Louis Rankin (born May 4, 1985) is a former
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 ...
. He was signed by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2008. He 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 Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
.
Early years
High school career
Rankin played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, and
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
for the Lincoln High School Trojans of
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
. As a senior, Rankin rushed for 2,245 yards and 41 touchdowns, setting the school record. His success won him first-team all-state selection by
CalHi Sports.
College career
Rankin signed with the
Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac- ...
in February 2003 and after redshirting during the 2003 season, he played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2004, totaling 35 yards on nine carries.
Over the next three seasons, Rankin would carry the ball 479 times for 2,445 and 11 touchdowns including 1,294 yards and six touchdowns as a senior in 2007. His senior season was the first time in 10 years that a Washington tailback was able to break 1,000 yards.
Rankin still ranks 10th all-time in Washington program history with 2,480 yards rushing.
Professional career
Oakland Raiders
During the 2008 preseason Rankin rushed for 148 yards on 21 carries (a 7.0 average), including a 72-yard run in the Raider's preseason opener against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He was released by Oakland during final cuts on August 30, but re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day. He was then promoted to the Raider's active roster on December 13, 2008.
Rankin was released by the Raiders on September 25, 2009.
Seattle Seahawks
Rankin was signed to the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on September 30, 2009. He was activated on October 28.
Oakland Raiders
On January 6, 2011, Rankin signed a future deal with the Oakland Raiders. He was waived by the Oakland Raiders during final roster cuts on September 3, 2011.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On February 10, 2012, it was announced that Rankin had signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
.
Personal
His uncle is former NFL
wide receiver Webster Slaughter
Webster Melvin Slaughter (born October 19, 1964) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1998.
Early life
Slaughter was born in Stockton, C ...
, who played for five different teams from 1986-1998.
He is currently engaged to body-positive, plus-size Youtuber Sarah Rae Vargas.
See also
*
Washington Huskies football statistical leaders
The Washington Huskies football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Washington Huskies football program in various categories. The Huskies represent the University of Washington in the NCAA Division I FBS Pac-12 Conferen ...
References
External links
Just Sports StatsSaskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Louis
1985 births
Living people
Players of Canadian football from Stockton, California
Players of American football from Stockton, California
American football running backs
Washington Huskies football players
Oakland Raiders players
Seattle Seahawks players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players