Justin Fargas

Justin Alejandro Fargas (born January 25, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.

Justin Fargas

Fargas with the Raiders in 2009
No. 20, 25
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1980-01-25) January 25, 1980 (age 44) Encino, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:	Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, California)
College:	Michigan, USC
NFL draft:	2003 / Round: 3 / Pick: 96
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2003–2009) Denver Broncos (2010)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 3,369 Rushing average: 4.1 Receptions: 77 Receiving yards: 523 Total touchdowns: 10
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Fargas attended the University of Michigan, as a highly regarded football prospect, for three years (1998–2000). He was named one of the Top 10 Freshmen in the country by Sports Illustrated. During his freshman year, he ran for 277 yards with 1 TD on 77 carries (3.6 avg.) in 10 games. He started there as a running back before switching to safety in the middle of the 2000 season. Yet his college career at Michigan was cut short during his freshman season when he broke his leg. He was redshirted in 1999 while he rehabilitated his broken right leg.

After looking at both California and USC, Fargas chose to transfer to USC in 2001.^[1] Due to NCAA transfer rules he sat out the 2001 season. In 2002, his final season in college, Fargas rushed for 715 yards on 161 carries (4.4 yards per rush) with the Trojans.^[2]

Track and field

Fargas was also a track star at the University of Michigan. He recorded personal best of 10.37 seconds in the 100 meters while in high school at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California while qualifying for the 1998 CIF California State Meet and 50.13 seconds in the 400 meters in 2007 during the off season while playing for the Oakland Raiders.^[3] Fargas won the state championship in 1997.^[4]

Personal bests

Event	Time (seconds)	Venue	Date
100 meters	10.37 +2.0	Norwalk, California	May 23, 1998
400 meters	50.13	Fullerton, California	March 10, 2007

Professional career

2003 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	31 in (0.79 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.35 s	1.47 s	2.54 s	11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)	27 reps
All values from NFL Combine^[5]

Oakland Raiders

 

Justin Fargas

Fargas played for seven seasons for the Oakland Raiders after being selected in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.^[6] Fargas did not have many rushing attempts in his first several years. In 2006 he started six games and rushed 178 times for 659 yards and one touchdown. In 2007 he took over after LaMont Jordan became injured and had a 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,009 yards on 222 carries and four touchdowns. He was the starting running back for the Raiders for most of the 2008 season and had 218 carries for 853 yards and one touchdown. He split time in 2009 with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, and he was second on the team in rushing with 129 carries for 491 yards and three touchdowns. On March 6, 2010, he was released by the Raiders after reportedly failing his physical. Fargas disputed the claim.^[7]

Denver Broncos

Fargas signed with the Denver Broncos on August 11, 2010. They needed a running back after Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and LenDale White were all injured in training camp. It was his first action with a team since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in March.^[8] He was released by the Broncos on August 30, 2010.

NFL statistics

Rushing Stats^[9]

Year	Team	Games	Carries	Yards	Yards per Carry	Longest Carry	Touchdowns	First Downs	Fumbles	Fumbles Lost
2003	OAK	10	40	203	5.1	53	0	10	1	1
2004	OAK	12	35	126	3.6	15	1	9	1	1
2005	OAK	14	5	28	5.6	15	0	2	0	0
2006	OAK	16	178	659	3.7	48	1	27	1	1
2007	OAK	14	222	1,009	4.5	48	4	52	3	1
2008	OAK	14	218	853	3.9	42	1	32	3	1
2009	OAK	12	129	491	3.8	35	3	23	1	0
Career		92	827	3369	4.1	53	10	155	10	6

Personal life

Fargas is the son of Starsky and Hutch actor Antonio Fargas and designer Taylor Hastie.^[10]

He was indirectly referenced in an early episode of The Simpsons, when a show titled "Old Starsky and Hutches" wins an Ace Award at a ceremony hosted by Homer as a Krusty the Klown impersonator. The award is accepted by "the son of the guy who played Huggy Bear".^[11]

Fargas is married to basketball coach and executive Nikki Caldwell. Their first child was born in March 2012.^[12]

References

1. Eric Sondheimer, Fargas Makes Contact With California, USC, Los Angeles Times, December 22, 2000, Accessed July 15, 2008.
2. "Justin Fargas stats page". Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
3. . Archived from the original on February 23, 2014.
4. "1997 - California State Meet Results".
5. "2003 NFL Draft Scout Justin Fargas College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
6. "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
7. Wilson, Aaron (March 7, 2010). . Nationalfootballpost.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
8. "Nesbit files lawsuit". The Boston Globe. August 12, 2010.
9. "Justin Fargas Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
10. "Home".
11. 2F12 Homer the Clown December 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
12. . theadvocate.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2022.

External links

• CBS Sportsline
• USC Trojans football bio