Name	Garrison Hearst
Position	Running back
Number	20
Birth date	January 04, 1971 Lincolnton, Georgia
Debutyear	1993
Finalyear	2004
Draftyear	1993
Draftround	1
Draftpick	3
College	Georgia
Teams	Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals (1993-1995) Cincinnati Bengals (1996) San Francisco 49ers (1997-1998, 2001-2003) Denver Broncos (2004)
Stat1label	Rushing yards
Stat1value	7,966
Stat2label	Yard per attempt
Stat2value	4.4
Stat3label	Touchdowns
Stat3value	30
Nfl	HEA453213
Highlights	2× AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1995, 2001) 2× Pro Bowl selection (1998, 2001) 1× All-Pro selection (1998)
Collegehof	}}

Gerard Garrison Hearst (born January 4, 1971) is a former National Football League (NFL) running back who last played for the NFL's Denver Broncos in 2004. He had previously played for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers. He ran for 1,000 yards in a season on four occasions and is one of only two NFL players to have won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award twice, in 1995 and 2001 (Chad Pennington being the other). He married Jennifer O'Neil in August 2009 and is the father of a daughter and three sons.

High school years

Hearst attended Lincoln County High School in Georgia where he was an all-state running back and broke several records.

College career

Hearst attended the University of Georgia, and played football there for three years (1990–1992), leading the nation in touchdowns (21) and in scoring (11.5 points per game) in his junior year. During his career, he established new school and Southeastern Conference records for points scored in a season (126), total touchdowns (21), rushing touchdowns (19), and average yards per carry (6.8)*. Hearst was a consensus All-America selection, the Doak Walker Award recipient, ESPN's ESPY Winner for Outstanding Collegiate Athlete and SEC Player of the year in 1992. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Hearst finished his college career second on the Georgia records list in rushing yardage (3,232), all-purpose yardage (3,934), and 100-yard rushing games (16); trailing only Herschel Walker. He also finished third in career rushing touchdowns (35).

Regarded as an excellent prospect, he was taken in the 1993 NFL Draft third overall by the Arizona Cardinals.

NFL career

In Hearst's first two seasons with the Cardinals, he was used sparingly. In 1995, however, he broke out as a pro player, rushing for 1,070 yards and earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award honors. However, after the season he was let go and joined the Cincinnati Bengals. He played there one season, gaining 847 yards, but was then picked up by the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers

Hearst's best years came with the 49ers. In his first year, 1997, he ran for 1,019 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the 49ers' first 1000 yard rusher since 1992 (Ricky Watters). The four touchdowns were more than he had scored in his entire pro career before 1997.

Hearst's true coming out, however, occurred in 1998. He ran for 1,570 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. His total rushing yards placed him third in the NFL, behind only Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson. Hearst set a then franchise record for rushing yards in a season, breaking the former record held by Roger Craig (1,502 yards in 1988). The record was broken again in 2006 and is now held by Frank Gore (1695 yards). His 535 receiving yards gave him a combined 2,105 yards on the season, another franchise record previously held by Craig (2,066 yards in 1985), also now held by Frank Gore (2,180 yards in 2006). Against the Detroit Lions late in the season, he set a then single-game franchise record of 198 rushing yards, which was later broken by Charlie Garner (201 yards) in 2000, and currently held by Frank Gore (212 yards in 2006). He also had the longest running play in the NFL earlier in the season, when he ran 96 yards for a game-winning touchdown in overtime on Opening Day versus the New York Jets. The play was later featured on NFL Films as one of the best two running plays in NFL history.

Afterwards

Following the great season by Hearst, he rushed for 128 yards and caught 3 passes for 15 in their wildcard win over the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers next faced the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Playoffs. On the first play from scrimmage, Hearst suffered a gruesome ankle break when his foot was caught in the Georgia Dome turf and twisted severely as he tried to spin away from Falcons' defensive end Chuck Smith. Doctors said he might not play again, even though the 49ers kept him on their roster as an inactive player.

Hearst ran into complications following surgery as circulatory problems choked off the blood supply in the area, leading to Avascular Necrosis, causing the talus bone in his foot to die. Bo Jackson suffered this same condition in his hip and was forced to retire from football.

After over two years of rehabilitation, Hearst played football in 2001 and became the first player in NFL history to come back to football after suffering avascular necrosis. He had an excellent season as well, rushing for 1,206 yards on a 4.8 average. His comeback earned him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. The 49ers, who were 10-22 in 2 seasons without Hearst, went 12-4 that year.

Hearst remained with the 49ers for two more seasons, but was used less often, the focus of the 49ers' running game shifting to Kevan Barlow. Hearst still ran for 972 yards and 768 yards in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Hearst was released during the 49ers' offseason after the 2003 season, in which the 49ers got rid of many key players. Hearst signed with the Denver Broncos and in his final season, he was considered a "third down specialist" who had eight first downs, and 81 yards on 20 attempts with one touchdown (4.1 yards/carry) before being placed on IR with a broken hand. He was not resigned in 2005.

Discrimination controversy

In 2002, Hearst made inflammatory anti-gay comments to the ''Fresno Bee'' after Esera Tuaolo came out of the closet. "Aww, hell no! I don't want any faggots on my team. I know this might not be what people want to hear, but that's a punk. I don't want any faggots in this locker room." Three weeks later, Hearst apologized for his comments.

References

External links

Hearst's career statistics on nfl.com

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:American football running backs Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Arizona Cardinals players Category:Cincinnati Bengals players Category:Denver Broncos players Category:Phoenix Cardinals players Category:San Francisco 49ers players Category:Georgia Bulldogs football players Category:People from Lincoln County, Georgia

Name	Knowshon Moreno
Width	300px
Currentteam	Denver Broncos
Currentnumber	27
Currentposition	Running back
Birth date	July 16, 1987
Birth place	Belford, New Jersey
Heightft	5
Heightin	11
Weight	200
Debutyear	2009
Debutteam	Denver Broncos
College	Georgia
Draftyear	2009
Draftround	1
Draftpick	12
Pastteams	Denver Broncos (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	1× Georgia Bulldogs Offensive MVP award (2008) 2× First-team All-Southeastern Conference honors (2008 and 2007) Second-team All-American honors (2008) First-team Freshman All-American honors (2007) SEC All-Freshman honors (2007) SEC Freshman of the Year award (2007) 3× SEC Freshman of the Week honors (2007) 1× SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors (2007) ''Sporting News'' ' Freshman Offensive Player of the Year (2007) EA Sports All-American honors (2005) 4× Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Weeks 4, 5, 12, & 13)
Statweek	11
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Rushing Yards
Statvalue1	1,726
Statlabel2	Rushing Average
Statvalue2	4.0
Statlabel3	Rushing TDs
Statvalue3	12
Nfl	MOR120768 }}

Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.

Early years

Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in Middletown Township, New Jersey. At Middletown High School South he led his team to three Central Jersey Group III championships. He rushed for 1,629 yards on 153 carries and scored 28 TDs in 11 games as a senior.

He finished his high school career with 6,268 career rushing yards, 128 touchdowns, and 728 points. His rushing yards are second all-time in New Jersey high school ranks, while he is New Jersey's all-time leading scorer. He also rushed for 420 yards and 7 touchdowns in one game against the Neptune Scarlet Fliers. He also rushed for 6 touchdowns against the Monmouth Regional Falcons. During his time at Middletown South, he also was a top tier sprinter and jumper during the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

He was the #10 running back and #73 prospect according to Rivals.com, #9 running back according to Scout.com, and was a PrepStar 200 selection. He was also an EA Sports All-American while being recruited by Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Florida. Moreno eventually signed his letter of intent to Georgia.

Collegiate career

Freshman season

Moreno redshirted in 2006, but returned in 2007 as a redshirt freshman. After a great spring, Moreno shared time with Thomas Brown as the starting running back in the season opener against Oklahoma State. Moreno totaled 70 yards rushing on 12 carries with two receptions for 51 yards in the 35-14 win. In the following game against South Carolina, Moreno saw most of the rushing duties with 14 carries for 104 yards in the 12-16 loss. In the third game of the season against Western Carolina, Moreno scored his first career college touchdown in a 45-16 win over Western Carolina. His totals on the day were 94 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown.

Entering the Bulldogs' game against Vanderbilt, it was announced that Georgia's starting tailback Thomas Brown would be sidelined with a broken collarbone. Moreno was elevated to starting tailback in Brown's place and responded with 157 yards gained on the ground in a tight 20-17 Bulldog win.

In the following week, he continued his impressive season with 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 33 carries as Georgia defeated its rival, Florida. Against Troy the next game, Moreno rushed for 196 yards, joining Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards in his freshman season.

Moreno rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game in leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a 24-13 victory over Kentucky while totaling 124 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Moreno is the first Georgia tailback since Herschel Walker in 1982 to rush for over 100 yards in five straight games.

Through the first ten weeks of the 2007 season, Moreno was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and SEC Offensive Player of the Week once. He was named onto the all-SEC first team and was the unanimous SEC Freshman of the Year. He was the featured tailback on the Freshman All-American first team and was named to the All-Freshman SEC team. ''Sporting News'' named him Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.

Moreno finished the season with 1,334 yards on 248 carries for 14 touchdowns. He also added 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions.

Sophomore season

Knowshon Moreno began his sophomore campaign as a Heisman Trophy favorite. He opened the season with 59 yards on 8 carries for 3 touchdowns and 53 yards on two receptions for a total of 112 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 45-21 win over Georgia Southern. He also had a tackle on a kickoff. In the following 56-17 win over Central Michigan, Moreno rushed 18 times for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 30 yards, totaling 198 yards of total offense in the win. The game also provided Moreno with his highlight reel's iconic moment: a hurdle over an upright CMU defender. In the SEC opener for the Bulldogs against South Carolina, Moreno had 20 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 14-7 win. Next, Moreno and the Bulldogs traveled to Arizona to defeat Arizona State 27-10, led by his 149 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

However, the Bulldogs undefeated record was broken in a 41-30 loss to Alabama. In the loss, Moreno was held to 34 yards and a score on 9 carries. It was the only game on the season in which he was held under 50 yards rushing and 50 yards of total offense. However, Moreno bounced back in the 26-14 win over Tennessee with 101 yards. However, he was held out of the endzone for the first time on the season.

Georgia then defeated Vanderbilt 24-14 to improve their record to 6-1, with Moreno rushing 23 times for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown. Moreno added onto his season totals in the 52-38 victory against LSU with 163 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Moreno's totals in the two-week effort was 335 yards and two touchdowns on only 44 carries.

However, Georgia was handed their second conference loss in a 49-10 rout against eventual national champion Florida, in which Moreno was held to 65 yards on 17 carries. Moreno closed out the season strong with 410 yards rushing, 235 receiving and accounted for six touchdowns in the games against Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Tech and Michigan State.

He finished the 2008 season with 1,792 yards of total offense (1,400 rushing on 250 carries and 392 yards on 33 receptions) and scored 18 touchdowns (16 rushing, 2 receiving). He was named the team's offensive MVP. He finished second in Doak Walker award voting, behind Shonn Greene. He was named first-team All-SEC for the second consecutive year, and was a second-team All-American selection. On January 7, 2009, Moreno announced that he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft. Just after being drafted Moreno signed an endorsment deal with McDavidUSA and HEXPAD equipment.

Collegiate statistics

! Year	! Rush Att	! Rush Yds	! Rush Avg	! Rush TD	! Rec	! Rec Yds	! Rec Avg	! Rec TD
	248	1,333	5.4	14	20	253	12.7	0
	250	1,400	5.9	16	33	392	12.2	2
Career	498	2,736	5.6	30	53	645	12.4	2

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

Moreno was considered the best running back available in the 2009 NFL Draft.

{{nfl predraft | height ft = 5 | height in = 10⅝ | weight = 217 | dash = 4.55 | ten split = 1.53 | twenty split = 2.69 | shuttle = 4.27 | cone drill = 6.84 | vertical = 35½ | broad ft = 9 | broad in = 7 | bench = 25 | wonderlic = | arm span = | hand span = | note = All values from NFL Combine }}

Denver Broncos

Moreno was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 12th overall pick, which was their first of 2 first-round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. Moreno will wear jersey number 27 of the late Darrent Williams. He received permission from Williams' mother Rosalind. She agreed on one condition, Knowshon must volunteer a couple of hours per month at the Darrent Williams Teen Center.

On August 7, 2009, after an eight-day holdout, Moreno signed a five-year, $16.7 million contract with a $5.08 million club option for 2014. The deal includes $13.135 million guaranteed and Moreno can earn an additional $6.3 million through incentives.

On September 27, 2009, Moreno scored his first career NFL touchdown with a 7 yard run against the Oakland Raiders.

NFL statistics

! Year	! Games	! Rush Att	! Rush Yds	! Rush Avg	! Rush TD	! Rec	! Rec Yds	! Rec Avg	! Rec TD
	16	247	947	3.8	7	28	213	7.6	2
	13	182	779	4.3	5	37	372	10.1	3

Source: 2009 2010

Personal

Knowshon's first name is a combination of his father's nickname, Knowledge, and his mother's name, Varashon.

References

External links

Knowshon Moreno's Official Website - KnowshonMoreno.com

Georgia Football Bio

ESPN Player Card

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from New Jersey Category:American football running backs Category:Georgia Bulldogs football players Category:Denver Broncos players Category:People from Middletown Township, New Jersey

fr:Knowshon Moreno it:Knowshon Moreno