Steve Slaton
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Steve Slaton, born January 4, 1986 in Levittown, Pennsylvania, plays runningback for the West Virginia University Mountaineers in the NCAA collegiate football. Slaton was 4th in the Heisman voting last year, behind Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. Along with teammate Pat White, Slaton once again is a candidate for the prestigious award for the year 2007. Early NFL scouting reports point to Slaton's excellent speed, leg strength and agility as his main advantage going into the pros, with some scouts comparing him to Reggie Bush of the Saints. Among Slaton's WVU career milestones include eighteen 100-yard rushing games and three 200-yard rushing games. He also became the first Mountaineer to ever have 100 yards rushing (215) and 100 yards receiving (130) in the same game. Along with White, the WVU 1-2 punch became only the third tandem in NCAA D-I history to both rush for 200+ yards in the same game during the WVU-Pitt game on Nov. 16. As a testament to Slaton's value to the team, West Virginia sports a 21-2 record when Slaton is the starting running back.
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[edit] High School
Slaton played high school football for the Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He was adjudged as the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League and made the All-Conference selection four times. Slaton accumulated 6,000 rushing yards with 73 TDs to set five school records. He was also invited to, but did not participate in, the annual Big 33 Football Classic.
Outside football, Slaton also was into the track sport in high school, registering stats of 7.05 in Trials, 23-3.05 long jump (sixth-best in the U.S.), and then won the 60-yard dash in 7.07, the 200-yard dash in 23.17, and the 400-yard dash in 51.36.
[edit] College
Several colleges showed interest in Slaton, with offers from the likes of North Carolina, Maryland, and Rutgers. Although Maryland was his first choice, he ended up playing for West Virginia as a defensive back.
[edit] 2005
Slaton did not have the hype of any of the more renowned backs when he entered his rookie year. He even began his true freshman year as the 4th string running back. His debut came on WVU's second match of the season against Wofford where he had 8 carries for 42 yards along with a 14-yard reception. His first career start happened in a game against Rutgers when he rushed for 139 yards and a TD on a WVU 27-14 win.
A career defining moment for Slaton happened on WVU's game against Louisville. The rookie Slaton helped his team rally from a lead as big as 17 in the 4th quarter to a 46-44 triple overtime win. He registered 188 yards on 31 carries with six total touchdowns, a WVU and Big East record. His efforts earned him his first major recognition as he was named Walter Camp, USA Today, and Rivals.com national player of the week, and was also given the Big East Conference player of the week award. Slaton finished his maiden regular season with 1,128 rush yards (13th most rushing yards on a season in school history) along with 17 rushing TDs (tied for 3rd most in a season in WVU history) to help his Mountaineers go undefeated in the Big East, 7-0.
Slaton's explosive debut year was capped off by WVU's 38-35 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia wherein he accounted for a Sugar Bowl and a BCS game record of 204 rush yards on 26 carries, to go along with 3 scores.
[edit] 2006
Slaton's ground brilliance in his rookie year was carried over in the 2006 opening game as he registered 203 yards on 33 carries and two rushed scores against Marshall. Another memorable performance for Slaton was during a game against Maryland, the same team that recruited Slaton and withdrew his scholarship. He pounded the opposing defense enroute to a 195 yard gain on 21 carries with two TDs in a showcase of redemption over the Terrapins. A game after registering a career long 65-yard TD run over Cincinnati, Slaton played a career game against Pitt after he became the first Mountaineer to ever have more than 100 yards rushing (215) and 100 yards receiving (130) in the same game. Both of Slaton's gains, the 215 ran and the 130 caught were a career high.
Despite being hampered by a wrist injury all season, Slaton still managed to finish his sophomore year with 1,744 yards on 248 carries and 16 touchdowns. He was also ranked 3rd in the nation for yards rushed, was 9th in average yards per run, and 8th in total TDs. The 1,744 yards he ran was also a WVU record, breaking Avon Cobourne's 1,710.
[edit] Highlights
| Heisman Hopeful. Steve Slaton is one of the strongest candidates to claim the 2007 Heisman trophy. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2005
- Named Walter Camp, USA Today, Rivals.com national player of the week and the Big East player of the week for the October 15, 2005 game against Louisville.
- Named first-team freshman All-America by Rivals.com, and second team by The Sporting News, the Collegefootballnews.com, and the Scout.com.
- Named as the Big East rookie of the year, the ECAC rookie of the year, and second team All-Big East his freshman season.
- Named 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl MVP after rushing for 204 yards on 26 carries and scoring 3 touchdowns in a 38-35 WVU victory.
[edit] 2006
- Named Big East Player of the Week following the Marshall game on Sept. 2, 2006.
- Named as a semi-finalist for the 2006 Maxwell Award, which is presented to the Collegiate Player of the Year.
- Named as one of ten players to watch for the 2006 Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year.
- Named as a finalist for the 2006 Doak Walker Award.
- Named as a Football Writers of America All-American, an American Football Coaches Association All-American, a First Team AP All-American, and The Sporting News All-American.
- Named to the Scout.com First Team All-American and All-Big East Team, All Big East First Team, Walter Camp All-American first team, included to the ECAC D-I All-Star team, and listed second team All-American by SI.com for the 2006 season.
- Finished 4th in the 2006 Heisman Trophy race behind Troy Smith, Darren McFadden and Brady Quinn.
- Finished tied for 4th in the AP Player of the Year in 2006.
- Named the 2006 Scout.com Big East Offensive Player of the Year.
- Named the Outstanding Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
[edit] 2007
- Selected for the Playboy, Athlon, and Lindy's All-American team for the preseason.
- Consensus preseason first-team all-Big East selection.
- Named by SI.com as one of the most fun athletes to watch, comparing his running style to Walter Payton.
- Started the 2007 season ranked #2 on ESPN's Heisman Watch list posted on August 13, 2007.
- Named to the Maxwell Award watch list along with teammate Pat White.
