Nick Goings Nick Aaron Goings ( born January 26 , 1978 , Dublin , Ohio ) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent . He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2001 . He played college football at Pittsburgh . Early years . Goings attended Dublin Coffman High School for the first three years of high school and graduated from Dublin Scioto High School ( Dublin , Ohio ) and finished his career with 5 , 785 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns . Goings led Dublin Scioto to a Division 2 State Championship . After that year the new Dublin Scioto High School was moved up to Division 1 . College career . Goings played college football at the Ohio State University and the University of Pittsburgh . His freshman year , he had 56 yards on 12 carries before suffering a neck that ended his season . His second year , he carried the ball 9 times for 24 yards . Following that year , he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh , and he was forced to sit out due to NCAA rules . His productivity increased with the Panthers , and over the two years he played in Pittsburgh he compiled 765 yards on 185 carries , with 6 touchdowns . Professional career . Carolina Panthers . Goings went undrafted , but signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent . He was used sparingly , mostly on third down carries to give the starting backs a break . He was also placed on special teams . However , his role began to expand with the change in offense once Jake Delhomme took over as quarterback . He scored his first NFL touchdown against the Tennessee Titans on an eight - yard reception from Delhomme . During the 2004 NFL season , Goings went from fourth on the depth chart to starter , once Stephen Davis , DeShaun Foster , and Rod Smart all went down with injuries . Goings led the team in rushing , and played in all sixteen games . His 121 - yard , 3 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors . He also led the NFL with five 100 - yard rushing games , and tied Davis ' team record with four consecutive 100 yard games . The next season , he moved up to the third slot on the depth chart , and thanks to his impressive 2004 season , he was used much more often in game situations . With another injury to Davis , he was the backup to Foster towards the end of the season . As Foster went down in the NFC Divisional Game , Goings was once again the starter . He started in his first playoff game in the NFC Championship Game on January 22 against the Seattle Seahawks , but was knocked out of the game on the first drive with a concussion sustained after he suffered a helmet - to - helmet collision with Lofa Tatupu . During the 2006 season , Goings was third on the Carolina Panthers depth chart behind DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams , limiting his statistical contribution . On December 30 , 2006 , Goings signed a three year contract extension through 2009 . In 2007 , Goings was placed on injured reserve by the Carolina Panthers on October 24 , 2007 after sustaining the third concussion of his career earlier in the season and suffering from the effects of post - concussion syndrome . Prior to being placed on injured reserve , Goings had played in 4 games . Goings was released by the Panthers on February 25 , 2009 .