Terrall Brent "T. J." Rushing (born June 8, 1983) is an
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
coach and former player who is currently a special assistant to the head coach at
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 ...
. As a player, he played as a
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 ...
and
return specialist
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...
. He was selected by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
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) in the seventh round of the
2006 NFL draft
The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...
. He played four seasons with the team. He won a
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
with Indianapolis, when the Colts defeated the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...
. 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 ...
at
Stanford
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
.
Early life
Rushing attended Pauls Valley High School in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma and was a
letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in
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 ...
, basketball, and
track.
College career
Rushing finished his
Stanford
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
career as one of the top three kick returners in school history with 1409 yards. He was named First Team All
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...
for his work on special teams during his junior year. Rushing had three career touchdowns on kickoff returns, including both the first and last return of his senior season.
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
Rushing mainly played on special teams as a kick/punt returner for the Colts, in a career which includes one punt return touchdown against the Oakland Raiders in 2007. Rushing spent the entire 2008 season on
injured reserve
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 ...
.
He was non-tendered as a restricted free agent following the
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season.
The preseason started ...
.
Detroit Lions
Rushing signed with 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 18, 2010, and was released by the club on September 4, 2010.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Rushing was signed by the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...
on April 19, 2012. He was released during training camp on June 17, 2012.
Coaching career
Arizona State University
Rushing was hired as a defensive backs coach for
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
in 2016.
University of Memphis
Rushing was hired as the defensive backs coach for
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Mem ...
in January 2018.
Texas A&M University
Rushing was hired as the defensive backs coach for
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
in January 2020.
Auburn University
Rushing was hired as a special assistant to the head coach for
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 ...
on June 20, 2024.
References
External links
Indianapolis Colts bioArizona State University bioMemphis Tigers profileTexas A&M Aggies profileAuburn Tigers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushing, T. J.
1983 births
Living people
People from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
Players of American football from Oklahoma
American football cornerbacks
American football return specialists
Stanford Cardinal football players
Indianapolis Colts players
Detroit Lions players
Canadian football return specialists
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Coaches of American football from Oklahoma
African-American coaches of American football
Arizona State Sun Devils football coaches
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football coaches
Memphis Tigers football coaches
Florida State Seminoles football coaches
Texas A&M Aggies football coaches
Auburn Tigers football coaches
21st-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century African-American sportsmen
Players of Canadian football from Oklahoma