Fitzgerald Toussaint

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Fitzgerald Toussaint
refer to caption
Toussaint with the Michigan Wolverines
No. 33 Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1990-05-04) May 4, 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth: East Orange, New Jersey
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Career information
High school: Youngstown (OH) Liberty
College: Michigan
Undrafted: 2014
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 54
Rushing average: 2.2
Rushing TDs: 0
Player stats at NFL.com

Fitzgerald Toussaint (born May 4, 1990) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was the starting running back for the 2011, 2012, 2013 Michigan Wolverines football teams. Toussaint received 2011 All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Early years

Toussaint grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, to a Haitian father and to an African American mother.[1] He graduated from Liberty High School, where as a senior in 2008, he rushed for 2,229 yards (10.4 per carry) and 28 touchdowns and was named Ohio's co-offensive player of the year in Division III.[2] Toussaint committed to the University of Michigan after his senior year and was considered one of the five impact players in Michigan's recruiting class for 2009.[3] After committing to Michigan, Toussaint donned the scarlet uniform of the Ohio high school all-star team for the annual Big 33 Football Classic against the Pennsylvania high school all-star team.[4]

Toussaint was also on the school's track & field team, where he competed as a sprinter. At the 2007 OHSAA Regional Track and Field Championships, he won the 100 meters by running a personal-best time of 10.74 seconds.[5] He also won the 60 meters at the 2009 Kent State HS Open, recording a career-best time of 6.89 seconds.[6]

College career

Toussaint enrolled at the University of Michigan on a football scholarship in 2009. He was redshirted during the 2009 season. Toussaint missed the first three games of the 2010 season with a knee injury. In his first appearance for the Wolverines, Toussaint rushed for 129 yards on six carries, including 61-yard gain in the fourth quarter, against Bowling Green.[7][8] He suffered a shoulder injury in October 2010.[9]

2011 season

After spending the 2010 season as a back-up to Michael Shaw, Toussaint challenged Shaw for the No. 1 running back position during 2011 summer practice.[10][11] In the end, head coach Brady Hoke named Toussaint as the Wolverines' No. 1 running back at the start of the 2011 season.[12][13][14] After gaining 80 yards on 11 carries (7.3 yards per carry) and scoring two touchdowns in Michigan's 2011 season opener against Western Michigan,[15] Hoke confirmed that Toussaint remained the team's No. 1 running back.[16][17]

After suffering a shoulder injury, he did not play against Notre Dame in the second week of the season. He returned to the lineup the following week and went on to record his second 100-yard rushing game in the Battle for the Little Brown Jug against Minnesota in the fifth game of the season, totaling 108 yards on 11 carries for an average of 9.8 yards per carry.[18][19]

File:Fitzgerald Toussaint (2012-09-15) b.jpg
Toussaint at Michigan Stadium, Sept. 2012

On October 29, Toussaint ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 36–14 victory over Purdue. He had career highs in both yards gained and carries.[20][21] On November 12, Toussaint set new career highs with 27 carries, a 65-yard run, and 192 rushing yards against Illinois.[22][23] In the subsequent two weeks, he followed up with 138 rushing yards against Nebraska on November 19, 2011, and 120 yards rushing against Ohio State on November 26, in "the Game".[24][25]

Toussaint rushed for 1,041 yards. With quarterback Denard Robinson also rushing for over 1,000 yards, the Wolverines had a tandem of 1,000-yard rushers for the first time since 1975.[26][27][28] Toussaint averaged 5.6 yards per carry during the season.[29] He ranked second in the Big Ten Conference in yards per carry behind Wisconsin running back Montee Ball.[30] He earned All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention recognition from both the coaches and the media.[31][32] At the end of the regular season, Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges praised Toussaint's late season performance (100-plus rushing yards in four of the last five games) and compared him to USC Heisman Trophy winner Charles White: "You put the (USC) jersey on him, you would hardly be able to tell the difference. That's who he reminds me of."[33]

2012 season

At the time of Michigan's spring practice in April 2012, Borges said there was no running back controversy for the 2012 team: "Fitz is our tailback. If he isn't, I'm not very smart."[34][35][36][37]

On July 21, 2012, Toussaint was arrested in Ann Arbor after running a red light and charged with driving under the influence. On July 23, he was suspended from the team.[38] In late August, Toussaint pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while visibly impaired, after telling the court that he had been drinking brandy before driving.[39] On October 23, he was sentenced to 10 months probation and ordered by the Court to attend 10 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, pay $1,500 in fees and fines, and undergo random drug and alcohol tests.[40]

Toussaint remained suspended from the team for the opening game of the 2012 season, but returned to the lineup as Michigan's lead running back in the second week of the season. Through the tenth game of the 2012 season, Toussaint had gained 483 yards and scored five touchdown on 127carries, an average of 3.8 yards per carry.[41]

On Nov. 17, 2012, during a first quarter run in the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Toussaint sustained a broken leg, ending his season.

2013 season

After successful rehabilitation on his leg injury, Toussaint returned as the starting running back for the 2013 Michigan Wolverines football team. Through the first two games of the season, he had 128 rushing yards on 36 carries, including 71 rushing yards on 22 carries in Michigan's 41–30 victory over Notre Dame on September 7, 2013.[42]

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

On May 29, 2014, Toussaint was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.[43] Toussaint rushed for 20 yards on 4 attempts during the Ravens' first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. He did not play again until the fourth preseason game against the New Orleans Saints, where he rushed for a game-high 103 yards on 17 carries and caught his only targeted pass for another nine yards.[44] Despite his successful play in the final game of the preseason, Toussaint was released by the Ravens on August 30, 2014 with the final round of cuts before the regular season.[45] Toussaint was re-signed to the Ravens practice squad on August 31, 2014.[46] Toussaint was promoted to the Ravens roster on September 6, 2014 after fellow running back Lorenzo Taliaferro was placed on injured reserve.[47] On September 5, 2015, he was released by the Ravens.[48]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On September 7, 2015, Toussaint was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[citation needed] On November 27, 2015, Toussaint was promoted to the active roster.[citation needed] He was able to earn the role as the Steelers second-string running back from Jordan Todman as the regular-season came to a close.[citation needed] Toussaint caught the Steelers' 8th two-point conversion of the season against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, which set the NFL record for most successful two-point conversion attempts by a team in a season.[citation needed] On January 8, 2016, Toussaint was announced as the starter for Pittsburgh Steelers' wild card playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to an injury to DeAngelo Williams.[citation needed] Toussaint and Todman were called upon to fill in for Williams, combining for 123 rushing yards. Toussaint's added 4 passes for 60 yards.[citation needed] In the second round of the playoffs, on January 17, Toussaint scored his first touchdown as a professional but had a costly fumble late in the 4th quarter, that was the only turnover of the game, which eventually resulted in the Denver Broncos' game-winning drive.[49]

References

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  44. ↑ http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400554689
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  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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