Isiah Pacheco (born March 2, 1999), is nicknamed "Pop", and is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus. In sports, Rutgers is famously known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first ever intercollegiate football ...

. Pacheco was drafted by the Chiefs in the seventh round of the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. In his first two seasons with the Chiefs, he won

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...

and

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. A rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years prior, the American Football Conference (AFC) 20 ...

, scoring a touchdown in the former.

Early life

Pacheco was born in

Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a City (New Jersey), city and the most populous municipality in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. Bridgeton, New Jersey, Bridgeton and Vineland are the two principal cities of the ...

to Felicia Cannon and Julio Pacheco. He is the youngest of five siblings, and of Puerto Rican descent on his father's side, and African-American descent on his mother's side. He played

Pop Warner Football Pop Warner Little Scholars, commonly known simply as Pop Warner, is a nonprofit organization that provides activities such as American football, for over 425,000 youths aged 5 to 16 years old, in several nations. It is the largest youth football ...

for the Vineland Blitz in

Cumberland County, New Jersey Cumberland County is a coastal county located on the Delaware Bay in the Southern Shore Region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 16th-most-populous county,Vineland High School Vineland High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Vineland, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Vineland Public Schools. The now r ...

, where he played both quarterback and running back. His senior year he led the Fighting Clan with a dominating performance to win the Thanksgiving Day Classic against the rival

Millville Senior High School Millville Senior High School is a comprehensive community public high school located in Millville, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of Millville Public Schools. The ...

College career

Pacheco was heavily recruited by

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, and other football programs along the East Coast. He committed to Rutgers University on June 21, 2017. On August 20, 2019, Pacheco had 20 carries for 156 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Massachusetts. Pacheco saw consistent playing time in each of his four collegiate seasons, rushing 563 times for 2,442 yards (4.3 ypc) and scoring 18 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 249 yards and one score.

Pre-draft process

Before gaining national attention, Isiah Pacheco was selected by th
Draft Diamonds
scouting staff to participate in the 2022 Hula Bowl, an all-star game known for showcasing small-school and under-the-radar NFL prospects. He later competed in the

East–West Shrine Bowl The East–West Shrine Bowl is a postseason college football all-star game that has been played annually since 1925; through January 2019, it was known as the East–West Shrine Game. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Shriners Inter ...

, one of the premier college all-star games, helping to raise his profile before the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pacheco was selected in the seventh round with the 251st overall pick of the

by the

Kansas City Chiefs

2022

In his NFL debut in week 1 against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, Pacheco scored his first career NFL rushing touchdown on a 3-yard run. He recorded his first career start in the Chiefs week 7 game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. In a Week 11 matchup against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Pacheco rushed for a career-high 107 yards on 15 carries. He finished the regular season with 830 rushing yards and 130 receiving yards (a total of 960 scrimmage yards), alongside five touchdowns on the ground. He returned 29 kickoffs for 597 yards. In his first professional season, Pacheco was the starting running back for the Chiefs in

. In the Super Bowl, Pacheco had 76 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

38–35. Following the season, Pacheco underwent surgeries to repair a torn labrum and broken hand, which he stated he had played through during the Super Bowl.

2023

In Week 4 of the 2023 season against the Jets, Pacheco had 158 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory. In Week 12 against the Raiders, he had two rushing touchdowns in the victory. In Week 17 against the Bengals, he had 130 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown in the victory. Pacheco appeared in 14 games and started 13 in the 2023 season. He finished with 205 carries for 935 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go with 44 receptions for 244 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In each of the first three playoff games for the Chiefs, he scored a rushing touchdown. Pacheco's second NFL season ended with the Chiefs winning

against the

25–22 with Pacheco rushing for 59 yards and recording six catches for 33 yards. The Chiefs became the first team to repeat as champions since the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

did it in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. Pacheco made history in 2024 being the only running back in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in his first two seasons.

2024

Pacheco returned as the Chiefs starting running back in 2024. He suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on September 18, 2024. He was activated on November 28, 2024, and played in the Week 13 matchup against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. He finished the 2024 season with 83 carries for 310 yards and one touchdown in seven games. He played in Super Bowl LIX, recording 12 scrimmage yards in the 40–22 loss to the Eagles.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Pacheco has overcome tragedy as his brother Travoise Cannon was killed in January 2016 and his sister Celeste Cannon was murdered in September 2017. He has tattoos of his sister and brother in a mural on his right arm alongside other tattoos representing essential parts of his roots, including one representing New Jersey, Vineland High School and Rutgers University.

References

External links

*
Kansas City Chiefs bio

Rutgers Scarlet Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacheco, Isiah 1999 births American football running backs Kansas City Chiefs players Living people Sportspeople from Vineland, New Jersey American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Players of American football from Cumberland County, New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players Vineland High School alumni Hispanic and Latino American players of American football