Rodney Craig Hampton (born April 3, 1969) is an American former professional

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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

for the

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

of 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). He was selected by the Giants in the first round of the

1990 NFL Draft The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Marq ...

. He was a starting running back for the 1990 New York Giants who finished the year at 13-3 during the regular season while winning

Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

on January 27, 1991.

Biography

A 6'0", 215 lbs.

from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

by way of

Kashmere High School Kashmere High School is a secondary school in Houston, Texas that serves grades 9 through 12; it is a part of the Houston Independent School District. It is located in the Trinity Gardens neighborhood, and its namesake is the nearby Kashmere Gar ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Rodney Hampton played his entire career with the Giants from 1990–1997. - Rodney Hampton Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databasefootball.com A two-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection in 1992 and 1993, his 6,897 career rushing yards stood as the most in Giants history until

Tiki Barber Atiim Kiambu "Tiki" Barber (; born April 7, 1975) is an American former football running back who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Virginia ...

surpassed that mark in the

2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With New England as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling o ...

. Hampton was a member of the Giants team that won

. After his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season was cut short due to injury, Hampton emerged as the team's most consistent offensive weapon over the next five seasons. He broke the 1,000 yard mark each year from 1991–1995. Following the 1995 season, Hampton was signed to a free agent offer sheet by 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 ...

, but the Giants quickly matched, and he remained in New York. Hampton rushed for over 800 yards in the 1996 season sharing carries with

Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Anthony Wheatley Sr. (born January 19, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, he served as the running backs coach of the Denver Broncos of ...

, but in 1997, Hampton underwent preseason arthroscopic surgery for a knee injury sustained in late in the 1996 season, and was only able to return to the team to see action in 2 late-season games, plus the Giants' lone playoff game. The Giants released Hampton prior to the 1998 season, and though he announced his intention to continue playing and a couple of teams reportedly enquired with his agent, having received no offers once the season began, Hampton opted to retire.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampton, Rodney 1969 births Living people Players of American football from Houston African-American players of American football American football running backs Georgia Bulldogs football players New York Giants players National Conference Pro Bowl players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Biography

Career statistics

See also

References