Darren McFadden Darren McFadden ( born August 27 , 1987 ) , nicknamed DMC , RUN DMC or D - Mac , is an American football running back for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Arkansas , and was picked fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL Draft . McFadden graduated from Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock , Arkansas . A widely touted recruit , he chose to attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville , Arkansas where he would become a two - time consensus All - American as a tailback for the Razorbacks in 2006 and 2007 . In 2006 , he became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award , the award honoring the nation ' s top collegiate running back . He joined Ricky Williams as only the second two - time winner after taking home the award again in 2007 . McFadden also won the 2007 Walter Camp Award as the nation ' s best player and was also the runner - up for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row in 2006 and 2007 . McFadden performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine , and after being drafted , he signed a contract worth $ 60 million with the Raiders , including $ 27 million in guaranteed money . Although he played infrequently as a rookie , receiving only 113 carries , fans and members of the media still praised McFadden ' s talents and abilities . Early life . McFadden was born in North Little Rock , Arkansas on August 27 , 1987 to Graylon McFadden and Mini Muhammad . The tenth of twelve children , he encountered hardships in his early life with some members of his family , including his mother , having addictions to drugs . He attended Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock . He played a variety of positions for his high school football team , but was primarily used as a running back on offense , and a safety on defense . During his senior season , McFadden was a " Parade " magazine high school All - American in 2004 , as well as the Arkansas High School player of the year for the " Arkansas Democrat - Gazette " . Following his senior year , he was awarded the prestigious Landers Award , given every year to the top player in the state of Arkansas . McFadden was ranked the number 23 player in the nation by Rivals . com and the number three athlete , and was given a five star rating , the highest star rating . He was a highly recruited prospect , and while he garnered interest from many schools around the Deep South including Tennessee , Alabama , and Auburn , he chose to end the recruiting process early and attend the University of Arkansas . College career . McFadden received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Arkansas , where he was a standout running back for coach Houston Nutt ' s Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 2005 to 2007 . 2005 season . In 2005 , his true freshman season , McFadden rushed for 1 , 113 yards and 11 touchdowns on 176 attempts . He was an integral part of an Arkansas offense that ended up going 4 – 7 with close losses to Georgia and LSU . McFadden tallied over one hundred rushing yards in five games , with his best performance coming on a 31 carry , 190 yard game against Georgia . McFadden followed the Georgia game with a 187 yard effort against the South Carolina Gamecocks . McFadden also completed his first pass in a Razorback uniform in the game against LSU , when he completed a pass to Marcus Monk for thirteen yards on a critical fourth quarter drive . McFadden ended the season with the most yards a freshman running back had ever gained in an Arkansas uniform , and became only the seventh Southeastern Conference player to rush over 1 , 000 yards as a freshman . He was recognized at the end of the season as Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) Freshman of the Year honors by both the SEC Media as well as SEC coaches . McFadden also garnered Freshman All - American nods , and was named as Newcomer of the Year for the Southeastern Conference by ESPN . He continued through spring practice early the next year as the number one running back on the Razorback depth chart , a spot he never relinquished while on campus . 2006 season . In 2006 , despite a slow start due to a dislocated toe from an off the field incident at a night club in Little Rock , McFadden rushed for a school - record 1 , 647 yards , the fifth best all - time in the SEC for single season yards , scored 14 touchdowns , and threw for three more touchdowns on just nine passing attempts , becoming a first - team All - American . McFadden also attained a new career high for yards in a single game in his 219 yard performance in a 26 – 20 win against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks . Thanks to his efforts , Arkansas streaked to ten wins and the SEC Western Division Championship , but lost to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl on January 1 , 2007 and finished with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses . On December 6 , 2006 , McFadden was named one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy , along with Troy Smith of The Ohio State University and Brady Quinn of the University of Notre Dame . In the final 2006 Heisman vote , McFadden placed second with 1 , 662 points , behind Smith ( 1750 points ) and ahead of Quinn ( 1622 points ) . On December 7 , 2006 , McFadden became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award , given annually to the nation ' s top running back . He was also the winner of Jim Brown Trophy in 2006 . He was also a consensus All - America choice , making the vast majority of teams selected . McFadden surpassed Madre Hill as the record holder for most rushing yards in a season at the University of Arkansas in 2006 . He was also the centerpiece of the " Wildcat formation , " an offensive formation wherein McFadden usually lined up at quarterback position . McFadden often played quarterback in high school , and in the Wildcat formation , he was a threat to throw the ball , to run the ball , or to hand off to another player . 2007 season . Before the 2007 season , McFadden was believed to be one of the top NFL draft picks after the 2007 season if he declared for the 2008 NFL Draft . In " Sports Illustrated " ' s website , a photo gallery chronicling the best possible candidates in the 2008 draft was tipped as the number one pick . McFadden was also predicted to be a front - runner for many awards , including the Doak Walker , the Maxwell , and the Walter Camp Player of the Year . McFadden began the 2007 season with five consecutive games in which he gained at least 120 yards . Highlighting these were a 195 yard effort against Alabama , a 151 yard game against Troy , and a 173 yard effort against Kentucky . After this stretch of games , McFadden looked to be a lock for the Heisman trophy , at the top of generally every watch list . On November 3 , 2007 , McFadden tied the Southeastern Conference single - game rushing record held by former Vanderbilt Commodores running back Frank Mordica ' s 1978 game total versus the Air Force Falcons with 321 yards rushing against the South Carolina Gamecocks . On November 23 , 2007 , McFadden led Arkansas to a 50 – 48 triple overtime victory over the number one ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , winning the Battle for the Golden Boot for Arkansas . McFadden rushed 32 times for 206 yards and three TDs , and completed three of six pass attempts for 34 yards and a touchdown . After Arkansas lost 38 – 7 to Missouri in the January 1 , 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas , Texas , McFadden decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2008 NFL Draft on January 14 , 2008 . By any measure , McFadden ' s 2007 season was a success : he was selected as the " Sporting News " magazine National Player of the Year , was a consensus first Team All - American for the second straight season , won the Doak Walker Award for the second year in a row , was selected as the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year by SEC coaches , and he was also awarded the Walter Camp Award , given to the nation ' s best overall player voted on by the Walter Camp Foundation . He ended his junior season with 1 , 829 yards rushing on 325 carries and 16 rushing touchdowns . He also threw four touchdown passes , and garnered another touchdown receiving . On December 6 , 2007 , McFadden was announced as the winner of the Walter Camp Award and as the winner of the Doak Walker Award . He became only the second person ( along with Ricky Williams ) in history to win the Doak Walker Award twice . McFadden finished as the runner - up for the 2007 Heisman Trophy for the second year in a row . He was runner - up to Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators by a margin of 1 , 957 points to 1 , 703 points , making him the first person since 1949 to finish second in Heisman voting in consecutive years . Again , McFadden was the winner of the Jim Brown Trophy , given to the nation ' s top running back . Additionally , he was also recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . McFadden ended his college career as the most decorated player in school history , and holds virtually all of the university ' s rushing records , and is also in a number of the SEC ' s all - time top 10 rushing spots . His career total of 4 , 590 yards ranks second all - time in career rushing yards in the SEC , behind only Herschel Walker of Georgia with 5 , 259 . McFadden finished his career in seventh place for the Southeastern Conference career rushing touchdowns record with 41 . In late December 2007 , sports agent and former Arkansas track and field athlete Mike Conley , Sr . was accused by KARK - TV in Little Rock , Arkansas of purchasing a Cadillac Escalade for McFadden , which would have jeopardized McFadden ' s status as an amateur athlete for the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic and a possible senior season . KARK later retracted the report and apologized to Conley . On March 6 , 2008 , Electronic Arts announced that McFadden would be cover athlete for the Xbox 360 ' s version of NCAA Football 09 . Professional career . 2008 NFL Draft . At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on February 24 , 2008 , McFadden ran an unofficial time of 4 . 27 seconds on the 40 - yard dash , and an official time of 4 . 33 , which was second among all running backs at the combine to only Chris Johnson , who ran a 4 . 24 . McFadden also reportedly scored a 17 on the Wonderlic exam . McFadden ' s selection number in the draft was subject to varying speculation . He was criticized for possible character concerns stemming from two nightclub altercations and the hiring of a lawyer to handle his paternity problems . Oakland Raiders . McFadden was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft . The Raiders signed McFadden to a six - year , $ 60 . 1 million contract which included $ 26 million in guarantees . Contract negotiation was rapid due to Raider fears of a second consecutive contract holdout as was the case with quarterback JaMarcus Russell in 2007 . 2008 - 2009 seasons . At training camp , McFadden impressed Raiders coach Lane Kiffin with his ability to take instructions once and seamlessly incorporate them into his game . Media observers considered him the most complete Raiders rookie at this stage since Marcus Allen . On September 8 , McFadden made in his NFL debut against the Broncos . McFadden had 46 rushing yards on 9 carries . The Raiders lost the game , 41 - 14 . McFadden scored his first professional touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 14 , 2008 , his second NFL game , in which he gained 164 yards on 21 carries . McFadden also suffered an injury to his big toe in this game , which limited him for the next 14 games , including three missed games . On November 23 , in a game against the Broncos , McFadden scored 2 touchdowns , his first multi - touchdown game in his career . He ended the season with 499 yards on 113 attempts , with four touchdowns . He also made 29 receptions for 285 yards . Raiders interim head coach Tom Cable , who took over after Kiffin was fired by owner Al Davis , was criticized for not playing McFadden later in the season . Responding to criticism , Cable stated “ Well what really dictated was the rotation we were in , terms of the game , the flow of the game . I think [ Justin ] Fargas played pretty well . It ’ s just those situations present themselves . " " Oakland Tribune " writer Jerry McDonald responded to Cable ' s statement , saying " If the flow of the game means keeping McFadden , an excellent receiving back , off the field on third down plays which call for a pass , then the flow needs to be changed by the play - caller . " During the 2009 Oakland Raiders campaign , McFadden was bothered by numerous injuries and saw a career low in carries and yardage . McFadden ' s low point of the season came when he rushed for minus 2 yards against the Texans on October 4 . 2010 season . McFadden started the 2010 season as a better player than he was in his first 2 seasons . Against the Tennessee Titans on September 12 , McFadden rushed for 95 yards on 18 carries . In Week 2 , McFadden rushed for 145 yards on 30 carries against the St . Louis Rams . McFadden rushed for 105 yards with a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 . McFadden missed the 4 games due to a Knee ( Torn Meniscus ) Surgery after getting injured on Oct . 5 against the Houston Texans . Upon his return on October 24 , 2010 against the division rival Denver Broncos , McFadden carried the ball 16 times for a total of 165 yards and 3 touchdowns . He also recorded 2 receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown . McFadden became only the 4th Raider to have 4 touchdowns in a game . Art Powell , Marcus Allen , and Harvey Williams were the others . On November 21 , in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , McFadden would rush for only 14 yards . Against the Miami Dolphins on November 28 , McFadden struggled again . This time , he rushed for only 2 yards on 8 carries . McFadden would get on track against the San Diego Chargers in Week 13 . He rushed for 97 yards on 19 carries . 2011 season . In the Raiders ' opener against the Broncos in Week 1 , McFadden rushed for 150 yards . McFadden ' s 150 yards was the most ever for a Raiders running back in a season opener . The Raiders would hold on and win the game 23 - 20 . Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 , McFadden was held to 72 yards with a rushing touchdown on 20 carries , a 3 . 6 average . However , McFadden found other ways to help the Raiders . He caught 7 passes for 71 yards and scored a receiving touchdown . However , the Raiders lost the game 38 - 35 . Against the Jets in Week 3 , McFadden rushed for 171 yards , a new career high , on 19 carries to help the Raiders win 34 - 24 . In the process , McFadden scored 2 rushing touchdowns . McFadden became the third running back to rush for 100 or more yards against the Jets in the Rex Ryan era . McFadden ' s performance earned him FedEX Ground NFL Player of the Week . Against the Cleveland Browns in week 6 , McFadden rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries , a 4 . 6 average , and a rushing touchdown . By the end of Week 6 , McFadden was leading the league in rushing with 610 yards , as well as contributing 19 receptions for 154 yards , and the Raiders were 4 - 2 . In Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs , however , McFadden had to leave the game after 2 runs due to an aggravation of his chronic foot condition and was shut down for the remainder of the season . 2012 season . McFadden returned for the 2012 season , but struggled throughout the year and finished with 707 yards on 216 carries . His difficulty was attributed to his continued injury problems , as he missed another 4 games during the season , and the return of the zone - blocking scheme that McFadden struggled with in his first 2 years with the Raiders . 2014 season . On March 11 , 2014 Oakland resigned McFadden after the release of fellow Oakland Raider Rashad Jennings .