 Bush with the Oakland Raiders in 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 29 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1984-06-16)June 16, 1984 (age 40) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Louisville Male(Louisville, Kentucky) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Louisville (2003–2006) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2007: 4th round, 100th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Michael Warren Bush Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theOakland Raiders in the fourth round of the2007 NFL draft. He playedcollege football for theLouisville Cardinals.
In addition to the Raiders, Bush played for theChicago Bears andArizona Cardinals.
Bush attendedLouisville Male High School where he playedquarterback his senior year after seeing action atdefensive back,defensive end,linebacker,running back,safety, andwide receiver over his career. As a senior, he led the Bulldogs to the state championship game in Kentucky's highest class. In that showdown against future Louisville teammateBrian Brohm and theTrinity High School Shamrocks, Bush threw for 468 yards and sixtouchdowns and ran for 116 yards and another touchdown in a 59–56 loss. He also caught two passes for 24 yards, returned a punt and a kickoff, and made five tackles on defense.[1]
Following a successful high school career, Bush became a highly sought after college recruit. He turned down offers from several more established programs (includingOhio State) to stay at home and attend the University of Louisville, largely because head coachBobby Petrino promised the opportunity to play quarterback, his preferred position. As a true freshman, he was forced to play several positions in order to get on the field because Louisville's starting quarterback position was locked down byStefan LeFors. Though he was not the starter, Bush was able to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games as a running back toward the end of the year againstHouston andCincinnati.[2][3]
Meanwhile, Petrino had decided to recruit another star quarterback from the Louisville area:Brian Brohm of Trinity. Though Bush had played various positions his freshman year, he believed this arrangement to be temporary and still expected to be a quarterback in the long-term. The recruitment of Brohm, however, meant Bush would have to find another position. Much to Bush's chagrin, Petrino moved him to the running back position permanently.[1]
In 2004, as a sophomore, Bush backed upLionel Gates andEric Shelton. He rushed for 734 yards and seven touchdowns and proved himself worthy of the starting role for next season.[4]
Bush's breakout season came as a junior in 2005, as he rushed for 1,143 yards on 205 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, racked up a Big East-leading 23 rushing touchdowns, and was second in NCAA Division I-A in scoring toLenDale White.[5][6] He was also widely considered to be a preseason candidate for the 2006Heisman Trophy.[7] Though he could have left early for theNFL draft, Bush decided to return for his senior season.[8]
He came into the 2006 projected as one of the top 10 players for the2007 NFL draft, and his season began successfully as expected. His first carry of the season was a 48-yard run for a touchdown in the Cardinals' annualrivalry game withKentucky. He then scored two more touchdowns in the first half, and had carried for 128 yards when he was tackled by Kentucky linebackerWesley Woodyard during a routine rushing play in the third quarter and suffered a broken righttibia. The injury was so bad that ESPN announced before the end of the game that Bush would miss the remainder of the 2006 season.[9] The injury required the insertion of a steel rod and a second operation to facilitate the healing process.
Bush participated in 3 bowl games during his career as a Cardinal. The first was aGMAC Bowl loss toMiami University in which Bush ran for 33 yards on 9 attempts, behind Gates' 12 carries for 128 yards.[10] Bush fared better in theLiberty Bowl victory overBoise State with 12 carries for 96 yards, his best performance in a bowl game.[11] Bush finished his bowl career in theGator Bowl with 94 yards on 16 carries againstVirginia Tech.[12]
Bush majored in sports administration at Louisville.[13]
| Year | G | Att | Yrd | TD | Lng | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 13 | 81 | 503 | 6 | 81 | 6.2 |
| 2004 | 12 | 132 | 734 | 7 | 31 | 5.6 |
| 2005 | 10 | 205 | 1,143 | 23 | 73 | 5.6 |
| 2006 | 1 | 17 | 128 | 3 | 51 | 7.5 |
| Total | 36 | 435 | 2,508 | 39 | 81 | 5.8 |
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) | |||||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[14] | ||||||||||||
Bush was chosen by theOakland Raiders in the2007 NFL draft in the fourth round with the 100th overall pick.[15] With his broken leg still hobbling him, he was declaredPhysically Unable to Perform for the entire 2007 season.[16]
After a two-year hiatus, Bush finally returned to the football field in 2008. He was the Raiders' third string halfback but saw some action because of injuries toDarren McFadden andJustin Fargas. He made his NFL debut in Week 1. He got his first significant action in Week 2 against theKansas City Chiefs with 16 carriers for 90 yards in the 23–8 victory.[17] He was used in a limited role following Week 4 up until the regular season finale in Week 17 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. In the win, Bush rushed for 177 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns to help Oakland deny Tampa Bay a spot in the playoffs.[18]
In the 2009 season, Bush saw more usage but continued to platoon the backfield with Fargas and McFadden.[19] He appeared in all 16 games, started seven, and finished with 123 carries for 589 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.[20]
In 2010, Bush solidified a role as the team's second running back, only behind McFadden.[21] He rushed for 655 yards in 14 games, including eight touchdowns.[22]
Before the 2011 season, Bush agreed to a contract extension with the Raiders.[23] In Week 10, he started as running back against theSan Diego Chargers in place of the injured McFadden. In that 24–17 victory, he gained a total of 242 yards from scrimmage, fourth most in Raiders history and eclipsingBo Jackson's total for the most since theAFL/NFL merger.[24] Bush finished with 256 carries for 977 yards and seven rushing touchdowns to finish as the team's leading rusher.[25] He carved out a role catching passes in the offense with 37 receptions for 418 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.[26][27]
Bush signed a four-year contract worth $14 million (with $7 million guaranteed) with theChicago Bears on March 22, 2012.[28] Bush replacedMatt Forte as halfback during minicamp while Forte was holding out over a contract dispute.[29] In his regular season debut as a Bear in 2012, Bush ran for 42 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears defeated theIndianapolis Colts 41–21.[30] After sustaining a rib injury, Bush was placed on injured reserve on December 18.[31] Bush was also unofficially considered the emergency quarterback of the Bears, something which is related to his experience from high school.[32] On March 10, 2014, the Bears released Bush.[33]
Bush signed with theArizona Cardinals on November 25, 2014.[34] He was released by the team on December 5, 2014.[35]
In 2015, Bush participated in the firstNFL Veteran Combine, where he recorded a40-yard dash time of 4.91 seconds. Upon hearing the news, the former running back exclaimed: "You gotta be (expletive) me... 4.91? ... There you go, there goes my career."[36][37][38]
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | OAK | 15 | 95 | 421 | 4.4 | 67 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009 | OAK | 16 | 123 | 589 | 4.8 | 60 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | OAK | 14 | 158 | 655 | 4.1 | 30 | 8 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | OAK | 16 | 256 | 977 | 3.8 | 44 | 7 | 53 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | CHI | 13 | 114 | 411 | 3.6 | 20 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | CHI | 15 | 63 | 197 | 3.1 | 40 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 89 | 809 | 3,250 | 4.0 | 67 | 29 | 160 | 4 | 4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Tgt | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | OAK | 15 | 19 | 30 | 162 | 8.5 | 25 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | OAK | 16 | 17 | 19 | 105 | 6.2 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | OAK | 14 | 18 | 24 | 194 | 10.8 | 55 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | OAK | 16 | 37 | 47 | 418 | 11.3 | 55 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | CHI | 13 | 9 | 11 | 83 | 9.2 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | CHI | 15 | 4 | 7 | 48 | 12.0 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 89 | 104 | 138 | 1,010 | 9.7 | 55 | 2 | 43 | 1 | 1 | |
Bush's wife Emily, an Australian, is the half-sister ofNational Basketball Association playerBen Simmons.[39]