Vernand Morency (born February 4, 1980) 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 ...
who played 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). He was drafted by the
Houston Texans in the third round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
and also played for the
Green Bay Packers. Morency played
college football for
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
.
Biography
Vernand Morency grew up in Miami, Florida, where his parents, immigrants from
Haiti, had him working in their family real estate business from the age of 5. This experience impacted him tremendously and helped shape a strong, disciplined work ethic which translated into successful careers in both professional baseball and football.
His love for real estate never went away and in 2006-07, Vernand was part of a syndicate group led by T Boone Pickens to develop the $250+ million Boone Pickens Stadium at his alma mater,
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. In 2007 and 2008, Vernand was twice competitively selected to participate in the prestigious NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Pennsylvania's
Wharton School
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in P ...
.
Today, in addition to being an accomplished professional baseball and football player, Vernand invests, owns and manages properties across the country and is involved in several different non-profit initiatives, including work with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and his Wisconsin Covenant initiative promising all eighth-graders affordable higher education upon academic success.
High school years
While attending
Northwestern High School in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, Morency was a four-year
letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and a two-year letterman in
football, and won
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
honors in both sports. As a senior football running back, he gained over 1,500 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns.
Professional baseball career
Morency was a 14th round pick (420th overall) of the
Colorado Rockies in 1998. He spent four seasons as a
center fielder in the Rockies’ minor league system before enrolling at
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
in 2002.
College football career
Morency attended
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
and finished his career with 451 rushing attempts for 2,661 yards (5.9 yards per rush attempt avg.), 23 touchdowns, 11 receptions for 119 yards (10.8 yards per rec. avg.), and returned ten kickoffs for 224 yards (22.4 yards per kick ret. avg.). Morency's junior season in 2004 was his breakout season. In 2004, he rushed for 1,474 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had one receiving touchdown. Morency was the recipient of the prestigious Thurman Thomas Award for being the most outstanding offensive player in the 2004 season. He decided to forgo his senior year at OSU and declared for the NFL draft on January 3, 2005.
NFL career
Houston Texans
Morency was selected in the third round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
by the
Houston Texans. He was the second-string running back behind
Domanick Davis for the team in
2005, rushing 46 times for 184 yards and 2
touchdowns
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 ...
. He also returned 20 kicks for 437 yards and caught 10 passes for 87 yards.
Green Bay Packers
After the first week of the
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League. Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006.
The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh defeating the Miami in t ...
, Morency was traded to the
Green Bay Packers for running back
Samkon Gado
Samkon Kaltho Gado (born November 13, 1982) is a Nigerian-American otolaryngologist. He is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams. He pl ...
. He spent the 2006 season as the Packers' short yardage back, playing behind
Ahman Green
Ahman Rashad Green (; born February 16, 1977) is a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Green played college football at Nebraska and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd ro ...
. Morency's best game of the 2006 season came against the Arizona Cardinals, where he rushed for 101 yards. On April 4, 2008, the Packers re-signed him to a one-year, $927,000 contract. On August 30, 2008, he was released from the Packers.
Career stats
Regular season
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morency, Vernand
1980 births
Living people
American sportspeople of Haitian descent
Miami Northwestern Senior High School alumni
American football running backs
Oklahoma State Cowboys football players
Houston Texans players
Green Bay Packers players
Players of American football from Miami