michigan. His other signature performance of the season came against Kansas State, when he took a screen pass 75-yards for a score.

[edit] Sophomore (2005)

Bradshaw rushed for 997 yards and totaled 1,382 all-purpose yards en route to becoming a second-team All-Conference USA selection as a sophomore in 2005. Bradshaw was the team's leading rusher and receiver as well. In the season-opener against William and Mary, Bradshaw rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown with 73 yards and a score receiving. Bradshaw rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the loss to #3 Virginia Tech 41-14. He followed it up with a then career-high 133 yards against UTEP and eclipsed the mark the following week in the Herd's overtime loss to Southern Miss with 150 yards and a score. Bradshaw's best performance came against ECU, when he rushed for a season and career-high 187 yards with two touchdowns along with 51 yards on eight receptions. He added a season-long 56-yard run against ECU as well.

[edit] Junior (2006)

Bradshaw's best season of his college career came as a junior in 2006, when he totaled 1,523 yards rushing, for 19 touchdowns, and 129 receiving yards for two scores. Bradshaw was eighth in the nation in rushing yardage and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. In the Herd's second game of the season against Hofstra, Bradshaw ran for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Against UCF, he ran for 181 yards and a score. Bradshaw's first out of two 200-yard games of the season came two weeks later against UAB, when he rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Bradshaw's best game of the season and his career came against UTEP, when he rushed for career-highs of 261 yards and 5 touchdowns. Bradshaw was in contention for Conference USA Player of the Year and earned first-team all-Conference USA honors..

[edit] College statistics

^[5][6]

^[5][7]

[edit] Professional career

[edit] 2007

Bradshaw was selected in the seventh round pick 250 in the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. In 2 games he fumbled twice on kickoff returns, once for a touchdown. He was fourth in the NFC with a 26.0-yard kickoff return average when the Giants replaced him with veteran Reuben Droughns. Bradshaw returned to returning kickoffs for the November 18 game against the Detroit Lions.

Injuries to teammates Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, and the disappointing play of Reuben Droughns, gave Bradshaw his first regular season carries, against the Minnesota Vikings. He gained 29 yards on 4 carries. On December 23, 2007, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an 88-yard run in the 4th quarter against the Buffalo Bills. It was the 3rd longest run in Giants history and the longest run of the 2007 season^[8]. He finished the game with a career-high 151 yards on 17 carries^[9].

Bradshaw was used more frequently, as a change of pace back to Brandon Jacobs, during the Giants 2007 playoff run. He had a great performance in the NFC Championship game, including what -- if not for a holding penalty -- would have been a 52-yard touchdown run. He contributed greatly to his team's success in Super Bowl XLII, gaining 42 through-out the entire game (the most of all running backs) and even recovering a fumble by QB Eli Manning. The Giants went on to defeat the previously undefeated New England Patriots, ending their run to perfection.

[edit] Professional stats

^[5]

^[5]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• From bad to good for Giants RB from Yahoo! Sports
• Ahmad Bradshaw carrying painful memory: Rookie honors late stepbrother
• Giants rookie Bradshaw: 7th round to spotlight from Newsday.com
• Bradshaw didn't put his foot in his mouth -- Newsday.com

[edit] External links

• Bio at Giants.com
• Player card at ESPN.com
• Player page at SI.com
• Profile at Yahoo! Sports
• Profile at CBSSports.com
• Draft profile from SI.com
• Ahmad Bradshaw interview from May 14, 2007
• A video clip of Ahmad Bradshaw against UCF in 2006