Richard Ervins (born December 7, 1968) 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 wi ...
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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
in the
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 ...
(NFL) for the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
and
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 played
college football at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
.
High school career
Ervins attended
John Muir High School
John Muir High School is a four-year comprehensive secondary school in Pasadena, California, United States and is a part of the Pasadena Unified School District. The school is named after preservationist John Muir.
History
In 1926 the Pasadena ...
in
Pasadena, California, where he participated in football, baseball and competed in track and field.
College career
In college, Ervins'
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
run won the 1990
Rose Bowl for the
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...
and he was the game
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
.
He was teammates on a powerful 1990 USC team with
Todd Marinovich
Todd Marvin Marinovich (born Marvin Scott Marinovich on July 4, 1969) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played in the National Football League ( Los Angeles Raiders), Canadian Football League (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Li ...
and
Junior Seau
Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969May 2, 2012) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play, he was a ...
. His eight consecutive 100-yard performances were a USC record and this record has since been broken by former Trojans running back
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. (born March 2, 1985) is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twi ...
.
Professional career
Ervins later played for the Washington Redskins as a rookie
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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
, he was a second on the team in rushing yards with 680 on the season (behind
Earnest Byner
Earnest Alexander Byner (born September 15, 1962) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He is now the running back coach of Out-of-Door Academy.
Playing career East Carolina University (1980–83 ...
) and helped the team win
Super Bowl XXVI. In the Super Bowl, he was the game's leading rusher, with 72 yards
on 13 carries as the Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24.
Ervins received several honors during his rookie year with Washington, including the PFWA all-Rookie, Football Digest All-Rookie, Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie, Football News All-Rookie, College & Pro Football Newsweekly All-Rookie, Quarterback Club’s Rookie of the year, and Washington Redskin Rookie of the year.
He stayed with the Redskins until 1994 when he moved to the San Francisco 49ers. He retired in 1995.
Personal
Ricky was adopted by Tony and Sharon Crutchfield when he was 14 years old.
He now runs a business, Xtreme Xplosion, that trains high school athletes in
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...
.
On August 22, 2016, The Tournament of Roses announced
Bobby Bell
Bobby Lee Bell Sr. (born June 17, 1940) is an American former professional football player who played as an outside linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football ...
, Ricky Ervins,
Tommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro Jr. (July 20, 1920 – May 14, 1995) was an American football coach. He was the head coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1965 to 1970, compil ...
, and
Art Spander would be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in the Class of 2016. The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony then took place on January 1, 2017, outside the Rose Bowl Stadium, one day before the kickoff of the 103rd Rose Bowl Game on Monday January 2, 2017.
References
External links
*
Ricky Ervins Xtreme xplosion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ervins, Ricky
1968 births
Living people
American football running backs
San Francisco 49ers players
USC Trojans football players
Washington Redskins players
Players of American football from Pasadena, California