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Fred Russell (American football)

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Fred Russell
No. 2
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1980-09-14) September 14, 1980 (age 44)
Career information
College:Iowa
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Fred Russell (born September 14, 1980) is a former American football player. He played college football as a running back at the University of Iowa. He twice rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season, was a first-team running back on the 2002 All-Big Ten Conference football team, and was selected as the most valuable player in the 2004 Outback Bowl.

High school

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Russell played high school football at Romulus High School in Romulus, Michigan. He rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 85 touchdowns.[1]

Iowa

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Russell was the starting running back for the 2002 Iowa Hawkeyes football team that tied for the Big Ten Conference championship, played in the Orange Bowl, and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll. Russell rushed for 1,264 yards and nine touchdowns on 220 carries during the 2002 season.[2] At the end of the season, Russell was selected by Big Ten coaches as a first-team running back on the 2002 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3]

In 2003, Russell was again the starting running back for an Iowa team that compiled a 10–3 record, defeated Florida in the Outback Bowl, and was ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll. Russell rushed for 1,355 yards and seven touchdowns on 282 carries during the 2003 season.[2] He was selected by both the coaches and media a second-team running back on the 2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

In the 2004 Outback Bowl, Russell's final game for Iowa, he rushed for 150 yards, scored a touchdown, and was named the game's most valuable player in a 37–17 victory over Florida.[4] He was also named the most valuable player in the 2004 Hula Bowl.[5]

At the end of his college career, and despite receiving significant playing time in only two seasons, Russell ranked third on the Iowa career rushing list.[6] He also had two of the top five single-season rushing totals in Iowa history.[4]

Professional football

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In 2004, Russell was part of the St. Louis Rams' practice squad.[7] In 2007, Russell signed a contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was released on July 3, 2007.

References

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  1. ^ "Russell at home in backfield for the Hawkeyes". Lansing State Journal. October 12, 2002. p. 2W – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Fred Russell". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. May 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "All Big Ten". Des Moines Register. November 27, 2002. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Russell gets final romp". The Des Moines Register. January 2, 2004. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Hawkeye Answer Man". Iowa City Press-Citizen. April 20, 2004. pp. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Russell hopes for NFL Draft hustle and bustle". The Globe Gazette. April 23, 2004. p. B7 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Fred Russell NFL profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.