Ron Dayne (born March 14, 1978 in
Berlin Township, New Jersey) is a former
American football running back who is currently a
free agent. He holds the
NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999
Heisman Trophy.
Early life
Dayne's athleticism and speed made him a star running back at
Overbrook High School in
Pine Hill, New Jersey, and he was heavily recruited by many colleges. He also excelled at
track and field. In 1995 he won the NJ Meet of Champions, setting a new meet record in the Discus. In 1996 he won state titles in both the Shot Put and Discus, breaking both meet records (although both of those have since been broken again). He also won the NJ Meet of Champions in both events breaking his own meet record in the discus. He has the #5 distance ever thrown in the Discus by a US High Schooler at 216' 11" (66.12m).,
National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 24, 2007. "Hometown: Berlin, NJ... Dayne was a consensus first-team All-America selection and SuperPrep’s Eastern Region Player of the Year at Overbrook High School in Berlin, N.J."
His football role was expected to change when he reached college — at 270 pounds out of
high school, many felt that he was simply too big to be a tailback and believed he would be best suited as a
fullback. Eventually,
Barry Alvarez promised Dayne a tailback position and persuaded him to come to the
University of Wisconsin–Madison.
College career
Known as......
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