 Hillman with theDenver Broncos in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 21, 23, 33, 34, 36 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1991-09-14)September 14, 1991 Long Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | December 21, 2022(2022-12-21) (aged 31) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | La Habra (La Habra, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | San Diego State (2009–2011) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2012: 3rd round, 67th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Ronald Keith Ryan Hillman Jr. (September 14, 1991 – December 21, 2022) was an American professionalfootballrunning back who played in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSan Diego State Aztecs, earning third-teamAll-American honors as asophomore in 2011. He was selected by theDenver Broncos in the third round of the2012 NFL draft and was a member of their team that wonSuper Bowl 50. Hillman later spent time with theMinnesota Vikings,San Diego Chargers, andDallas Cowboys.
Hillman was born on September 14, 1991, inLong Beach, California.[1][2] Growing up in nearbyCompton, he played football in a sports league operated by the rapperSnoop Dogg forinner-city youths,[3][4] and was on an all-star team with fellow future NFL playerDe'Anthony Thomas.[5] He has four brothers and one sister. During his early years, Hillman highlighted his talents while attendingLa Habra High School, lettering in basketball, football, and track. Inhigh school football, he played as a running back. In 2008, he was named Southwest Division offensive player of the year after helping lead the Highlanders to the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division championship crown in a season where he amassed 1,615 yards and 20touchdowns. As a senior in 2009, he was selected MVP of the Freeway League as he accounted for 2,104all-purpose yards (1,251rushing yards with 14 touchdowns) and 27 total touchdowns all-purpose yards and led the Highlanders to a 12–2 record and to the 2008CIF Southern Section Southwest Division title after going 5–0 in the Freeway League and winning the 2008 Freeway League championship. His performance earned him first-team All-County honors and by theOrange County Register.[2]
Following his senior season, Hillman was ranked by most recruiting analysts as a "three-star prospect"[6] and considered joiningColorado State,San Diego State, andFresno State to play college football.[7] He eventually signed withSan Diego State University (SDSU) to play for its Aztecs football team.[8]
Hillman sat out the 2009 season while SDSU sorted out administrative issues involving his admission. He took the year off, moved toAtlanta, worked as a waiter at anApplebee's restaurant, and studied for, retook and passed his college-entrance exam, which allowed him to enroll at SDSU.[9][10]
As a freshman in2010, Hillman gained 1,532 yards and scored 17 rushing touchdowns.[11] On September 18, 2010, he gained 228 rushing yards againstMissouri in his third college football game.[2][12] He was named the freshman of the year of theMountain West Conference (MWC) and was voted afreshman All-American by several publications.[13]
As a sophomore in 2011, Hillman was named a third-teamAll-American by theAssociated Press,[14] and earned his second straight first-team All-MWC selection.[15] He rushed for 1,711 yards and 19 touchdowns during the season. He ranked fourth among all players in theNCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with an average of 131.6 rushing yards per game.[16] He ranked third in total rushing yards.[17] He gained over 100 rushing yards in eight of San Diego State's 12 games in 2011.[18][19][20] On September 17, 2011, the San Diego State Aztecs faced the 2–0 undefeatedWashington State Cougars atQualcomm Stadium. Hillman scored on four touchdown runs, leading the Aztecs to a 42–24 victory and their first 3–0 start in 30 years. On October 29, 2011, he gained a season-high 224 yards against Wyoming for 2 touchdowns, including a 99-yard touchdown run.[21][22]
In January 2012, Hillman announced that he had hired an agent and would be entering the2012 NFL draft.[23]
| San Diego State Aztecs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
| Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
| 2010 | 262 | 1,532 | 5.8 | 117.8 | 17 | 9 | 68 | 7.6 | 1 | |||
| 2011 | 311 | 1,711 | 5.5 | 131.6 | 19 | 24 | 270 | 11.3 | 1 | |||
| Career | 573 | 3,243 | 5.7 | 124.7 | 36 | 33 | 338 | 10.2 | 2 | |||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Hillman performing at the 2012 NFL Combine |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft8+3⁄4 in (1.75 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.45 s | 1.58 s | 2.62 s | 37.0 in (0.94 m) | 17 reps | ||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[24][25] | ||||||||||||
Hillman was selected in the third round with the 67th overall pick by theDenver Broncos.[26] He signed a four-year deal with the team.[23] In week 10 against theCarolina Panthers, Hillman scored his first career touchdown on a 5-yard run.[27][28]
In week 3, he scored his second touchdown in the NFL, a 1-yard rushing touchdown to cap a victory against theOakland Raiders.[27][29] Hillman was inactive for the post-season[6][30] as the Broncos reachedSuper Bowl XLVIII, but lost 43–8 to theSeattle Seahawks.[31]
After teammateMontee Ball went down with a groin injury, Hillman was announced as the starter.[32] In his first career start, Hillman had his first 100-yard rushing game in a victory at theNew York Jets in Week 6.[33][34] He followed up with another 100-yard rushing game against theSan Diego Chargers in Week 8,[35] along with a pair of two-touchdown performances against theSan Francisco 49ers in Week 7[36] and theNew England Patriots in Week 9.[37] Unfortunately, a sprained foot sustained during the Broncos' Week 10 win over theOakland Raiders forced him to miss almost all of the remaining matches of the football season.[38][39]
Hillman had the most productive season of his career in 2015, playing every game of the regular season and had four 100-yard rushing performances, scoring seven touchdowns and rushed for a team-best 863 yards.[40][6][41] In week 4 against theMinnesota Vikings, Hillman ran for a 72-yard touchdown, the longest in his NFL career[27] and the longest touchdown run by a Broncos running back in 15 seasons, tied for the fourth longest in franchise history.[42] In Week 17, his 23-yard touchdown run broke a tie late in the comeback victory over theSan Diego Chargers, helping the Broncos finish the season 12–4 and secure the AFC's top seed for the ensuing playoffs.[43][44] Hillman soon became part of the Broncos team that defeated theCarolina Panthers by a score of 24–10 to winSuper Bowl 50; he had five carries for no yards, with his longest rush in the game being for 3 yards.[45][46] He became the first alumnus fromSnoop Dogg's youth football program to win a Super Bowl.[4]
On April 18, 2016, Hillman re-signed with the Broncos on a one-year, $2 million contract.[47] However, he was released by the Broncos before the start of the regular season.[48]
On September 21, 2016, Hillman was signed by theMinnesota Vikings afterAdrian Peterson suffered an injury in Week 2.[49] After playing five games, in which he had a total of 50 rushing yards on 18 carries and added 43 yards on four catches, he was released by the Vikings on November 21, 2016.[50]
The following day, on November 22, 2016, the Broncos attempted to re-acquire Hillman, but he was instead claimed off waivers by theSan Diego Chargers.[51][52] He managed to play in three games for the Chargers before the end of the football season.[53]
On July 27, 2017, Hillman was signed by theDallas Cowboys.[54] At the end of the pre-season, he was released by the Cowboys on September 2 that year.[55]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2012 | DEN | 14 | 0 | 85 | 330 | 3.9 | 1 | 31 | 10 | 62 | 6.2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 1 |
| 2013 | DEN | 10 | 0 | 55 | 218 | 4.0 | 1 | 19 | 12 | 119 | 9.9 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| 2014 | DEN | 8 | 4 | 106 | 434 | 4.1 | 3 | 37 | 21 | 139 | 6.6 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | DEN | 16 | 10 | 207 | 863 | 4.2 | 7 | 72 | 24 | 111 | 4.6 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 | MIN | 5 | 0 | 18 | 50 | 2.8 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| SD | 3 | 1 | 23 | 81 | 3.5 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 56 | 15 | 494 | 1,976 | 4.0 | 12 | 72 | 74 | 524 | 9.9 | 1 | 32 | 8 | 3 | |
Hillman was diagnosed withrenal medullary carcinoma, a rare form ofkidney cancer, in August 2022.[56] The cancer treatments were unsuccessful,[56] and in December 2022, he enteredhospice care for the cancer as well aspneumonia.[57] He died on December 21, 2022, at age 31.[58][59][60]
Hillman grew up in Compton, California. Snoop founded the Snoop Youth Football League, a nonprofit organization that gives inner-city children, five to 13 years old, a chance to play football and cheer. Hillman played on one of those teams ten years ago.
Hillman, who grew up in Compton, California, became the first alumnus from Snoop Dogg's youth football league to win a Super Bowl. The rap legend said "heaven gained an angel today." "Thank u for being an example to the youth in my league and around the world 🌹🌹🙏🏽🐐" Snoop Dogg wrote.
Although Oregon speedster De'Anthony Thomas was the one to receive cover-story publicity for having participated on a Los Angeles youth football all-star team sponsored by rapper Snoop Dogg, Broncos rookie running back Ronnie Hillman was there too. Hillman, a native of Long Beach, Calif., is two years older than Thomas. They played one game together on Snoop Dogg's all-star team.
Hillman was viewed as a risk, starting when recruiting analysts tabbed him as a three-star prospect at La Habra ... Even this season, when Hillman played every game for the first time in the NFL and had four 100-yard performances and seven rushing touchdowns, he is relatively fresh. ....the Broncos played the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Well, they technically were the Seahawks' opponents, even if they didn't show up for the 43–8 demolition, ... Hillman was on that team but not on the field after finding himself on the inactive list throughout that playoff run.
I'm not really interested in another school except Fresno, San Diego and Colorado State.
20. Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State: Week 9 vs. Wyoming. 31 of 50. The Box Score: 25 carries, 224 yards, 2 TDs, 2 catches, 81 yards, 1 TD Beyond the Box Score: You can see Hillman's 99-yard touchdown run in the attached video. Overall, it helped contribute to his 11.3 yard per touch average. It was the first of two touchdowns for Hillman in the third quarter. ...
Hillman had his career-first 100-yard rushing game.
With Manning in the pistol formation behind a patchwork offensive line and two tight ends lined up on the left side, Hillman went left, gathered in Manning's pitch, hit the crease and was gone down the sideline. It was the longest touchdown run by a Broncos running back in 15 years. ... Hillman's long run is tied for the fourth longest in franchise history.
The Broncos put in a claim for Ronnie Hillman, whom they cut in August, after he was waived by the Vikings this week. But the San Diego Chargers got him instead.
Ronnie Hillman warranted a look from the Vikings following Adrian Peterson's injury this season, signed by Minnesota only to appear in five games and carry the ball 18 times. He then bounced to the Chargers for three games.
