Kevin Faulk Kevin Troy Faulk ( born June 5 , 1976 ) is a former American football running back . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft . He played his entire 13 seasons with the New England Patriots . He played college football at LSU . Early years . Born in Lafayette , Louisiana , Faulk attended Carencro High School in Carencro , Louisiana , where he helped his team win the 1992 State Championship ( Class 5A ) . In high school , Faulk rushed for 4 , 877 yards on 603 carries ( 8 . 1 yards per carry ) . He also had 7 , 612 all - purpose yards and 89 touchdowns . He was twice chosen as Louisiana ' s Most Valuable Player ( Class 5A ) . He was also given All - American Honors by USA Today and Parade . College career . Following high school , Faulk attended Louisiana State University , where he immediately became the starting running back for LSU ' s football team as a true freshman in 1995 . In 1996 , Faulk was voted to the College Football All - America Team by the Associated Press . On September 7 , 1996 , in the game against the Houston Cougars , LSU trailed at half - time 34 - 14 . Many LSU fans left Tiger Stadium before the game ended in anticipation of certain defeat . Faulk , however , took over the game in the second half and rushed for a school record of 246 yards on 21 carries and returned four punts for another 106 yards . The result was an LSU win by one point , 35 - 34 ; Houston scored nothing in the second half of the game . Faulk ran for 1 , 144 yards on 205 carries in 1997 , scoring 15 touchdowns . He improved on those numbers as a senior in 1998 when he ran for 1 , 279 yards on 229 carries and scored 12 rushing touchdowns . He added 287 yards receiving and three receiving touchdowns . Faulk finished his LSU career with 4 , 557 yards rushing in 41 games , which was second best in SEC history behind the legendary Herschel Walker of Georgia ( 5 , 259 yards in 34 games ) . Faulk also finished his career with 6 , 833 career all - purpose yards and 53 total touchdowns , which tied him for fifth in NCAA history and first in SEC history . His SEC record was surpassed on November 21 , 2009 by Tim Tebow of Florida . In 1999 , Faulk graduated from LSU with a degree in kinesiology . Collegiate records . Faulk holds the following school records at LSU : LSU career rushing records . Faulk was also one of the best kick returners in LSU ' s history with 832 yards and 2 touchdowns on punt returns and 884 yards and 1 touchdown on kickoff returns . Pre - Draft . He attended the 1999 NFL Combine . There he measured in at 5 ' 8 " and weighed 205 pounds . He ran the 40 yard dash in 4 . 57 seconds , had a 34 " vertical jump , 9 ' 6 " standing broad jump , ran the 20 yard shuttle in 4 . 09 seconds , and ran the 3 cone drill in 7 . 14 seconds . Professional career . 1999 – 2000 seasons . Faulk was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round ( 46th overall ) of the 1999 NFL Draft . As a rookie , Faulk started the first two games of the season at running back before an ankle injury kept him out of the next two games . He returned in Week 5 as a reserve behind starter Terry Allen . He suffered a sprained ankle in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve on December 14 , 1999 . In 11 games , Faulk recorded 1 , 358 all - purpose yards and also returned a kickoff for 95 yards against the New York Jets on November 15 . He recorded 227 rushing yards on 27 carries and one touchdown , along with 12 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown . He added 943 kickoff return yards on 39 returns , as well as 10 punt returns for 90 yards . In 2000 , Faulk shared a starting role with rookie J . R . Redmond , with Faulk starting 9 of 16 games played . He led the team with 570 yards rushing on 164 carries with four rushing touchdowns . He added 51 catches for 465 yards and one touchdown . He was also active on special teams , leading the team with 38 kickoff returns for 816 yards while also returning six punts for 58 yards . 2001 – 2002 seasons . Faulk settled into a reserve role for the 2001 season , behind starter Antowain Smith . He played in 15 games , making one start , and finished second on the team with 169 yards rushing on 41 attempts , with one touchdown . He added 30 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns . He also led the team for a third straight season with 33 kickoff returns for 662 yards , while adding four punt returns for 27 yards . On December 22 against the Miami Dolphins , Faulk completed a 23 - yard pass to quarterback Tom Brady , his first career pass completion . Faulk and the Patriots would go on to win Super Bowl XXXVI over the St . Louis Rams . In 2002 , Faulk finished the regular season with 1 , 440 all - purpose yards in 15 games , all as a reserve behind Smith . He ran 52 times for 271 yards and two touchdowns , caught 37 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns , returned 26 kickoffs for 725 yards and two touchdowns , and added 8 punt returns for 65 yards . His seven total touchdowns ranked second on the team . He also finished second in the NFL in 2002 with a 27 . 9 - yard kickoff return average . That same year , he broke the Patriots ' franchise record for total kickoff return yards , which had previously been held by Dave Meggett , who had 2 , 561 yards on kickoff returns . Also in 2002 , Faulk returned two kickoffs for touchdowns , becoming only the second player in Patriots history to return more than one kickoff for a touchdown in a season . One kickoff return was an 86 - yard return against the Oakland Raiders on November 17 , the other was an 87 - yard kickoff return against the New York Jets on December 22 . He became the only player in franchise history and the only NFL player in the 2002 season to record multiple touchdowns in three different categories : rushing , receiving , and kick returns . 2003 – 2004 seasons . In 2003 , Faulk compiled 1 , 351 all - purpose yards ( including a team - high 1 , 078 yards from scrimmage ) in 15 games , making eight starts in his final season with Smith . He finished the season with career highs of 178 carries for 638 yards as well as 48 receptions for 440 yards . He added 10 kickoff returns for 207 yards and 5 punts returns for 66 yards . Faulk also set a career high in fumbles in 2003 , with four . Faulk and the Patriots finished the season with a league - best 14 – 2 record , advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII . Faulk helped the Patriots to a 32 – 29 victory in the game over the Carolina Panthers with 42 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving . His longest plays were a 23 - yard run in the fourth quarter and a two - point conversion score with 2 : 51 left in the fourth quarter ; the direct snap run was the only score by Faulk in 2003 . In 2004 , Faulk played in 11 games ( starting one ) as a reserve behind starter Corey Dillon . He recorded 255 yards on 54 carries for two touchdowns , 26 receptions for 248 yards and one touchdown , 4 kickoff returns for 73 yards , and 20 punt returns for 133 yards . The Patriots would again post a 14 – 2 record and won Super Bowl XXXIX over the Philadelphia Eagles . 2005 – 2007 seasons . Faulk played in the first three games of 2005 before suffering a foot injury and not returning until Week 13 in December . In eight games played ( two starts ) , Faulk had 145 yards rushing on 51 carries and 29 catches for 260 yards . He also returned 4 kickoffs for 81 yards . In 2006 , Faulk returned healthy to play in 15 games , making one start . He ran 23 times for 123 yards and one touchdown , and also had 43 receptions for 356 yards and two touchdowns . He returned 17 kickoffs for 364 yards and 31 punts for 330 yards . On November 26 , 2006 , in a game against the Chicago Bears , Faulk surpassed Tony Collins on the Patriots ' all - time receiving list for a running back with 262nd catch . Dillon departed after the 2006 season , leading Faulk to make 8 starts in 16 games played in 2007 , alongside second - year running back Laurence Maroney . He was voted an offensive captain for the first time in his career . Faulk rushed for 265 yards on 62 attempts , and added 47 catches for 383 yards and one touchdown . He also returned 2 kickoffs for 47 yards . 2008 – 2011 seasons . To start the 2008 season , Faulk was given a one - game suspension for violation of the NFL ' s substance abuse policy . He was found possessing marijuana while attending a Lil Wayne concert in Louisiana in February 2008 . Faulk returned in Week 2 and played in every remaining game , making three starts to mark his tenth consecutive season with the Patriots . He finished the 2008 season with 83 carries for 507 yards and three touchdowns , as well as a career high 58 receptions for 486 yards and three touchdowns . On special teams , he added 2 kickoff returns for 36 yards and 10 punt returns for 132 yards . In 2009 , Faulk started 7 of 15 games , rushing 62 times for 335 yards and two touchdowns , and making 37 catches for 301 yards and one touchdown . He also returned 6 kickoffs for 144 yards and returned 5 punts for 31 yards . During the season , Faulk became the team ' s all - time leader in all - purpose yards , amassing 12 , 140 yards by the end of the season . He also became the 26th running back in NFL history with at least 400 receptions . Faulk ' s 2010 season ended in Week 2 , when in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Jets , Faulk tore his ACL while being tackled . In two games , both starts , Faulk had eight carries for 45 yards and six catches for 62 yards . He was placed on injured reserve on September 22 , 2010 , ending his season . On July 30 , 2011 , Faulk re - signed with the Patriots , he was placed on the " PUP " list but returned to practice after week six . Retirement . On October 9 , 2012 , Kevin Faulk announced his retirement at a ceremony at the Hall at Patriot Place . He currently appears on NESN every Monday and Friday for a game recap and preview respectively . He also appears on The Real Pre - Game Show on WEEI 93 . 7FM every Sunday at 9am for a 1pm kickoff and Noon for a 4 : 25pm kickoff . Personal life . Kevin Faulk is married and has three children . He is a cousin of former NFL running back Marshall Faulk .