Tyrell Sutton
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Tyrell Sutton (born Tyrell DelShawn Sutton on December 19, 1986) plays running back for the Northwestern University Wildcats in the NCAA college football tournament. Sutton came out of high school as one of the most decorated running backs in the nation, but his size and speed, or lack thereof, overshadowed his accomplishments on the field. Apparently, his resume was also not enough to merit the admiration of the major college football programs. But thanks to Northwestern, Sutton had the opportunity to prove that he can run and bang bodies with the big boys. He exploded on the scene in 2005 with arguably the finest showing by a Wildcat freshman in history but due to injuries, his production and effectiveness has been cut down in the ensuing seasons. If he can keep himself healthy, there's no doubt Sutton can go places with his strong feet.
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[edit] Personal Life
Tyrell DelShawn is one of Connie Sutton and Anthony Sutton Sr's three sons, with brothers Tony and Marcel. Tyrell is not the only "footballer" in the family as his brother Tony once was a record-setting running back at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio before playing at Division III College of Wooster (Ohio) and seeing action in the Hula Bowl Maui All-Star game in January of 2005. Tyrell majored in Communication studies at the Northwestern University.
Like many other athletes, Tyrell believes in pre-game rituals. His is listening to music and taping his fingers before games, starting with the index.
Back in high school, Tyrell assumed some kind of a "celebrity status" in his hometown. He was quite famous that his home city pronounced Dec. 7, 2004 as Tyrell Sutton Day. He was also featured in the Oct. 6 Sports Illustrated as one of college football's "Young Guns."
[edit] High School
Sutton played high school football for head coach Ralph Orsini at the Archbishop Hoban High School in his hometown. During his freshman year, Sutton had to compete with two other older running backs for playing time. After rushing for 142 yards in his first game, Sutton was given more carries the next game and gained 202 yards rushing after Hoban's starting tailback got injured. Since then, Sutton had emerged to become the Knights' go-to-back enroute to being named as an honorable mention all-state in 2001. The following year as a sophomore, he ran for 2,437 yrds and 34 touchdowns to claim second-team all-state accolades. He went on to become a first team all-state selection two more times and punctuated his career with several noteworthy performances. One of those was during a game against Canton Central Catholic where he broke the state rushing record in a game. Also against Youngstown Ursuline, he rushed for a career-high 505 yards (third most in Ohio history) and scored eight rushing touchdowns (equaling Ohio's state mark). In his final regular season home game vs. Warren Harding, where he rushed for 406 yards in a 49-35 defeat to the Raiders, he was honored for his record-breaking career with former Cleveland Brown Leroy Kelly presenting him with an autographed football. He finished his senior year running for a career-best 3,241 yards and scoring 38 touchdowns in 2004 to earn the team's Offensive MVP award. He capped his high school career with an appearance at the Big 33 and North-South All-Star game, where he was named as the most valuable player of the North-South game after rushing for 203 yards (21 carries) and three touchdowns to lead the North team to a 45-17 win.
Throughout his four-year career at Hoban, Sutton has established and broke several school and state marks in the rushing and scoring department. He broke the school rushing record in three consecutive seasons, rushed for an Ohio-record 9,426 yards and scored 117 career touchdowns and 702 career points while leading the Knights to a 40-9 four-year record and a state playoff berth in each of the four years that he was with the team. He also had 38 consecutive 100-yard games (Nov. 2001 through Nov. 2004) and ran for 100 or more yards in 44-of-49 games. Sutton also filled his trophy case with several awards, incuding Ohio's Mr. Football, the Cleveland Plain Dealer Player of the Year, the FOX 8 Player of the Year, the Dapper Dan Sports Person of the Year, and the ONN Player of the Year awards, all received following his senior season. He was also named as a finalist for the 2004 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards Outstanding High School Athlete and was named an Akron Beacon Journal Player of the Year twice.
[edit] College
An All-Midwest Region pick by SuperPrep, Sutton made it to the list of scouts as one of the best backs in the nation with Rivals.com listing him in their Top 50 RB list and ranking him 32nd among players in the Midwest (six-state region) and and 41st in the nation; SuperPrep placing him 16th among all players in Ohio, while also landing 20th nationally among running backs in Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report. But amidst his accolades and rankings, not many universities pursued him heavily during the recruiting stage. In fact, Sutton could not recall actually when his recruitment began, just that only two Big Ten Schools---NU and Illinois---and several Mid-American Conference schools gave him scholarship offers. The more prestigious programs looked away from him primarily because he wasn't that tall and fast enough. Bowling Green also recruited him but wanted him to play defensive back.
In the end, Sutton accepted NU's offer early in August of 2004. After his explosive senior year, more teams showed interest, one of them being Ohio State, but nothing really materialized. His commitment at NU eventually stuck as signing day came.
[edit] 2005
With NU senior Terrell Jordan sidelined to injury at the start of the year, Sutton was able to see his first action as a true freshman. He made his collegiate debut against Ohio and rushed 17 times for 104 yards and 2 TDs while catching two passes for 23 yards in the 38-14 win over the Bobcats. The following week against Northern Illinois, Sutton's carries nearly doubled after Brandon Roberson went down with an injury the first game. He had 30 carries for 214 yards and a school-record-tying 4 touchdowns to earn the league's Offensive Player of the Week honors. In just his first two games, Sutton had already matched the school's freshman record for touchdowns scored. At No. 18 Arizona State, he barely missed the 100-yard mark, rushing for 98 yards on 15 carries (6.5 ypc), after sitting out the final quarter. Against Penn State, he rushed 32 times for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Wildcats came up short, 29-34. Facing the 14th ranked Wisconsin, Sutton established his career high at 244 yards rushing on 29 carries with three rushing TDs and a 9-yard scoring catch as NU upset the Badgers, 51-48. He was named as the College Football News Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, was one of the four nominees for the Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Player of the Week award, and got an ESPN College GameDay "Helmet Sticker" for his efforts vs. UW. He also set the school's freshman mark for season rushing yards after just his 5th game. At Purdue, he was limited to 89 rushing yards and 1 TD on 13 carries but had season highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (89) as the Wildcats registered its first road win of the season. Among the many firsts that Sutton set midway through the season include being the first NU freshman to be named a Big Ten player of the week, first freshman to score four touchdowns in a game (he did it twice), first freshman to rush for more than 100 yards in his first game, first freshman to total two 200-yard rushing games and first freshman to score more than six rushing TD's in a season.
The team made it two-in-a-row on the road after beating no.22 Michigan State, with Sutton rushing for 109 yards and 2 TDs on 21 carries with 47 receiving yards including a career-long 41-yard reception. Against No.25 Michigan, he was limited to season lows in carries (10) and rushing yards (50) as the Wolverines emerged victorious, 17-33. Against Iowa, he was also held down to 65 yards on 17 carries but had 2 scoring runs to help the Wildcats defeat the Hawkeyes and earn bowl eligibility. At no.10 OSU, Sutton averaged 6.6 ypc on 14 carries and caught his second touchdown reception in NU's disappointing 7-48 setback. In the regular season-finale at Champaign, he tallied his third 200-yard game with 212 yards on a personal best 34 carries as NU defeated Illinois, 38-21. In his postseason debut at the Sun Bowl, Sutton registered 151 total yards (84 rushing, 67 receiving) as the upstart Wildcats fell short, 38-50 to UCLA. He finished the year as the team's leading rusher with 250 carries for 1,474 yards (3rd best in NU history) and 16 touchdowns, ranking 8th nationally with 122.83 rushing yards per game, 12th in the nation in all-purpose yardage with 155.83 per game, and 16th overall in scoring with 9ppg. He registered 100 or more total yards (rushing and receiving) in all but three games, while scoring two or more TDs in six of his first 12 career games. He also had 396 receiving yards (on 44 receptions).
Sutton received first team All-American citations from The Sporting News and Rivals, was the Consensus Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was in the running for the Doak Walker Award. He was also honored as the Freshman of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus and was the NGN Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
[edit] 2006
By virtue of his explosive performance the previous year, Sutton was named into a couple of award watch lists, namely the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year, Doak Walker Award, and the Maxwell Award Watch Lists.
In the season-opener, Sutton passed the 1,500-yard career rushing mark after gaining 63 yards on 13 carries in the win over Miami (Ohio). He also caught 3 passes for 23 yards and 1 TD versus the Redhawks. The following week against New Hampshire, he rushed for 99 yards, including a season-long 61-yard scamper, and a TD as the 'Cats got upset, 17-34. Against Eastern Michigan, he ran for 91 yards (5.1 ypc) and caught a pass in the 14-6 victory. The win over the Eagles was followed by six straight setbacks, including the first three on the road at Nevada, Penn State, and Wisconsin. He had 16 carries for 94 yards and 1 TD against the Wolfpack, and 8 carries each for 40 yards and 1 TD vs. the Nittany Lions while gaining only 18 yards against the Badgers. He also contributed 82 yards off 10 attempts in the 3-TD loss to Purdue before exploding for a season high 172 yards on 21 carries with a career-long 64-yard run in the 3-point loss to MSU. At Michigan, he was held down to career lows of 7 carries for 6 yards in the 3-17 defeat to the Wolverines. At Iowa, Sutton earned a share of the league's offensive player of the week and another helmet sticker from ESPN after gaining 168 yards and a TD on 28 carries to lead the Wildcats to its first win in over a month. It was easily the best performance by an RB against the Iowa defense all year long. Against the BCS-bound Ohio State, Sutton gained 57 yards on 12 carries while registering season highs in catches (7) and receiving yards (75) to go with a scoring catch in the 44-point defeat to the Buckeyes. In the regular season-finale against IU, he tallied his third 100-yard effort of the year when he rushed for 110 yards and 1 TD on a season high 34 carries to lift NU past the Illini, 27-16.
For the year, he had 189 carries for 1000 yards and 5 TDs, with 40 receptions for 261 yards and 2 scoring catches while playing through minor injuries all season. He received consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten selection and was named as the team's co-MVP with departing linebacker Nick Roach.
[edit] 2007
Like the previous year, Sutton was named into the watch lists for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year Awards. He opened the season by eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the 10th time, rushing for 108 yards and 1 TD on 24 carries in the shut-out victory over Northeastern. In week two, he carried the pigskin thrice for 14 yards before leaving the game in the first half after sustaining a lower-leg injury against Nevada. The injury forced him to sit out for the first time in his career against Duke, and was held out for four more games. He returned against EMU but played sparingly, serving more of a decoy as the Wildcats got past the Eagles, 26-14. He was finally given significant minutes at Purdue but the Boilermakers did not give him a warm welcome as NU fell, 17-35. Sutton contributed 72 yards on 12 carries and a 19-yard catch to earn the team's offensive player of the game honors. He had another big game against Iowa as he ran for 116 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries and caught 7 passes for 40 yards as the 'Cats came up 11-point short of the Hawkeyes. Against Indiana, he put up season highs of 33 carries , 141 yards, and 72 receiving yards on 6 receptions with 1 scoring run as NU won barely, 31-28. In the season-finale at Illinois, he registered 139 all-purpose yards (71 rushing, 68 receiving) in the 22-41 setback to the 20th ranked Illini.
In seven games, Sutton managed to rack up 522 yards on 108 carries with four scoring runs to go with 30 catches for 282 yards. He was still named an Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches despite missing several games.
[edit] 2008
Sutton made it to the Maxwell award Preseason watch list for the third straight year and was also named a second team All-Big Ten preseason pick by Phil Steele. In the season-opener, he burned the Orange defense for 144 yards on 21 carries with 4 receptions for 41 yards and 1 TD in the 20-point win over Syracuse. At Duke, he had 16 attempts for 66 yards and 2 TDs as the 'Cats edged out the Blue Devils, 24-20. Against Southern Illinois, he rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries with three scoring runs as NU won, 33-7. Against Ohio, he had 9 carries for 76 yards in one half of action as NU went 4-0 for the first time since 1962 with a 16-8 win over the Bobcats. He did not play in the second half after sustaining an injury in the second quarter. He returned a week later at Iowa and had 77 yards rushing on 24 carries and 72 yards on 6 receptions to help the 'Cats go 5-0 and receive a no.22 ranking in the USA Today Coaches' poll. Against Michigan State, he racked up 139 yards on 23 carries with 44 yards from 6 catches but his efforts went to naught as the Spartans dealt the 'Cats their first loss of the season, 20-37.
In the homecoming game against Purdue, Sutton had a game high 18 carries for 96 yards and caught 4 passes for 62 yards and a 9-yard touchdown reception as NU bounced back with a 48-26 win over the Boilers. At Indiana, Sutton rushed 27 times for 77 yards and a TD but left early in the third quarter after sustaining an injury to his left wrist in the 19-21 loss to the Hoosiers. Because of the injury, Sutton was ruled out for the rest of the regular season, ending the year as the team's leading rusher with 776 yards (97.0 ypg, 5.0 ypc) and fourth-leading receiver (30 receptions for 276 yards, 9.2 ypr). In four seasons, he has a grand total of 3,772 career rushing yards (third all-time at NU) and 4,995 career all-purpose yards (second all-time) while scoring 37 career touchdowns (31 rushing, 6 receiving), just a TD short of the school's career mark.
For the first time since his wrist injury, Sutton joined his team at practice in mid-December in preparation for the Alamo Bowl against Missouri. A week prior, he had three pins removed and practiced with a black brace covering the Sagittarius tattoo on his arm. In his last game as a Wildcat, he made his final start at RB and rushed for 114 yards on 29 carries as NU lost a heartbreaking overtime thriller, 23-30. He closed his career with his 16th career 100-yard game to improve his total to 3,886 rushing yards (No.2 all-time at NU) and 5,138 all-purpose yards.
[edit] Career Stats
| Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
| Year | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
| 2005 | 250 | 1474 | 5.9 | 62 | 16 | 44 | 396 | 9.0 | 41 | 2 |
| 2006 | 189 | 1000 | 5.3 | 64 | 5 | 40 | 261 | 6.5 | 34 | 2 |
| 2007 | 108 | 522 | 4.8 | 46 | 4 | 30 | 282 | 9.4 | 32 | 0 |
| 2008 | 184 | 890 | 4.8 | 66 | 6 | 35 | 305 | 8.7 | 27 | 2 |
[edit] Highlights
| Faces of the Big Ten: Tyrell Sutton. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- Big Ten Coaches Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
- Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List
- Maxwell Award Watch List
- Northwestern's Bryan Paynter "Ultimate Wildcat" Award
- Phil Steele All-Big Ten midseason third team
- Phil Steele All-Big Ten preseason second team
[edit] 2007
- All Big Ten Honorable Mention (Coaches)
- Doak Walker Award Watch List
- Maxwell Award Watch List
- Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Watch List
[edit] 2006
- Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Iowa)
- Consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten selection
- Doak Walker Award Watch List
- ESPN College GameDay "Helmet Sticker" (vs. Iowa)
- Maxwell Award Watch List
- Northwestern Co-MVP
- Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Watch List
[edit] 2005
- All-Big Ten Second Team
- Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Northern Illinois)
- Cingular ABC Sports All-America Player of the Week Candidate (vs. Northern Illinois, vs. Wisconsin)
- College Football News Big Ten Player of the Week (vs. Northern Illinois, vs. Wisconsin)
- Collegefootballnews.com freshman All-American
- Consensus Big Ten Freshman of the Year
- Doak Walker Award candidate
- ESPN College GameDay "Helmet Sticker"
- Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team
- Greater Cleveland Sports Outstanding Collegiate Athlete
- NGN Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award
- Rivals.com first-team All-American (all-purpose position)
- Rivals.com national freshman of the year Runner-up
- SI.com honorable mention All-America
- Scout.com freshman All-American
- The Sporting News first-team Freshman All-American
- The Sporting News Offensive Freshman of the Year
- Touchdown Club of Columbus Freshman of the Year
