T.J. Rushing Hometown: Pauls Valley, OK High School: Pauls Valley HS Height / Weight: 5-11 / 180 Position: CB Seasons At Stanford: 2002-05

At Stanford: T.J. finished his Stanford career as one of the top kick returners in school history, piling up 1409 yards to rank third all-time at Stanford with a 27.1 that places him second ... Named First Team All-Pac-10 as a specialist in his junior season and Second Team in the same role as a senior ... Had three career touchdowns on kickoff returns, including both the first and last return of his senior season ... Played in 43 of 44 possible games during his career with 19 coming in a starting role at cornerback, where he had four picks for 96 returns yards ... Also finished his career with 147 tackles (118 solo, 29 assisted), 13.0 tackles for loss for 59 yards, 4.0 sacks for 37 yards, 14 passes defended, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, two blocked kicks and 14 punt returns for 128 yards.
Career Stats

The 2005 Season: Earned Second Team All-Pac-10 honors as a specialist ... Led Stanford with 21 kick returns for 575 yards and a pair of touchdowns, ranking third in the Pac-10 and 20th in the nation with a 27.4 average that was eighth on Stanford's all-time single-season list ... Returned both his first and last return of the year for touchdowns, going 93 yards for a score at Navy and 87 versus Notre Dame ... Had 100 or more kick return yards on three occasions (at Navy, 2-127; vs. Oregon, 5-108; vs. Notre Dame, 2-108) ... Finished with a team-high 722 all-purpose yards, adding 128 in 14 punt returns ... Started all 11 games at cornerback, intercepting a pair of balls with 19 return yards ... Had a career-high eight tackles in his final collegiate game versus Notre Dame, while recording seven against both Arizona State and UC Davis ... Recorded his interceptions at Oregon State and at Arizona.
Game-By-Game Statistics

The 2004 Season: Had an outstanding season as the team's top kickoff return specialist and one of three cornerbacks who started in 2004 ... T.J. averaged 28.4 yards per kickoff return, which led the Pac-10, ranked No. 6 in the NCAA and was third on Stanford's all-time ... Named First-Team All-Pac-10 as a kickoff return specialist ... Returned 23 kicks for 653 yards and one touchdown, ranking second on Stanford's all-time single-season kick return yards list ... His 99-yard kickoff return against BYU went into the Cardinal record book as the third longest return in school history ... Following the game, he was named the Pac-10 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week ... Also had a 54-yard kickoff return vs. USC ... Defensively, T.J. teamed with Stanley Wilson and Leigh Torrence as the Cardinal's cornerback trio ... Played in all 11 games and started two ... Had 36 total tackles, six tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks and one fumble recovery ... Against BYU, he not only had his 99-yard kickoff return but added three tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and one fumble recovery ... Had seven tackles and a tackle for loss vs. USC and six tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss at Arizona State ... Winner of the Phil Moffat award as the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Special Teams Player.
Game-By-Game Statistics

The 2003 Season: A member of Stanford's three-man rotation at the cornerback positions along with Stanley Wilson and Leigh Torrence ... Played in all 11 games and started six ... Finished the year with 42 total tackles, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, 3.0 tackles for loss, one blocked kick and 1.0 quarterback sack ... Forced two fumbles and five tackles in The Big Game vs. Cal ... Also recorded five tackles and 1.0 sack against Arizona State ... Season-high seven tackles against Oregon State ... Returned eight kicks for 181 yards and a 22.6 average.
The 2002 Season: Along with Julian Jenkins, the only true freshman to earn a letter in 2002 ... Used in nickel situations as the team's No. 3 cornerback ... Had 21 total tackles, including 17 solo, two interceptions, 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 quarterback sack and one forced fumble ... Returned his second interception 63 yards against Oregon State to set up a Cardinal touchdown ... His first INT came in his first game as a Cardinal, September 28 against San Jose State ... Had a season high seven tackles, including six solos, a forced fumble and 1.0 tackle for loss against Washington State ... Registered four tackles vs. Arizona and Oregon State.
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In Track and Field: A sprinter on the Cardinal track and field team in 2003 and '04 ... Ran the leadoff leg on Stanford's 400m relay team in 2004 that broke the long-standing school record with a time of 39.71 ... The old mark of 39.84 was set in 1978 and included future NFL stars James Lofton and Darrin Nelson ... Posted a season best of 10.68 in the 100m, second best on the team ... Also competed on the 1600m meter relay team ... In 2003, he was a member of Stanford's 400m relay team that posted the second and third fastest times in school history (40.15 at the Stanford Invitational, 40.24 at the Texas Relays).

In High School: Named All-Midlands by SuperPrep following his senior season ... Starred in football, basketball and track at Pauls Valley HS in Oklahoma ... Named the County Player of the Year and First-Team All-State as a cornerback in 2001 ... Played quarterback, running back and cornerback as a senior ... Accounted for over 1900 yards rushing and 27 TDs ... Four-time All-County selection in football ... County Player of the Year in basketball following his junior season ... In track, he led his team to the state 3A championship after capturing four gold medals in 2002 (100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m).

Personal Information: Political Science major ... Member of the National Honor Society and Who's Who Among American High School Students.

Getting To Know: TJ Rushing
Nickname: SupaStar, T-Bird, Runt, Lil Kid
I would describe myself as a person as (one or two words): Athletic and Intelligent
What people don't know about me is: My dad is a minister and I'm also a little shy
The reason I love football is: Don't know, just have my whole life
I pattern my play after: Deion Sanders, Ronnie Lott, and Champ Bailey
For me to improve as a person, I need to: Not to expect so much out of others. I hold people to really high standards
My favorite pre-game ritual is: Chilling in the locker room relaxing and making jokes so everyone isn't so uptight.
My greatest athletic moment is: Returning a Kick against BYU for a touchdown tied with my H.S. team winning the State Track Meet
The biggest thrill in my life to date is: First career interception against San Jose State in my first game at Stanford Stadium
The teammate I admire the most is: All the Walk-Ons
My favorite stadium in which to play is: Either Autzen Stadium, or at Notre Dame
The toughest player I have faced in college is: Reggie Bush
A friend from another college football team is: JD Runnels (OU), Jeremy Harper (Rice), Brian Peters (ECU)
The reason I chose Stanford University is: Great Athletics and academics. Also the Pac-10 is a great conference for cornerbacks.
Since coming to Stanford, I have learned: How to write a 5-10 page paper in one night.
My favorite class at Stanford is: Sleep and Dreams
My least favorite class at Stanford is: IHUM
What sets Stanford apart from other college football programs?: The mixture of guys from all over the country makes this a special place.
The sports team I followed when I was younger: Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bulls
When I played football as a kid, I pretended to be: Barry Sanders
The athlete I admire most is: Michael Jordan
The person I admire most is: My Parents
If I could spend a day with anyone, it would be: Jesus
The three people in history I admire most are: Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and my Grandfathers
Best book I have read: The Da Vinci Code
Favorite food: Steak and Potatoes
If I had to cook all of my meals, I'd probably survive on: Top Ramen and Easy Mac, and sometimes frozen pizzas
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump, Varsity Blues
Favorite TV show: Martin, Chappelle's Show and SportsCenter
Favorite actor: Martin Lawrence and Denzel Washington
Favorite actress: Halle Berry and Tara Reid
If a movie were made of my life, I would have the following actor play me: Eddie Griffin
My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would be: Intercepting A pass in the final two minutes of Stanford vs. USC and return it for a touchdown
Favorite musical group or performer: Garth Brooks, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Mystikal, Rascal Flats, Snoop, and Lil Flip
If I were not playing college football, I would be: playing college basketball or running Track
After my Stanford career, I'd like to be remembered as: as a hardworking teammate who would do anything for another player on the team.
The best advice I ever received was: Do Right!
The person who had the greatest influence on my life: my parents
Hobbies: playing other sports, playing Texas Hold' Em, and anything else to just waste time.
Ten years from now, I'd like to be: Still Playing in the NFL getting ready to retire and start coaching football somewhere.
My advice to youngsters: Do Right and Have Fun!
My most prized possession: not really a possession but family and friends
If I won $1 million, I would: Celebrate and ask my parents if they needed anything.
The one thing about college football I would change: Players would get paid.

Last Updated: February 28, 2006