Washington at a 2010 pep rally in Times Square
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No. 29, 33, 26 | |||||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back / Return specialist | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth: | August 29, 1982 | ||||||||||||||
Place of birth: | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Jacksonville (FL) Andrew Jackson | ||||||||||||||
College: | Florida State | ||||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2006 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Rushing yards / avg.: | 2,271 / 4.7 |
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Rushing TDs: | 16 |
Receptions / yards: | 168 / 1,286 |
Receiving TDs: | 4 |
Kickoff return yards: | 7,553 |
Kickoff return touchdowns: | 8 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Leon Dewitt Washington Sr. (born August 29, 1982) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Washington also played for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Washington attended Andrew Jackson High School where he proved himself an exceptional all-around athlete, dominating in football as running back, cornerback, and wide receiver. In his senior year, he rushed for 2,437 yards and 28 touchdowns, was a threat on kick and punt returns, returning three punts and one kickoff for touch-downs, and defensively had 88 tackles (52 unassisted) and three interceptions. After this superlative season, in 2002, he was named "Mr. Florida" in football, and earned the Florida Times-Union Player of the Year honor. The Orlando Sentinel named him the No. 3 prospect overall in the state of Florida, and Alliance Sports named him the No. 7 prospect overall in the nation. He was named to the PrepStar Dream Team, rated by Rivals100.com as the No. 1 cornerback in the country and the No. 9 player overall, and rated by TheInsiders.com as the No. 7 cornerback in the country. He was named the Florida Kids' No. 28 prospect from the state of Florida, named to Bill Buchalter's Florida Super 26, was recognized on the Athlon Sports Top 100 High School Seniors, SuperPrep's Top 100 nationally, and Max Emfinger's Top 200.
He selected Florida State over the universities of Florida, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Maryland.
Washington received an athletic scholarship to attend Florida State University, where he played for the Florida State Seminoles football team from 2002 to 2005. As a freshman in 2002, he changed positions from cornerback to running back. That year he played in all 14 games and ranked fourth on the team with 273 yards rushing while catching six passes for 30 yards. He led the team with 273 total return yards and also in punt return average (11.5 yards per return) and kickoff return average (28.3 yards per return). He became the first true freshman at FSU to record a 100-yard rushing game since Travis Minor in 1997. He was named ACC Specialist of the Week twice for his performances against Clemson and Duke, he led the Seminoles in rushing in the Sugar Bowl vs. Georgia with 48 yards on 10 carries, he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score against Clemson, he recovered a blocked punt in the endzone for a touchdown against Duke, and finished the year with 11 tackles on special teams with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.