Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Clinton Portis (pictured above) will officially announce his retirement from the NFL on Thursday.
By Josh Kramer
Running backs beware. Your time in the sun may be sweet, but it is short nonetheless. Another one has officially bitten the dust. Clinton Portis, a former star running back at the U, in Denver, and most recently in the nation’s capital is officially calling it quits. At the relatively young age of 30, the football career of Clinton Portis will officially end on Thursday.
Just four years ago, Clinton Portis was an All Pro running back and a Pro Bowl selection. Since 2008, Portis has appeared in a total of 13 games, rushing for a meager 721 yards. Who else remembers when Portis starred at the U? As a youngster at Miami, Clinton Portis became the second running back to start as a true freshman at the football powerhouse since 1975. After dealing with some turmoil and competition his sophomore season, Portis rebounded nicely as a junior. Not only did Portis put up outstanding numbers, he was a key cog in helping the Hurricanes bring home their National Championship. Do not forget that the 2001 Miami University football team is widely considered to be one of the greatest collegiate football teams of all time. The sky was the limit for Portis as he entered his name into the 2002 NFL Draft.
After going as the 51st overall pick to Denver in the 2002 NFL Draft, Portis immediately showed what he could do as a rookie, taking home the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. A decade later, Portis is entirely out of football. The average NFL career lasts just 3.3 years. For running backs, that number diminishes to 2.57 years.
I guess Portis was one of the lucky ones. His career lasted far longer than the 2.57 year average. After 2,230 carries, 9,925 rushing yards, and 75 rushing touchdowns, Portis is hanging up the spikes. I wish Clinton the best of luck in whatever his future life endeavors are. Current NFL running backs take note though: Football doesn’t last forever. Especially for running backs.
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