Tony Pollard (American football)

Tony Pollard (born April 30, 1997) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Memphis, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Tony Pollard
Pollard in 2019
No. 20 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1997-04-30) April 30, 1997
Memphis, Tennessee
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Melrose High School
College:Memphis
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 4 / Pick: 128
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Rushing yards:890
Rushing average:4.8
Rushing touchdowns:6
Receptions:43
Receiving yards:300
Receiving touchdowns:2
Total return yards:1,011
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Pollard attended Melrose High School. As a senior, he was a two-way starter at wide receiver and cornerback on the high school football team.[1] He helped the team reach the playoffs, while making over 1,200 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns and being named All-District 16-AAA.

College career

Pollard accepted a football scholarship from the University of Memphis. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 13 games (7 starts), registering 29 receptions for 298 yards (10.3-yard avg.), 31 carries for 159 yards (5.1-yard avg.) and 3 touchdowns. He finished among the national leaders in kickoff return average (28.1 yards). He had 2 returns for touchdown and was named the American Athletic Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year.

As a sophomore, he posted 36 receptions for 536 yards (14.9-yard avg.) and 30 carries for 230 yards (7.7-yard avg.) and 6 touchdowns. He also led the nation with a school-record 40-yard average per kickoff return (22 for 881 yards) and 4 returns for touchdowns. He repeated as the American Athletic Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year.

As a junior, even though he shared the backfield with Darrell Henderson, he totaled 78 receptions for 552 yards (7.1-yard avg.), 39 carries for 458 yards (11.7-yard avg.), 10 touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. In the 2018 Birmingham Bowl, he recorded 318 all-purpose yards (209 on kickoff returns) and one rushing touchdown.

Pollard was considered one of the best kickoff return specialists in college football, tying a FBS record with 7 career kick-return touchdowns, 87 kickoff returns (second in school history), 2,616 kickoff return yards (second in school history), 30.1 kick-return average (school record) and 4,680 all-purpose yards (second in school history).[2]

On January 11, 2019, Pollard declared for the 2019 NFL Draft.[3] Just six days later, on January 17, 2019, Pollard was added to the 2019 North Senior Bowl roster.[4]

Statistics
Year School Pos G Rushing Receiving Scrimmage
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
2016 Memphis WR 13 31 159 5.1 1 29 298 10.3 2 60 457 7.6 3
2017 Memphis RB 13 36 536 14.9 2 30 230 7.7 4 66 766 11.6 6
2018 Memphis WR 14 39 458 11.7 3 78 552 7.1 6 117 1,010 8.6 9
Career 40 139 941 6.8 9 104 1,292 12.4 9 243 2,233 9.2 18

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 5⁄8 in
(1.82 m)		 210 lb
(95 kg)		 30 in
(0.76 m)		 9 1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.52 s 35 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[5]

Pollard was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (128th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft.[6]

2019 season

He had 13 carries for 24 yards in his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2019 season against the New York Giants in the 35–17 victory.[7] During Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Pollard posted his first career 100+-yard game as he finished with 103 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown as the Cowboys won 31–6.[8] During Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, Pollard finished with 131 rushing yards on 12 attempts, including a 44-yard touchdown as the Cowboys won 44–21.[9] Overall, in his rookie season, he finished with 455 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 107 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[10]

2020 season

Pollard ran for 10 yards and caught 2 passes for 22 yards in week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.[11] Pollard recorded his first touchdown of the season on a three yard carry against the Cleveland Browns in week 4.[12] In Week 9 match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pollard ran for a season high 57 yards on 9 carries. [13] In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Pollard recorded 132 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns during the 41–33 win.[14]

NFL statistics
Legend
Bold Career High
Year Team Games Rushing Kickoff return Receiving Fumbles
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2019DAL 150864555.34421424517.5300151077.121110
2020DAL 1621014354.34243276623.9670281926.930100
Career3121878904.844646101122.0670432997.030210


References
  1. "Tony Pollard, Melrose , All Purpose Back". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  2. "Tony Pollard – 2018 – University of Memphis". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  3. Barnes, Evan (January 12, 2019). "Memphis football's Tony Pollard declares for the NFL Draft". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  4. Kuhn, Gabe (January 17, 2019). "Memphis' Tony Pollard added to Senior Bowl Roster". underdogdynasty.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  5. "Tony Pollard Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  6. "2019 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  7. "New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – September 8th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  8. "Prescott, Cowboys get out of funk, ease past Dolphins 31–6". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  9. "Cowboys render coin toss mix-up moot, throttle Rams 44–21". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. "Tony Pollard 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  11. "Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Limited touches in loss". CBSSports.com. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  12. "Tony Pollard Rushes for a 3-yard TD vs Browns". www.dallascowboys.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  13. "Pollard Flashes In A Gritty Day On The Ground". Dallascowboys.com. November 8, 2020.
  14. "San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys – December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
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