Duce Staley

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Duce Staley
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Position(s): Running back	Jersey #(s): 22
Born: February 27, 1975 (1975-02-27) (age 33) Tampa, Florida
Career Information
Year(s): 1997–2006
NFL Draft: 1997 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71
College: South Carolina
Professional Teams
Philadelphia Eagles (1997-2003) Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-2006)
Career Stats
Rushing yards	5,785
Average	4.0
Touchdowns	24
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
Super Bowl champion (XL)

Duce Staley (born February 27, 1975 in Tampa, Florida) is a retired American football running back in the NFL best known for his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. He works as a sideline reporter for football radio broadcasts of the University of South Carolina on the Gamecock Sports Radio Network. Staley also hosts a daily sports talk program called "The Halftime Show" from 1 to 4 PM on 107.5 the Game, WNKT FM, in Columbia, SC.

[edit] High school

Staley attended Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina and was an All-State Wide Receiver, as he did not play running back until college.

[edit] College

As a senior at the University of South Carolina in 1996, Staley was ranked 13th in the nation in rushing with 1,116 rushing yards. In his South Carolina years, he attempted 345 rushes for 1,582 yards (4.58 per average). He also caught 59 passes for 489 yards and 2 touchdowns.

[edit] NFL career

Staley was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1997 NFL Draft and played for the Eagles through the 2003 season. After his rookie season and the departure of Ricky Watters, Staley became the starter in a tumultuous 3-13 season which led to the dismissal of head coach Ray Rhodes. Under Andy Reid, Staley developed into the team's perennial leading receiver through Reid's screen-heavy West Coast offense. However, he played in only five games of the 2000 season due to a serious Lisfranc fracture. Staley also missed some playing time in 2001 due to a shoulder injury. Entering the 2003 season, Staley held-out of training camp in an attempt to bargain for a new contract, as he was in the last year of his deal. With Correll Buckhalter coming back from an ACL tear and Brian Westbrook entering his second season, the Eagles decided not to budge. This resulted in shared playing time between the three, as Westbrook became the premier back by season's end. Consequently, the Eagles decided to not re-sign Staley.

In 2004, Staley became the number one running back for his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he scored few touchdowns as handoffs in the redzone went to veteran back Jerome Bettis. After Staley was injured in mid-2004, Bettis took over the starting job.

In 2005, after both he and Bettis were injured, Willie Parker, an undrafted free agent, had a stellar season, and Staley, in another injury plagued season, was dropped to third string, managing only 148 yards in 5 games, with a 3.9 yard per carry average.

Despite a preseason in which he ran for just 92 yards on 42 carries, Staley made the Steelers' 53-man roster in 2006. After week one, the Steelers signed former Packers' running back Najeh Davenport to replace him as the Steelers' power back. The true signal of Staley's demise was when third-down back Verron Haynes went down with a season-ending injury, and the Steelers promoted John Kuhn from the practice squad instead of activating Staley. On December 3, 2006, the Steelers released Staley . [1] In his three year tenure with the club, Staley played in just 16 games.

Staley officially retired as a Philadelphia Eagle during the Eagles-Giants game, December 9, 2007. At halftime, Staley was escorted onto the field by former teammates for his retirement celebration featuring a brief ceremony and two highlight videos.

[edit] Statistics

[edit] External links

• Duce Staley at NFL.com
• Pro-Football-Reference.com - Current Stats