Kendall Bernell Hunter (born September 16, 1988) is an American former 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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

in 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 Oklahoma State Cowboys, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2010. He was selected by 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 the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Early life

Hunter was born in

Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...

. He attended John Tyler High School in Tyler, where he played football and ran track. In football, he rushed for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Hunter was listed as the No. 40 running back prospect in the nation. Hunter suffered a knee injury in high school that limited his potential suitors. Hunter was a first-team all-district selection following his junior season during which he rushed for 1,056 yards and twelve touchdowns. He also competed in

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

. He was timed at 11.3 seconds in the 100 meter dash as a senior. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m relay (41.58 s).

College career

While attending Oklahoma State University, Hunter played for coach Mike Gundy's

Oklahoma State Cowboys football The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mik ...

team from 2007 to 2010. He was the nation's seventh leading rusher with 119.6 yards per game, including nine 100-yard rushing games, in 2008. He led the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

in rushing by more than 30 yards per game. He was named a first-team

after his sophomore season in 2008, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 2010. As a senior, he was also a finalist for the Doak Walker award which was won by LaMichael James, his teammate with San Francisco until James's release in 2014.

College statistics

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

200px, Hunter runs the ball in 2012 against the Green Bay Packers. Hunter was selected by the

in the fourth round (115th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. Hunter received his first start of his NFL career in week 4 of the 2011 season against the Philadelphia Eagles. He rushed for 473 yards (with an average yard per carry of 4.2) and scored 2 touchdowns during the regular season in a backup role to starting running back Frank Gore. Late in the 2012 season Hunter was put on injured reserve with a torn

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

. Over the summer of 2013, Hunter reportedly rehabilitated at Cosumnes River College with physical therapist Weinshilboum according to a June 18 article in the Sacramento Bee. Hunter spent time performing parcour across the Cosumnes campus, Bee writer Yolanda Marie wrote. Hunter was activated off the physically unable to perform list on August 10, 2013, nearly months after he partially tore his left Achilles. On July 26, 2014, Hunter was carted off the field due to a knee injury. Later an MRI revealed that he tore his ACL. The 49ers later waived him on August 5. After clearing waivers, he was placed on the 49ers'

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

New Orleans Saints

On December 16, 2015, Hunter signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

after starting running back

Mark Ingram II Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football running back and current on-air personality for Fox Sports. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

was placed on injured reserve. On January 1, 2016, Hunter was placed on injured reserve.

Toronto Argonauts

On March 1, 2017, Hunter signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). On June 2, 2017, Hunter announced his retirement from professional football.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Kendall 1988 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Canadian football running backs Oklahoma State Cowboys football players Players of American football from Tyler, Texas Players of Canadian football from Texas San Francisco 49ers players New Orleans Saints players Toronto Argonauts players