Maurice Jones-Drew: From UCLA Star to NFL Pro

Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew, born on March 23, 1985, is an American former professional football player. Often called "MJD", he played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. Jones-Drew's journey to the NFL began with a stellar high school career, continued with record-breaking performances at UCLA, and culminated in a successful professional career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders.

High School Dominance

Jones-Drew attended De La Salle High School, a program known for its unparalleled success. De La Salle owns the longest winning streak in high school football history at 151 games. During his three-year varsity career, the Spartan football teams that Jones-Drew played on never lost a single game. He was an elusive, high-scoring running back and return specialist on offense and a punishing linebacker on defense.

Jones-Drew first gained national attention as a high school junior in 2001. He scored all four of De La Salle's touchdowns in a 29-15 nationally televised victory over Long Beach Poly on October 6. It was the first game that ever matched up the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked high school football teams. On the Spartans' opening drive, Jones-Drew received a short pass in the right flat on third-and-eight from the Poly 25-yard line. He broke a tackle and then sprinted down the right sideline before launching a spectacular forward somersault into the end zone. Drew next scored on a 29-yard reception on fourth down in which he ran a circle route out of the backfield down the left sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder touch pass at the goal line from quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Drew's third touchdown came in the second quarter when he burst through the line, shook off two tacklers, before hitting paydirt 17 yards later. Drew's final score sealed the historic De La Salle victory. It was a similar effort to his third touchdown and came on a 22-yard run with just under seven minutes remaining. During his junior season, Jones-Drew rushed for nearly 2,000 yards, averaged nearly 12 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No.

Jones-Drew also participated in track for De La Salle. He was a member of the Spartans' 4 x 100 meters relay state championship team of 2002, which posted a non-finals-qualifying time of 42.20 seconds during the meet's preliminaries. At the age of 16, he posted a personal best time of 10.80 seconds in the 100 meters.

Collegiate Career at UCLA

Jones-Drew continued his football career at UCLA, where he quickly established himself as a dynamic player. He showcased his versatility as a running back, receiver, and return specialist.

Read also: Revisiting NCAA Football 2005

Record-Breaking Performances

In 2005, Jones-Drew set an all-time NCAA single-season record with a 28.5 yards per return average on 15 punt returns. He broke the previous record of 25.9 yards per return held by Bill Blackstock of Tennessee in 1951. His career average of 23.2 yards per punt return ranks second in NCAA history. Jones-Drew also established a number of UCLA records, including the career all-purpose yardage record (4,688 yards).

Memorable Games

Jones-Drew had several standout performances during his time at UCLA. One such game was against Washington, where he displayed his explosive running ability. On his first carry of the game, he burst to the outside and raced 47 yards to tie the game at 7-7. On his second carry, with UCLA trailing 24-7 and 2:30 remaining in the first quarter, he raced 62 yards for another touchdown. On his fourth carry, a third-and-12 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter, he sped 58 yards for his third touchdown. In the first quarter alone, he rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns on four attempts. He gave the Bruins the lead for good (27-24) with 4:16 remaining in the first half when he scooted around right end for a 15-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, he broke numerous tackles en route to his school-record fifth touchdown, a 37-yard run on the Bruins' first possession of the half.

Accolades and Recognition

In his junior year, Jones-Drew earned several accolades. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a punt returner and was recognized as a unanimous All-American as an all-purpose back and kick returner. He was also the first Bruin since Jackie Robinson to lead the country in punt returning, and his three punt-return touchdowns were the most in the nation. Additionally, Jones-Drew was named second-team All-Pac 10 as a running back.

Freshman Impact

Jones-Drew showed promise early in his college career. As a freshman, he rushed for 176 yards on only 18 carries against Arizona State. This included an 83-yard scamper down the left sideline to the end zone which put UCLA ahead in the game for good in the third quarter. The run was the longest ever by a Bruin true freshman and ranked ninth (tied) overall on the school's list of long runs. His 176-yard day ranks No. 2 on UCLA's all-time list for true freshmen.

NFL Career

Draft and Early Years

Jones-Drew, age 21, was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 60th overall, to eventually replace veteran running back Fred Taylor. He was passed on by all 32 teams in the draft, most citing his height (5 ft 6¾ in, 169.5 cm) as the reason why he would not succeed in the NFL.

2006 Season: A Promising Start

In his rookie season, Jones-Drew quickly proved his doubters wrong. He showcased his versatility as a runner, receiver, and return specialist. Jones-Drew finished third in the NFL in both kickoff returns (27.7 yd avg) and touchdowns scored (16). He was also one of only two players in the NFL to score at least one touchdown rushing, receiving, and returning kicks (Reggie Bush was the other). Jones-Drew also led all AFC running backs in scrimmage yards per touch. Narrowly missing 1,000 yards for the season, his rushing average of 5.7 yds per carry was first in the NFL for backs with 100 attempts and was the highest for an NFL running back since Barry Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per rush in 1997.

2007 Season: Continued Success

In his 2007 season debut, Jones-Drew's production was just average. During a 13-10 loss against the Tennessee Titans, Jones-Drew had 32 yards on seven carries in a game that produced just 48 rushing yards between Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor combined. The following week against the Houston Texans, Jones-Drew rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries to go along with four receptions for 59 yards. In Week 10, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. He would score a touchdown in each of the following three weeks. Although his role as a running back was diminished during the 2007 postseason, he still managed to impact the game with his capabilities as a receiver and a return man. In the Wild Card Round against Pittsburgh he totaled 198 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 43-yard pass from David Garrard, his second was a 10-yard run which put the Jaguars up 28-10 in the third quarter. He returned a kick-off 96 yards to set up the Jaguars' first score of the night, a Fred Taylor one-yard run. The Jaguars defeated the Steelers 31-29.

2008 Season: Overcoming Challenges

Three Jaguars offensive linemen were injured in the 2008 season and Jones-Drew was not as explosive as he was in 2007. His first 100-yard rushing game of the season came against the Indianapolis Colts, where the Jaguars won by a score of 23-21 on a last second field goal by kicker Josh Scobee in Week 3. In Week 6 against the Denver Broncos, he totaled 22 carries for 125 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 24-17 victory. In Week 10 against the struggling Detroit Lions, where Jones-Drew posted three touchdowns, all in the first half. In Week 12, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had nine receptions for 113 receiving yards. In Week 16, Jones-Drew was given the opportunity to carry the load with Fred Taylor on injured reserve. In the 2008 season, Jones-Drew gained 824 yards on 197 attempts, posting a 4.2 yard per carry average. He gained 12 touchdowns on the ground. Following the departure of Taylor, Jones-Drew became the unquestioned starting running back.

2009 Season: A Record-Breaking Year

Jones-Drew had a record-breaking season in 2009 for the Jaguars. In Week 3 against the Houston Texans, he had 23 carries for 119 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 31-24 victory. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3. In Week 6, against the St. Louis Rams, he had 178 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 23-20 victory. In a 13-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans during Week 8, Jones-Drew rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, one for 80 yards and another for 79 yards. This performance tied Hall of Famer Barry Sanders' record of rushing for two touchdowns in a single game of 75 yards or more, which was set by Sanders in a Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997. Overall, Jones-Drew rushed for 1,391 yards on 312 attempts, a 4.5 yards per carry average, and 15 touchdowns.

Later Career

Although the Jaguars did not make the playoffs, Jones-Drew drew attention in the postseason with comments he made questioning the severity of an in-game injury to Jay Cutler in the NFC Championship Game. Jones-Drew stated that he was also rooting for the Bears, but his injury prompted him to say: "All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee … Jones-Drew began the 2012 season by not attending organized team activities or training camp in hopes of signing a new contract with the Jaguars. Jones-Drew had two years remaining on a deal he signed in 2009, according to which his average salary was lower than that of fellow running backs Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster, Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams, and Marshawn Lynch. In 2013, Jones-Drew finished the season with 234 carries for 803 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Read also: A Look Back at 2005 NCAA Wrestling

Personal Life

Born to Sidney Gayles and Andrea Drew, Jones-Drew was raised by his maternal grandparents, Maurice and Christina Jones. At the height of his college career in 2005, his grandfather suffered a heart attack while walking into the Rose Bowl to see Jones-Drew play against Rice University on September 10. Coach Dorrell broke the news to Drew on the sideline during the game, and he ran to the locker room and left to go to the hospital. Jones-Drew is a father of three with two sons (Maurice II and Madden) and one daughter (Alayah). He is married to Ashley Jones-Drew (2012-present) He is also a cousin of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety T. J. Ward.

tags: #2005 #ucla #football #leading #rusher