Preston Pearson
Pearson signs autographs for fans, 2012
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| No. 26 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 17, 1945 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Freeport, Illinois | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Freeport (IL) | ||||||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 12 / Pick: 298 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Rushing yards: | 3,609 |
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| Receiving yards: | 3,095 |
| Touchdowns: | 30 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Preston James Pearson (born January 17, 1945 in Freeport, Illinois) is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League who played for the Baltimore Colts (1967–1969), the Pittsburgh Steelers (1970–1974), and the Dallas Cowboys (1975–1980). He played college basketball for the University of Illinois.
Pearson attended Freeport High School, where he received All-State honors as the center of the basketball team. He also played football.
After writing a letter to head coach Harry Combes, he walked on at the University of Illinois. In college, he was moved to guard and became a two-year starter. He was known primarily for his tough defense and was one of the few players to have ever block a "skyhook" shot from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known as Lew Alcindor).
Although he possessed the athletic and leaping ability, he never developed his offensive game, finishing his career with a 6.7 points average in 47 games.
Pearson was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the twelfth round (298th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft despite never playing a down of college football, after the team was impressed with his speed and athleticism. He was first tried at defensive back and was promoted from the taxi squad to the regular roster on November 1, playing mostly on special teams.
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