Justin Beaver (born October 19, 1984) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

, having played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.

Early life

Beaver grew up in

Palmyra, Wisconsin Palmyra is a village in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Scuppernong River. It was named after the desert oasis city of Palmyra, Syria, due to its dry, sandy soil. The population was 1,719 at the 2020 census. The village is ...

College

Beaver played

for the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks. As the team's

, he set numerous rushing records for the Warhawks and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. His contributions helped lead the Warhawks to their third consecutive appearance in the

Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in the Division III playoffs. The Division III championship game, known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl ...

game. During the Championship Game, Beaver ran for 253 yards and one touchdown, topping his single season team record from 2005 leading the Warhawks to a 31–21 win over the University of Mount Union. Beaver was named 2007 winner of the Gagliardi Trophy—named for John Gagliardi—which is awarded to the outstanding player of the 2007 season of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

Football. In three seasons as the featured back, Beaver led the Warhawks to a 41-3 record and three straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) titles.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

After not being selected in the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

or offered a contract as an undrafted free agent by any

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

team, Beaver was invited to attend the 2008 rookie

mini-camp A mini-camp, also spelled minicamp, is a short camp held by National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) teams usually in spring of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending ...

tryout. After the mini-camp was over, the Packers informed him that they would not be signing him to a contract.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Beaver had a workout with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, and played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was placed on the Roughriders' practice roster on June 25, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaver, Justin 1984 births Living people American football running backs Green Bay Packers players People from Palmyra, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Saskatchewan Roughriders players Sportspeople from the Milwaukee metropolitan area Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks football players