Steve Slaton Steve Slaton ( born January 4 , 1986 ) is an American football running back who played for the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for West Virginia University , and earned All - American honors . He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft . He is currently a free agent . Early years . Slaton was born in Yardley , Pennsylvania . He was one of six children of Carl Slaton and Juanita Tiggett - Slaton . Until first grade congestion in his ears rendered Slaton completely deaf at times . In fifth grade , his sister died of leukemia . Slaton attended Immaculate Conception Elementary School , from grades kindergarten until eighth grade , where he ran track . Playing for Conwell - Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills , Pennsylvania , Slaton made the varsity football team as a freshman . He was named captain as a senior , was the most valuable player of the Philadelphia Catholic League , and was a four - year all - conference selection . As a senior , he rushed for 1 , 836 yards and 26 touchdown s . He was a first team all - state as a junior and senior . He rushed for more than 6 , 000 career yards and 73 touchdowns , setting five school records . Slaton was invited to , but did not participate in , the annual Big 33 Football Classic . Slaton was also a track star in high school . He participated in various sprint events , and at one point recorded the sixth - best long jump across all high schools in the United States in 2004 . Slaton received offers to go to college from North Carolina , Maryland and Rutgers , but chose West Virginia , but mainly as a defensive back . Slaton had originally chosen Maryland for his college , but they ended up passing a scholarship on him , instead going with Morgan Green . College career . Slaton enrolled at West Virginia University , where he played for coach Rich Rodriguez ' s West Virginia Mountaineer football team from 2005 to 2007 . 2005 season . Slaton began his true freshman year as the 4th string running back . He saw his first action in the second game of the season versus Wofford . After not getting any carries the next two games , he led the team with 90 yards rushing on eleven carries against # 3 Virginia Tech . Slaton got his first ever start of his career in the next win , 27 - 14 , against Rutgers - rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown . Slaton had one of the most memorable games in WVU football history in the next game versus Louisville . After trailing 17 – 0 at Halftime , Slaton and the Mountaineers rallied from a 24 - 7 4th Quarter deficit to win the game 46 – 44 in 3 overtimes . After kicking an onside kick that led to the tying score , the Mountaineers headed into overtime with the Cardinals . Slaton finished the game with 188 yards on 31 carries and 5 rushing touchdowns . Slaton also had his first receiving touchdown of the season . His six touchdowns are a WVU and Big East record . He was named the Walter Camp , USA Today , and Rivals . com national player of the week and was also named the Big East player of the week . Slaton added 71 yards on 17 carries in a nationally televised Big East game with Connecticut , but Slaton left the game early after an injury to his wrist . Slaton had another 100 - yard performance against Cincinnati , gaining 129 yards on 25 carries and scoring 4 touchdowns . Slaton scored three more touchdowns ( two rushing , one receiving ) in the next game against Pitt . Slaton had 179 yards rushing on 34 carries as West Virginia beat Pitt , 45 - 13 . In the final Big East game of the season , Slaton had 86 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown against the South Florida Bulls . West Virginia finished the regular season 10 - 1 and 7 - 0 in the Big East , earning the school a bid in the Nokia Sugar Bowl , while Slaton finished the season with 1 , 128 yards on 205 attempts with 17 touchdowns . WVU defeated the University of Georgia Bulldogs in the 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl on January 2 , 2006 . Slaton was named the Sugar Bowl MVP , gaining a new Sugar Bowl record of 204 yards on 26 carries and scoring three touchdowns . His game was highlighted by a pair of 52 - yard touchdown runs . Slaton ' s 204 yards were not only a Sugar Bowl record , but the second most rushing yards ever in a BCS game . In a May 19 , 2008 , ranking , ESPN ranked Slaton ' s performance in the 2006 Sugar Bowl as the # 5 best ever in a BCS bowl game . 2006 season . Slaton recorded his second straight 200 - yard performance by putting up 203 yards on 33 carries and two touchdowns against instate rival Marshall in the first game of his sophomore season . Playing only the first two series of the Eastern Washington game , Slaton was still able to get 105 yards on only 8 carries and scoring two touchdowns . Slaton performed in front of a national audience while gaining 149 yards in the 1st quarter alone against Maryland , finishing the game with 195 yards on 21 carries and added another two touchdowns . Slaton helped the highly ranked Mountaineers to their fourth win of the season by gaining 80 yards on 24 carries against East Carolina . Slaton finished with 185 yards on 26 carries and scored his seventh touchdown of the season against Mississippi State as the Mountaineers moved to 5 - 0 on the season . In the first Big East game of the season , against the Syracuse Orangemen , Slaton carried the ball 20 times for 163 yards , including a 52 - yard touchdown run . On a Friday night game in front of a national audience against the Connecticut Huskies , Slaton carried the ball nineteen times for 128 yards , including a career high 56 - yard touchdown run . Slaton finished with 156 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in a 44 - 34 loss to Louisville . After a great first half , Slaton had two costly fumbles on consecutive snaps to start the 3rd Quarter . Slaton sat out the rest of the 3rd because he was unable to grip the ball after taking a helmet to his elbow . In the ninth game of the season , Slaton exploded for runs of 65 and 63 yards to help WVU bounce back and beat Cincinnati 42 - 24 , finishing with 148 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries . In the 99th meeting of the Backyard Brawl against Pitt , Slaton became the first Mountaineer to ever have more than 100 yards rushing ( 215 ) and 100 yards receiving ( 130 ) in the same game , also having two rushing and two receiving touchdowns . The 215 yard performance , which was a career - high , came on 23 carries and his 130 yards receiving . In the final regular season game , in front of a national audience , Slaton helped lead the Mountaineers to a 41 - 39 triple overtime victory against Rutgers . Slaton gained 112 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns , including one in overtime . J Slaton finished the season with 1 , 744 yards on 248 carries with 16 touchdowns with a wrist injury all season . Slaton ' s 1 , 744 yards was third in the nation , while his average yards per run was ninth and his touchdown total was tied for eighth . His yardage was a West Virginia rushing record for a season , breaking Avon Cobourne ' s record of 1 , 710 yards , and was 22nd in West Virginia ' s record book of most total offense in a season . Slaton ' s 360 receiving yards is the second most in a season by a running back in school history as well , behind legendary fullback Jim Braxton ' s 565 yards , while his 27 receptions was tied for third most by a back in a season . Slaton ' s 2 , 104 yards from scrimmage is a West Virginia season record as well . In the season , Slaton and quarterback Pat White combined for 2 , 963 yards and 34 rushing touchdowns . They also combined for 4 , 978 total yards and 49 total touchdowns together on the season , the second - best output between the two in their three - year career together . 2007 season . In the first game of the season against Western Michigan , Steve Slaton struggled rushing early as the Broncos keyed in on him , but ended with 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns and 61 receiving yards on 2 receptions and a touchdown as the Mountaineers won 62 - 24 . In the second week of the season , Slaton had 146 yards on 24 carries and touchdown runs of 1 - yard and 18 - yards while the Mountaineers beat Marshall 48 - 23 in front of the largest crowd ever at Joan C . Edwards Stadium , in Huntington , West Virginia . In this game , Slaton became the third Mountaineer to surpass 3 , 000 rushing yards in his career . In the third game of the season against Maryland , Slaton and the Mountaineers beat the Terps 31 – 14 . Slaton finished the game with 26 carries for 137 yards and three touchdowns , including Slaton ' s longest run which was a 22 - yard touchdown . Slaton earned the Wrangler Player of the Game honors presented by ESPN . In the following game against ECU , Slaton tied the school record scoring his 42nd rushing touchdown of his career and finished the game with 18 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown along with three receptions for 42 yards as the Mountaineers won 48 - 7 . In the 5th game of the season , Slaton , for the 3rd year in a row , was held under 100 yards rushing by South Florida - finishing the game with just 55 yards on 13 carries as WVU suffered their first loss of the season . Against Syracuse , Slaton had 69 yards on 15 carries and 51 yards on four receptions in the 55 – 14 win . The following game against Mississippi State , which was homecoming for the Mountaineers , Slaton rushed for 127 yards on 23 carries for one touchdown in the 38 - 13 win . Slaton ' s touchdown put him in the record books as the school ' s all - time leading scorer on the ground , passing Ira Rodgers and Avon Cobourne with 43 rushing touchdowns . At # 25 Rutgers , Slaton had 16 carries for 73 yards and three touchdowns but also had a reception for 51 yards on a screen pass . Against Louisville , Slaton had 17 carries for 60 yards but a touchdown in the 38 - 31 win . At that point , Slaton had been held under 100 yards rushing for four of the previous five games . The next week however , in the 28 – 23 win against # 22 Cincinnati , Slaton earned the gameball from ESPN after rushing 23 times for 108 yards and a touchdown , also while catching three passes for a team - high 48 yards . Slaton ' s rushing touchdown set a school record for most career points scored by non - kickers with 318 points in his career and his 151 all - purpose yards placed him second on the career school list with 4 , 690 yards . Slaton and the Mountaineers clinched the 2007 Big East Championship with a 66 - 21 win over # 20 Connecticut . Slaton had a sub - par performance , rushing for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns on ten carries and grabbing two receptions for 11 yards . However , he surpassed 1 , 000 yards on the season on a 31 - yard touchdown run for the third straight year ; and by him surpassing 1 , 000 yards on the season , Slaton and Patrick White both surpassed 1 , 000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season , a feat that made them only the third pair in FBS history to ever do so . The next week however , the # 2 Mountaineers fell to 5 – 7 Pitt in the Backyard Brawl 13 - 9 to end their National Championship hopes . In the loss , Slaton only carried the ball nine times for eleven yards . Slaton was named to second - team all - Big East and was also awarded the team ' s Coaches Contribution Award by former head coach Rich Rodriguez . Slaton finished the regular season with 1 , 053 yards on 210 carries for a tying season - high 17 touchdowns . He also had 25 receptions for 348 yards and a touchdown . Slaton and quarterback Patrick White combined for 43 total touchdowns , more than 67 Division 1 - A teams that season . They also combined for 5 , 460 total yards , the best output by the two in their three - year career together . Their three - year career together ended with 13 , 433 total yards and 106 total touchdowns combined , cementing themselves as one of the greatest duos in NCAA history . In the 48 - 28 Fiesta Bowl victory under interim head coach Bill Stewart , Slaton left the game early in the first quarter with a leg injury after rushing one time for - 2 yards and catching one pass for two yards . Awards and honors . 2005 2006 2007 Records . Game Season Career Active career leaders Professional career . Pre - draft . On January 13 , 2008 , Slaton announced he would forego his senior season at West Virginia and enter the 2008 NFL Draft . Slaton received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in February . His 33 . 5 vertical jump was 11th best by a running back . Slaton also worked out as a wide receiver in drills at the Combine . Slaton reported meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans at the NFL Combine . West Virginia ' s Pro Day was March 13 . At the Pro Day he ran a 4 . 45 , despite weighing in at 199 lbs . He also ran a 2 . 51 20 - yard dash and a 1 . 47 10 - yard shuttle . In his 3 - cone drill , Slaton ran a 6 . 74 , a 4 . 27 short shuttle , and a 35 " vertical jump . Slaton also impressed many scouts with his receiving abilities , highlighted with a one - handed grab behind him on a " go route " . Slaton ' s 6 . 74 three - cone drill time and 1 . 47 10 - yard shuttle time was one of the best by any draft prospect at their respective Pro Days . Houston Texans . Slaton was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round ( 89th overall ) of the 2008 NFL Draft . On July 21 , the Texans signed him to a multi - year contract . In Slaton ' s first regular season game as a Texan , a 38 - 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers , Slaton rushed 13 times for 43 yards and caught three passes for six yards . On September 21 , 2008 , Slaton scored his first touchdown in the NFL with a 6 - yard run against the Tennessee Titans . He finished the game with 18 carries for 116 yards ( 6 . 4 average ) , including a 50 - yard run , and 4 receptions for eight yards . Slaton totaled 104 yards in the first half alone , making him the second Texan ever to ever rush for 100 yards in the first half of a game , while his 50 - yard run was the second - longest in franchise history . Following the performance , head coach Gary Kubiak named Slaton the starting running back . Slaton followed - up his first 100 - yard rushing performance in his second start of his career , a 30 - 27 loss to Jacksonville , with 10 rushes for 33 yards and caught 8 passes for 83 yards , including a 30 - yard touchdown reception from the wideout spot . Slaton finished the game with 116 total yards in his second career start . In Slaton ' s third career start , a 31 - 27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts , Slaton rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and also had a reception for three yards . Slaton ' s performance won him the NFL Rookie of the Week Award from NFLPlayers . com , and was nominated for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week Award for the third consecutive time , dating back to the Titans ' game . In the following 29 - 28 victory over the Miami Dolphins , Slaton rushed 15 times for 58 yards and had a reception for 3 yards . In their consecutive victory against the Detroit Lions , Slaton totaled 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and had three receptions for nine yards . In the 35 - 6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals , Slaton rushed 15 times for 53 yards with a touchdown . Slaton then had 12 rushes for 62 yards and 8 receptions for 56 yards in the 28 - 21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings . The game marked his second 100 - yard all - purpose game of the season with a total of 118 yards . Slaton and the Texans lost the following game against Baltimore 41 - 13 . In the loss , Slaton rushed four times for seven yards and had two receptions for 17 yards in limited touches . However , Slaton rebounded in the following loss to the Indianapolis Colts , in which he posted career - high numbers - finishing the game with 14 carries for 156 yards and a touchdown . Slaton ' s yardage broke the franchise single - game rookie record , two yards shy of breaking Domanick Williams ' all - time franchise record , while his 71 - yard touchdown run was the longest rush in Texans ' history . Slaton also led all rushers in the league with his performance . After the game , Slaton ranked first in most runs of 40 or more yards mong the NFL ' s top 15 rushers , sixth in rushes of 20 + yards among the top 15 , and his 5 . 1 yard per carry average was tied for second - most with DeAngelo Williams among the top 15 . Then Slaton and the Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns 16 - 6 , with Slaton leading the way with 21 rushes for 73 yards . Slaton and the Texans then defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 30 - 17 on Monday Night . Slaton led the Texans ' offensive assault with 21 carries for 130 yards with two touchdowns and was second on the team with two receptions for 52 yards - including a 46 - yard screen reception . Slaton finished his first career Monday Night Football performance with 182 total yards of offense . For Slaton ' s Monday Night performance , he was awarded AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 14 . Slaton went over 1 , 000 yards rushing on the season with his 120 yard , 26 carry performance against the Green Bay Packers in the 13th game of the season . Slaton also had 40 yards off of 3 receptions , totaling 160 yards of total offense . As the Texans then upset the Titans 13 - 12 the following week , Slaton posted a 100 - yard performance off of 24 rushes . In the following loss to the Oakland Raiders , Slaton rushed 18 times for 66 yards and caught five passes for 36 yards . It marked the first time in four games that he did not rush for over 100 yards ( although he totaled 102 yards of offense ) , however he broke the franchise single - season record for rushing yards with 1 , 190 yards . In the final week of the season , Slaton ' s Texans were pitted against the Chicago Bears who had a talented rookie running back of their own in Matt Forté . Slaton rushed for 92 yards and a score to play to seal Houston ' s win . He ended his rookie season with 1 , 282 rushing yards , the most among rookie running backs and sixth in the NFL , behind only Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings , Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons , DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers , Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins , and Thomas Jones of the New York Jets . Slaton began his sophomore season in the National Football League as the starter for the Texans after the success of his rookie season . Behind Slaton were backs Ryan Moats and Chris Brown . In the off season , Slaton added to his frame by bulking up to 215 pounds from his 198 pounds when drafted . However , Slaton lost the short - yardage and goal line situational carries to backup Chris Brown after the preseason by choice of head coach Gary Kubiak . In the opening game of the season , the Texans lost to the New York Jets 24 - 7 behind Slaton ' s 9 carries for 17 yards ( 1 . 9 yard average ) and 3 receptions for 35 yards - losing his first fumble of the season on a 17 - yard reception . In the following win over the Tennessee Titans , Slaton rushed for 34 yards on 17 carries and had 25 yards receiving on 3 catches , however Slaton fumbled twice in the game . Head coach Gary Kubiak was openly critical of Slaton ' s play in the first two games of the season . However , in the third game Slaton rebounded with 76 yards rushing on 12 carries and 37 yards receiving on 2 catches . In the fourth game of the season , a 29 - 6 victory over the Oakland Raiders , Slaton fumbled for the fourth time in four games . He was temporarily benched during the game , but rebounded with a 32 - yard touchdown run - his first score of the season , finishing with 65 yards rushing and 24 yards receiving and another touchdown via a reception . In the following game , a loss to the Arizona Cardinals , Slaton rushed for 39 yards on 13 carries and caught 6 passes for 59 yards . In the press conference following the game , Gary Kubiak expressed his displeasure with the running game and Slaton , saying , " If we ' ve got to go out there and throw it all the time , that ' s what we ' ll do . " On November 8 , 2009 , Slaton was benched in favor of Ryan Moats . On December 9 , Slaton was put on the Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury . On September 27 , 2011 , Slaton was waived by the Texans . Miami Dolphins . The Miami Dolphins claimed him off of waivers on September 28 . On September 1 , 2012 , Slaton was released by the Dolphins . After Matt Forté went down with an injury , Slaton worked out for the Chicago Bears on September 22 , 2012 , though the Bears ultimately signed Kahlil Bell . The Detroit Lions also expressed interest in Slaton . Career statistics . " Source : NFL . com " Personal . Slaton has two sons , and is married to his high school sweetheart , Kimberly Sierra . Slaton ' s favorite NFL player is Emmitt Smith , and his favorite musical artist is Jay - Z . His maternal grandmother was originally from the Philippines and she met his maternal grandfather William , while she was selling vegetables during World War II .