On a personal level, there weren’t many better stories in the NFL in 2007 than that of Darren Sproles. After a stellar rookie year in 2005, the KansasState product broke his ankle in the first preseason game in 2006, an injury that caused him to miss the entire season. Sproles fought his way back, regained his job as the Chargers’ top return man in 2007 and performed so well that he was named as a second alternate to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.



Sproles finished the season ranked fifth in the NFL in kickoff return average (27.2 yards per return) and seventh in punt return average (9.5 yards per return). At the end of the year, his teammates honored him with the Ed Block Courage Award in recognition of the way Sproles battled back from injury.



In addition to his commitment to rehabbing his ankle, Sproles devoted himself to vastly improving his game during his year-long absence from the field. As a rookie, Sproles occasionally had problems fielding punts cleanly. During the spring of 2007, Sproles would grab a member of the Chargers’ equipment staff roughly four times a week and have the staffer feed him punts through the JUGS machine. Sproles estimates that he fielded close to 2,000 punts that spring and the work paid off as he didn’t bobble a single kick in 2007.



Late in the season, Sproles saw his opportunities increase on offense. He posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career on Dec. 16 against the Detroit Lions (122 yards and two touchdowns), and in the postseason, Sproles scored a 56-yard touchdown on a screen play that gave the Chargers a 21-17 lead in their Divisional Playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts.



Coming out of KansasState, Sproles was one of the most prolific runners and all-purpose performers in college football history. He set nearly every school record imaginable - 23 in all - and he is regarded by many as the best player in the 110-year history of KansasState football.



Darren plays the game with a heavy heart and an angel on his shoulder. On April 25, 2004, he lost one of his greatest supporters when his mom, Annette, died at the age of 41 after a five-year battle with cancer. To honor their late mother, Darren and his brother, Terence, wear charms that read RIP Mom.



Darren further honored his mother when he bypassed potential NFL riches following his junior season and returned to KansasState to complete his degree in speech pathology. In college, school officials arranged for him to work with a speech pathologist because he was uncomfortable and stuttered during interviews. Darren also spoke with basketball great and San Diego native Bill Walton, who had a stuttering problem many years ago and is now an NBA analyst.



Darren’s nickname is Tank, which came from his family because he weighed 10 pounds at birth. The first time Tank picked up a football in a game at the age of 9, he ran 80 yards for a touchdown in a Pop Warner game.

Darren still maintains close ties to Gene Wier, his former high school coach at OlatheNorthHigh School. During the summers while he was in college, Darren would return to his alma mater to volunteer at football camps and lift weights with the players. Darren has said that he would like to coach high school football after his playing career comes to an end.