Walter Mendenhall Walter Mendenhall ( born January 22 , 1986 ) is a former American football running back . He played college football at Illinois from 2005 to 2007 before transferring to Illinois State University where he played in 2008 . He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts , Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals . He is the brother of former Arizona Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall . Early years . Mendenhall grew up in Skokie , Illinois , a suburb of Chicago . He attended Niles West High School , where he and younger brother Rashard Mendenhall formed a powerful backfield combination . In October 2002 , Walter , at age 16 , rushed for 225 yards on 15 carries and caught three passes for 31 yards . He gained 3 , 600 all - purpose yards as a high school football player at Niles West . Walter also played basketball at Niles West , and was recruited by several schools to play college basketball . As a sprinter , he also helped lead the Niles West track team to its first outdoor team title at the 2003 Argo Invitational . As the Mendenhall brothers were recruited by various colleges , their mother , Sibyl Mendenhall , established the rules . She recalled , " We were getting inundated . Location was a large consideration , so the family could see them play . We narrowed it down to three schools , and then I asked the coaches to take them both . It was important to them to be at the same school . They looked at film and offered both of them [ scholarships ] , per my request . " College career . Illinois . In August 2003 , Mendenahll announced his commitment to play football at the University of Illinois as part of the incoming class of 2004 ; younger brother Rashard had previously committed to Illinois . He played college football from 2005 to 2007 for the Illinois Fighting Illini . As a redshirt freshman in 2005 , Mendenhall saw action principally at the linebacker position . The following year , he drew attention when he outgained brother Rashard at the running back position and was named the offensive star of Illinois ' spring game in April 2006 . He appeared in 31 games for Illinois , seeing time at running back , linebacker and on special teams . In 2007 , Mendenhall rushed for 57 yards on four carries against Minnesota , his only carries of the season . He ran for 30 yards on his first carry of the season . Brother Rashard set an Illinois record with 1 , 681 rushing yards in 2007 . The 2007 Illinois team won the Big Ten Conference championship and advanced to the 2008 Rose Bowl . When Mendenhall picked up his Rose Bowl ring , head coach Ron Zook informed him that he " wasn ' t in their plans " going forward . Illinois State . Although Mendenhall had already received a bachelor ' s degree in sociology from Illinois , he still had an additional year of college football eligibility . In June 2008 , he transferred to Illinois State in Normal , Illinois , and enrolled as a graduate student . He did not have a scholarship at Illinois State and made the decision to transfer at the recommendation from a former high school teammate . Mendenhall started his first game at Illinois State on November 1 , 2008 , against Youngstown State . He rushed for 225 yards in the game and led Illinois State to a 54 - 44 victory . He had four 100 - yard rushing games . He rushed for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns for Illinois State in 2008 . Professional career . After his collegiate career was over , Mendenhall was signed by four NFL teams in 2009 and 2010 , but he did not appear in an NFL game . Mendenhall hoped to be selected in the late rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft , and " Sports Illustrated " picked him as one of its 12 small school " draft sleepers . " While Mendenhall was not drafted , he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2009 as an undrafted free agent . At the time , Mendenhall said , " I ' m just thankful to God for the opportunity to extend my playing career . I ' m just so excited right now and ready to get work . " He was waived on June 11 , 2009 . Mendenhall was signed by the Indianapolis Colts on August 13 , 2009 . He was waived on August 18 , and re - signed on August 22 . He appeared in three pre - season games for the Colts , but he was waived again during final roster cuts on September 5 . Mendenhall was signed by the Buffalo Bills on April 7 , 2010 , but then waived on May 12 , 2010 . He was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals on May 13 , 2010 , but waived again on June 18 , 2010 . Brother Rashard Mendenhall has played at the running back position for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals since 2008 and was a member of the Steelers ' Super Bowl XLIII championship team . Later years . In the fall of 2010 , after being released by the Bills , Mendenhall became an assistant football coach at Niles North High School in Skokie . He noted at the time that he was still training and hoped to have another shot at playing in the NFL .