Kenny Irons (born September 15, 1983) 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 was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the second round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. 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

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

. He is the brother of former

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

David Irons.

Early life

At Dacula High School in

Dacula, Georgia Dacula ( ) is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census was 4,442, and the U.S. ...

, Irons rushed for 1985 yards and 19 touchdowns, playing alongside his brother

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

. His high school honors included PrepStar All-American, Sporting News Top 25, Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Top 11, Gwinnett County Back of the Year, and playing in the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Game. Irons initially signed with the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

to play for then-head coach

Lou Holtz Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former college football coach and television analyst. He served as the head football coach at the College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the N ...

. He is the nephew of Gerald Irons and Leroy Jackson and he is the cousin of Grant Irons,

Jarrett Irons Jarrett Irons is a former American football player. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Irons played college football as a linebacker at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1996. He was a team Captain (sports), co-captain of the 1995 Michig ...

, and Paul Irons.

College career

South Carolina

Irons lettered as a true freshman at

after appearing in nine games with one start. For the season, he rushed for 201 yards on 47 carries. He also had four pass receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown on a 30-yard catch and run against

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

. He rushed for a season high 43 yards on 12 attempts against Mississippi State.

Auburn

Irons transferred to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

following the 2003 season in order to play alongside his brother again. Kenny participated in the Auburn A-Day Spring Game, but was ineligible to play the following year due to NCAA regulations. While sitting out the 2004 season, Irons was able to apprentice under future NFL players Cadillac Williams and

Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...

. Irons entered the 2005 season as the backup running back, but took over the starting role after

Brad Lester Brad Lester (born October 24, 1985) is a former gridiron football running back. He played college football at Auburn University. Early years Brad Lester was born to Phillis Miller and Calvin Lester. He attended Parkview High School in Georgia ...

was injured in a game against the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

. He went on to be selected SEC Offensive Player of the Week twice. He finished the season with 1293 yards and 13 touchdowns on 256 carries. His 2005 rushing total was the 6th best in Auburn history, placing Irons behind greats like

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football, football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-star#Sports, All-Star in Major professio ...

, Cadillac Williams, and future Cincinnati Bengal teammate, Rudi Johnson. At season's end, Irons was a unanimous selection for both the Coaches' All-SEC First-team and the Associated Press All-SEC First-team. Irons broke his index finger early in the 2006 season. He finished the season rushing for 198 times for a total of 941 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Career statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Following the completion of his senior football season, Irons recovered from his injuries and began to work out and prepare for the

. He and his brother signed with the same agent and worked out together. They traveled together to the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and their individual pro days. At the combine, Irons posted a 4.45 second 40-yard dash time and a 38-inch

vertical leap A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

Cincinnati Bengals

Irons was selected by the

in the second round (49th overall) of the

. During the second quarter of the Bengals' first preseason game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. Irons was expected to recover fully and be ready for spring workouts. After the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Irons said he expected to be ready for training camp in July 2008. However, on July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list. He was waived from the PUP list on August 4.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio

Cincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irons, Kenny 1983 births Living people People from Dacula, Georgia Players of American football from Gwinnett County, Georgia Players of American football from Camden, New Jersey American football running backs South Carolina Gamecocks football players Auburn Tigers football players Cincinnati Bengals players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Irons family (American football)