Marcus Lattimore (born October 29, 1991) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He played college football at

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

, where he holds the career record for rushing touchdowns (38). He rushed for 1,197 yards as a starter during his freshman year. His sophomore and junior years were truncated by severe knee injuries. He opted to forgo his senior year and was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-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 of the league's National ...

in the fourth round of the

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. He never played a game for the 49ers and retired from playing football at the age of 23. In 2016, he was named head football coach at Heathwood Hall prep school in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the ci ...

. He served as the Director of Player Development for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

from 2018 to 2019.

Early years

Lattimore was born in

Duncan, South Carolina Duncan is a town in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. Its population was 3,181 at the 2010 census. History In 1811, a post office was established on what is now S.C. Highway 290. A tiny settlement sprung up around it, and both t ...

. He attended

Florence Chapel Middle School Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico a ...

and James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

for the Byrnes Rebels. One of the most decorated players in South Carolina high school football history, Lattimore was '' ESPN RISE'' National High School Junior Football Player of the Year in 2008. In his senior year, he earned ''

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'' high school All-American honors, was named South Carolina's Mr. Football, and played in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He chose South Carolina over Auburn on

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College career

Lattimore enrolled in the University of South Carolina, where he played for coach

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his ...

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...

team from 2010 to 2012. A highly sought-after college recruit, he made an immediate impact for the Gamecocks as a freshman.

2010

On September 11, 2010, in just his second career college football game, Lattimore broke 42 tackles on 37 carries, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

. On October 9, 2010, against the then #1 ranked

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a m ...

, Lattimore had 23 carries for 93 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and caught one receiving touchdown from quarterback Stephen Garcia. On October 16, 2010, Lattimore scored two touchdowns in a road loss to the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,47 ...

before missing the rest of the game with an ankle injury. On October 30, 2010, against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

, Lattimore had 29 carries for 184 yards and one rushing touchdown. On November 13, 2010, against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...

in Gainesville, Lattimore had 40 carries for 212 yards and three rushing touchdowns, to defeat the Gators and clinch the SEC East for the Gamecocks. On December 4, 2010, in the 2010 SEC Championship Game, Lattimore had 16 carries for 84 yards for the Gamecocks in the 56–17 loss to the

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

. In December 2010, Lattimore was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year, headlining the All-Freshman Team, by ''

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''. On December 31, 2010, in the

2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl The 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a college football bowl game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 31, 2010, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. EST. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 43rd edition of the game known th ...

, Lattimore had one carry that went for a one-yard loss and caught three passes for 48 yards, before sustaining a concussion in the first quarter on a pass reception in which he lost a fumble in a 26–17 loss to Florida State.

2011

South Carolina began their 2011 season at the

Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat football stadium located on in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League and Charlotte FC of Majo ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

on September 3, 2011, against

East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its ori ...

. He rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries and added three touchdowns as the Gamecocks battled back to win 56–37. Lattimore also caught three passes for 33 yards. The Gamecocks traveled to

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on September 10 to play SEC East rivals

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. Lattimore carried the ball on 27 occasions for 176 yards and one touchdown. South Carolina then played a home game against the Naval Academy, and in a 24–21 game Lattimore ran 246 yards, and also scored three touchdowns in the game. The following weekend, South Carolina played host to SEC East foe Vanderbilt. Lattimore had his first sub-100-yard rushing game of the season, running for just 77 yards on 20 carries but was able to add a 22-yard touchdown. He also caught three passes for 73 yards, scoring on a 52-yard reception, leading his team to a 21–3 win and a 4–0 start. He tore a knee ligament on October 15 against the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

and it was announced that Lattimore would miss the remainder of the 2011 season due to the injury.

2012

In Lattimore's first game back following his knee ligament injury, he rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries as the Gamecocks topped Vanderbilt, 17–13. In the Gamecocks' 49–6 victory over UAB on September 15, Lattimore rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown, his 34th touchdown at South Carolina, surpassing George Rogers's school record of 33 career touchdowns. Lattimore turned in his best performance of the season against the

, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–17 win on September 29. On October 6, the Gamecocks played host to the

in a top ten showdown for which ESPN College Gameday was in town. Lattimore ran for 109 yards and a score as the Gamecocks crushed No. 5 Georgia, 35–7, and posted two school records, three straight wins over Georgia and ten straight victories in all. On October 27, Lattimore suffered a major injury to his right knee during a game against the

. South Carolina football head coach

stated that Lattimore had dislocated his right knee and torn every ligament, while also suffering nerve damage. Lattimore's knee was surgically repaired by Dr. James Andrews. On December 10, Lattimore declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Statistics

College awards and honors

* Second-team All- SEC (2011) * First-team All-SEC (2010) * Second-team All-American (2010) * '' SN'' Freshman of the Year (2010) * SEC Freshman of the Year (2010)

Professional career

On December 12, 2012, Lattimore confirmed in a press conference that he would enter the

. On April 27, 2013, he was drafted in the fourth round, with the 131st overall pick, by the

. On May 31, 2013, the San Francisco 49ers signed Lattimore to a 4-year deal worth $2,460,584 including a signing bonus of $300,584. On August 27, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On November 5, 2014, Lattimore announced his retirement from the NFL.

Coaching career

In mid-December 2015, Lattimore announced that he would join the staff of newly appointed

head coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co- defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida f ...

. Lattimore would not be a coach, but would talk to the players about life off the field, similar to his work at his leadership academies through his foundation. However, in April 2016, the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

indicated that the university would gain an unfair recruiting advantage by hiring Lattimore, due to his work with high school kids through his foundation. Lattimore indicated that the NCAA ruling was fair, and that he would not be joining South Carolina's staff. On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Lattimore would be joining the football staff at

Heathwood Hall Episcopal School Heathwood Hall Episcopal School is an independent coeducational college preparatory school in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1951, Heathwood offers classes for students in pre-kindergarten/nursery school through grade 12. For the 2006-200 ...

. Lattimore was named head football coach at Heathwood on November 14, 2016. On January 11, 2018, it was announced that Lattimore would be joining Will Muschamp's coaching staff at South Carolina as Director of Player Development. He left this position on January 10, 2020. As of summer 2020, Lattimore serves as running backs coach at

Lewis and Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Cl ...

Personal life

On December 19, 2015, Lattimore married his high school sweetheart Miranda Bailey. He is a Christian.

References

External links

Marcus Lattimore's Official Website
*
San Francisco 49ers profileESPN statsThe rise, and fall, and rise again of Marcus Lattimore
ESPN, May 17, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lattimore, Marcus 1991 births Living people Players of American football from South Carolina American football running backs South Carolina Gamecocks football players San Francisco 49ers players People from Duncan, South Carolina