Roy Ziegler Helu Jr. (born December 7, 1988) 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 ...

. He was drafted by 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 ...

in the fourth round of the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

. 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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. Helu set the Redskins' franchise record of most receptions in single game with 14 catches in a game 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 ...

in 2011.

High school career

As a high school football player at

San Ramon Valley High School San Ramon Valley High School is a four-year public high school located in the East Bay neighborhood of Danville, California, United States. It is a part of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. It is a National Blue Ribbon school from th ...

, Helu was a successful running back and return specialist, who also played some free safety. In his junior year at San Ramon Valley, Helu ran for 1,526 yards rushing and scored 19 touchdowns on 186 carries, and averaged 8.6 yards per carry. He also had 30 receptions for 500 yards receiving and four touchdowns, which earned him All-East Bay League honors. During Helu's senior year, he helped San Ramon Valley to a 10–2 record in 2006. He finished his senior year with 1,085 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. He had 300 yards receiving on 20 receptions and 1 touchdown, and also recorded one interception as a free safety. He earned first-team all-league honors his senior year as a running back.

College career

Despite fighting injuries, Helu rushed for over 1,000 yards each of his last two years at Nebraska. By the time he graduated in 2011, he was 4th on the Huskers all-time rushing list, and broke Nebraska's single-game rushing record by rushing for 307 yards and scoring three touchdowns vs. Missouri on October 30, 2010. He is known for his one-cut running style and hurdling ability.

College statistics

Professional career

2011 NFL Combine

Washington Redskins

2011 season

Helu was selected 105th overall in the

by the

. He would later be joined by Nebraska teammates, DeJon Gomes and

Niles Paul Niles Paul (born August 9, 1989) is a former American football tight end. He played college football as a wide receiver at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskin ...

, who were drafted after him. On November 6, 2011 in his first career start, Helu broke the Redskins all-time record for receptions in a game with 14 catches, in a loss against the

. The following two weeks, in losses to Miami and Dallas, Helu had a combined 14 rushes and 5 receptions as Coach

Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led ...

split running back duties between Helu and

Ryan Torain Ryan Devon Torain (born August 10, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State University. He has also played for ...

. Coach Shanahan said, “I like Helu, he’s doing some great things. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early. He’s not ready for that. But he’s gaining experience, and I like what I see.” On November 27, 2011, Helu rushed for a Redskins rookie-record 108 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown against 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 ...

' top-ten ranked run defense. While running for a touchdown, he hurdled Seahawks

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Roy Lewis Roy Lewis (6 November 1913 – 9 October 1996) was an English writer and small press printer. Life and work Although born in Felixstowe, Lewis was brought up in Birmingham and educated at King Edward's School. After studying at Universit ...

. He was then named the full-time starter by Coach Shanahan, and responded with two consecutive 100 yard performances. Following his 126-yard performance against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Helu led all active rookies in rush yards. His streak of three consecutive 100 yard games is the most by any Redskins rookie in franchise history; a record he was unable to extend to four games due to an injury he sustained. Helu 2012

At the end of the

2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion New ...

, Helu was Redskins' leader in rushing yards. On January 16, 2012, Helu along with fellow rookie,

Ryan Kerrigan Patrick Ryan Kerrigan (born August 16, 1988) is an American football coach and former outside linebacker and defensive end who is the assistant defensive line coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played c ...

, were named to the Pro Football Weekly/

Pro Football Writers of America The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...

all-rookie team.

2012 season

After the NFL changed the rule in 2012 to allow players' jerseys to include generational titles in their names, Helu adopted "Jr." to the back of his jersey. He was expected to compete for the starting spot in the 2012 season against

Tim Hightower Timothy Michael Hightower (born May 23, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Richmond and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played f ...

and

Evan Royster Evan Mathias Royster (born November 26, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Penn State University, where he was a thr ...

, but ended up losing the competition to rookie Alfred Morris. His second season was cut short after being placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on September 26, 2012 due to lower leg injuries and

turf toe A metatarsophalangeal joint sprain is an injury to the connective tissue between the foot and a toe (at a metatarsophalangeal joint, one of the joints in the ball of the foot). When the big toe is involved, it is known as "turf toe". Causes Turf ...

. He finished the season with two rushing yards and 45 receiving yards on seven receptions.

2013 season

Helu returned from injury and secured his place as the second string running back behind Morris during the 2013 preseason. In a 45-41 Week 7 win against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, he recorded his first multi-scoring game, recording three touchdowns.

2014 season

In 2014, Helu had almost no competition for the second-string running back job, and won it easily over fellow running backs

Silas Redd Silas Raynard Redd Jr. (born March 1, 1992) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Penn State and USC, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2014. His football career ended aft ...

, Chris Thompson, and

Lache Seastrunk Lache J. Seastrunk (pronounced ; born July 29, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Baylor. Seastrunk was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Early years A nat ...

Oakland Raiders

2015 season

On March 10, 2015, Helu signed a two-year contract worth over $4 million with 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 ...

2016 season

He was placed on the team's

list on July 29, 2016, ending his season, and was waived from the team a few days later.

Personal life

Helu (pronounced HEH-loo) was born to Roy Helu Sr. and Kilistofa (Kristi) Helu on December 7, 1988 in Danville, California. His father played rugby for the United States national team from 1981 to 1987, including playing in the

1987 Rugby World Cup The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – New Zealand hosted 21 matches (17 pool stage matches, two quarter-finals, the third-place play-off and the final) while Australia hosted 11 ...

. He is married to retired professional volleyball player and fellow Nebraska Cornhusker alum, Dani Mancuso. Helu is of

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n descent. He is a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

.Huskers For Christ – Roy Helu
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References

External links

Oakland Raiders bioWashington Redskins bioNebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helu, Roy 1988 births Living people American football running backs Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Washington Redskins players Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from California Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area American people of Tongan descent People from Danville, California American sportspeople of Polynesian descent