Trence Mason (born August 6, 1993) 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 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 ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

and was drafted by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

in the third round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

High school career

Mason attended

Park Vista Community High School Park Vista Community High School (PVCHS, PVHS, PV) is a public high school in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, Lake Worth, Florida, United States. Academies Park Vista Community High School offers four academies, or Magnet School, magnet programs, that ...

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about 57 miles north of Miami. The population was 68,217 at the 2010 census. In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 78,679 according to the University o ...

, where he was a standout football and

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 ...

player, and also ran

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 ...

. He rushed for 1,643 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in 2011, and was named the 2009 Palm Beach Large School Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Palm Beach County by the

Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...

. He was also on the school's

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

team, where he competed as a sprinter and jumper. He placed 7th in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

at the 2009 Park Vista Meet, with a time of 10.9 seconds. At the 2010 Palm Beach County Championship, he earned a sixth-place finish in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

event, recording a career-best jump of 6.63 meters. He also competed in

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

, he got a top-jump of 1.88 meters at the 2011 Warrior Invitational. Considered a four-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, he was rated the 14th best

in his class. He committed to

over offers from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

College career

In his first college game, Auburn against

Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

, Mason returned a kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown. In the

2013 SEC Championship Game The 2013 SEC Championship Game was a college football game that was played on Saturday, December 7, 2013 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, with the kickoff at 4:12pm ET. The 22nd annual SEC Championship Game, determined the 2013 champion o ...

against Missouri, Mason set an SEC Championship rushing record with 304 yards (breaking

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

Justin Vincent Justin Vincent (born January 25, 1983) is a former American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college footba ...

's previous 2003 record of 201 yards), touchdown record with four touchdowns, rushing attempts record with 46 carries and was named the game's most valuable player. As a junior in 2013, Mason was a first-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) selection. He was named one of the six finalists for the 2013

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

. In the

2014 BCS National Championship Game The 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship Game was the national championship game of the 2013 college football season, which took place on Monday, January 6, 2014. The game featured the Auburn Tigers and Florida State Seminoles. It was the 16t ...

, Mason rushed for 195 yards on 34 carries and a touchdown in a 34–31 defeat by the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. He finished his season with 1,816 rushing yards, breaking the school record held by

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football. Jackson's el ...

(1,786 set in 1985). It was also the third-highest rushing yards total in a single season in SEC history, behind only

Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. ...

(1,891 yards in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

) and

Darren McFadden Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...

(1,830 yards in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

). Later single-season yardage marks set by Alabama's

Derrick Henry Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. (born January 4, 1994) is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). His imposing rushing game and larger stature than the average running back earned him the nickna ...

(2,219 yards), and LSU's

Leonard Fournette Leonard Joseph Fournette III (born January 18, 1995) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was drafted by the Jacksonville Ja ...

(1,953 yards) placed Mason's 2013 performance at fifth-highest all-time. Statistics

Professional career

St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams

Mason announced on January 9, 2014 that he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. He was drafted by the

in the third round (75th overall) of the

. Mason was the Rams' third pick in the draft, behind former teammate and second overall pick, Greg Robinson. In Week 7, 2014 in a game against Seattle, Mason ran for 85 yards on 18 carries with 1 touchdown in a St. Louis win. In Week 11, he had 113 yards on 29 carries in a game against Denver. During a Week 13 matchup against Oakland, Mason ran for 117 yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns, to go along with one receiving touchdown. After rushing for 765 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2014, Mason was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Following the 2015 season and going into the 2016 season, it was reported that Mason had not been in contact with coaches or players from the Rams since the end of the season. Coach Jeff Fisher stated "I tried numerous times to reach him, he has made a decision not to communicate with us, not to talk. Not talking to his teammates. Right now we're more concerned about his well-being than we are his football career." Mason had several run-ins with the law and displayed erratic behavior throughout the summer. On July 30, the Rams placed Mason on the reserve/did not report list. On March 10, 2017, Mason was released by the Rams. Former college teammate Ricardo Louis stated in April 2017 that Mason was working towards coming back to the NFL for the upcoming season.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On May 30, 2018, Mason signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Mason's usage increased following the suspension and release of

Jerome Messam Jerome Messam (born April 2, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the ...

on voyeurism charges. With increased playing time, Mason proved to be a key contributor to a lackluster Roughriders offense, including producing a 20 carry 117 yard effort during the 2018

Banjo Bowl The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...

, a Riders win. Despite playing in all 18 games, Mason was held without a score until near the end of the year, when he had three rushing touchdowns in the final six games of the regular season. Mason finished the year with a higher rushing average than a receiving average. He missed the Roughrider's lone playoff game due to injury. During the off-season Roughriders signed

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Cha ...

in free agency, at which time Mason's injury was revealed to be a damaged ACL requiring surgery, which could keep Mason from playing in 2019. He was released by the Riders on May 10, 2019.

NFL statistics

Regular season

CFL statistics

Regular season

Personal life

His father,

Vincent Mason Vincent Lamont Mason Jr. (born March 24, 1970) is an American rapper, producer and DJ who is one third of the hip hop group De La Soul. Mason is also known as Maseo, P.A. Pasemaster Mase and Plug Three. Early life Mason graduated from Amit ...

, is a member of hip hop group

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

. After Mason led police on a high-speed ATV chase, Mason's mother stated that Mason had the "mindset of a 10-year-old" due to head injuries sustained during his career. She noticed her son’s behavior was different after the 2015 season: “Clearly, we could see the change. Like, completely... As much as he’s accomplished, as hard as he’s worked, as much as he’s built his character, in record-breaking time it’s going downhill because of what’s going on." In November, Mason pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

to charges related to the ATV chase. Mason was arrested in January 2017 for the incident and charged with a third degree felony of fleeing and eluding without regard for others' safety or property.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Tre 1993 births Living people American football running backs Auburn Tigers football players St. Louis Rams players Los Angeles Rams players People from Amityville, New York African-American players of American football Players of American football from New York (state) Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York Saskatchewan Roughriders players Canadian football running backs 21st-century African-American sportspeople