Rodney Dwayne Culver (December 23, 1969 - May 11,
1996) was an
American football
running back who played in the
National Football League (NFL) for
four seasons. During this time, he played for the
Indianapolis Colts and
San Diego Chargers. Over the course of
his career, he played in 43 games, rushed for 689 yards on 241
carries, and ran for 12
touchdowns.
High School and College
Culver
attended St. Martin de
Porres High School in Detroit, Michigan
and won a scholarship to the University of
Notre Dame
where he started as a tailback in 1990 and 1991. The Irish
backfield had a number of talented running backs including future
pros
Ricky Watters and
Reggie Brooks. Culver led the Irish in rushing
in 1990 with 710 yards in 11 games.
The Irish were ranked number one twice
that year and eventually lost to the University of
Colorado
in the 1991 Orange
Bowl.
The
following year, Culver was injured but played spectacularly in
Notre Dame's 39-28 defeat of the University of Florida
Gators. The performance propelled him to a
professional career.
Professional Football Career
Culver was drafted by the
Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of
the
1992 NFL Draft. He was a
short-yardage back his first year, carrying the ball 121 times for
321 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 210
yards and two more touchdowns. The Colts finished 9-7 but missed
the AFC playoffs by one game. In 1993, the Colts were expected to
contend but a holdout by
Jeff George and
an injury to
Steve Emtman plunged the
Colts to last. Culver ran for three touchdowns and caught one more.
He was cut at the end of the season and claimed off
waivers by the
San
Diego Chargers.
Culver was the last man in a talented San Diego backfield that
included newcomer
Natrone Means, and
halfbacks
Eric Bieniemy and
Ronnie Harmon. Culver, in fact, only carried
the ball eight times all year, but he averaged over seven yards per
carry. In the 1994-95 divisional playoff versus Miami, Culver
carried six times for fourteen yards as the Chargers beat the
Miami Dolphins, 22-21. Culver had no
carries or catches in the
1994-95
AFC Championship Game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, a game won by the
Chargers, 17-13. Culver made an appearance in
Super Bowl XXIX against the
San Francisco 49ers, but he failed to
touch the ball. The Chargers lost, 49-26.
In his final season, 1995, Culver got more carries because of a
holdout and later injury to
Natrone
Means. He carried the ball forty-seven times for 155 yards and
three touchdowns and caught five passes for twenty-one yards. The
Chargers made it back to the playoffs but lost to Culver's former
team, the Colts, 35-20.
Death
Rodney
Culver died on May 11, 1996, when ValuJet Flight 592
from Miami to Atlanta
crashed into
the Florida
Everglades
, killing all 110 people aboard.
See also
References
- Thomas George, "On Pro Football; Questions With Few Answers in
Culver's Death", New York Times, May 26, 1996.
External links
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