| No. 44 | |||||||||
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| Position | Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1962-10-07)October 7, 1962 (age 63) Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Grand Island Senior | ||||||||
| College | Nebraska (1981–1985) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1986: 3rd round, 56th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Thomas Dean Rathman (born October 7, 1962) is an American former professionalfootball player who was afullback for theSan Francisco 49ers andLos Angeles Raiders of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNebraska Cornhuskers. Following his playing career during which he won two Super Bowls, he became a coach in 1995 and coached the 49ers' running backs through the2016 season. Rathman was later inducted into the 49ers' Hall of Fame.
Rathman was a three sport athlete atGrand Island High School inGrand Island, Nebraska. Rathman excelled on the football field as a fullback and linebacker. He was nominated first team all-state in 1980.[1] He was also an accomplished track and field athlete, winning the state championship in high jump as a junior in 1980.[2] Rathman has been inducted to the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
Rathman was a three-year letter winner in football at theUniversity of Nebraska. He finished his college career with 1,425 rushing yards, and averaged over six yards per carry. Often considered the greatest fullback in modern Nebraska history, Rathman set several school position records, some of which still stand, including most yards rushing by a fullback in a single season (881, in1985) and most career rushing touchdowns by a fullback (twelve). He was noted for his ability to break long runs, especially during his senior year in 1985, when he averaged 7.5 yards per carry.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1981 | Nebraska | 11 | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1983 | Nebraska | 12 | 26 | 143 | 5.5 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 1 |
| 1984 | Nebraska | 11 | 75 | 381 | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1985 | Nebraska | 11 | 118 | 881 | 7.5 | 8 | 3 | 44 | 14.7 | 0 |
| 45 | 223 | 1,425 | 6.4 | 12 | 5 | 70 | 14.0 | 1 | ||
Rathman was selected by the 49ers in thethird round of the1986 NFL draft with the 56th overall pick.[4] His professional career spanned nine years as a fullback, the first eight with the 49ers. For the first five seasons, he was the lead blocker for another former Cornhusker,Roger Craig. Rathman helped lead the 49ers to twoSuper Bowl championships, rushing for 38 yards, catching four passes for 43 yards, and scoring two touchdowns inSuper Bowl XXIV.[5] In 1989, he led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 616 yards, and due in large part to his versatility as a pass catcher throughout his career, as well as a blocker and runner, was considered an archetype of an all-aroundfullback.[6]
Rathman spent his last season in 1994 with theLos Angeles Raiders.[7]
Rathman finished his NFL career with 2,020 rushing yards, 320 receptions for 2,684 yards with a total of 34 touchdowns. Additionally, Rathman had five kickoff returns for 103 yards. Known for his physical playstyle, both as blocker and while running the ball, Rathman suffered numerous injuries during his career, and has had 18 surgeries because of them.[8]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1986 | SFO | 16 | 1 | 33 | 138 | 4.2 | 29 | 1 | 13 | 121 | 9.3 | 14 | 0 |
| 1987 | SFO | 12 | 7 | 62 | 257 | 4.1 | 35 | 1 | 30 | 329 | 11.0 | 29 | 3 |
| 1988 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 102 | 427 | 4.2 | 26 | 2 | 42 | 382 | 9.1 | 24 | 0 |
| 1989 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 79 | 305 | 3.9 | 13 | 1 | 73 | 616 | 8.4 | 36 | 1 |
| 1990 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 101 | 318 | 3.1 | 22 | 7 | 48 | 327 | 6.8 | 28 | 0 |
| 1991 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 63 | 183 | 2.9 | 16 | 6 | 34 | 286 | 8.4 | 32 | 0 |
| 1992 | SFO | 15 | 15 | 57 | 194 | 3.4 | 17 | 5 | 44 | 343 | 7.8 | 27 | 4 |
| 1993 | SFO | 8 | 4 | 19 | 80 | 4.2 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 86 | 8.6 | 17 | 0 |
| 1994 | RAI | 16 | 16 | 28 | 118 | 4.2 | 14 | 0 | 26 | 194 | 7.5 | 18 | 0 |
| 131 | 107 | 544 | 2,020 | 3.7 | 35 | 26 | 320 | 2,684 | 8.4 | 36 | 8 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1986 | SFO | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SFO | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 13 | 0 |
| 1988 | SFO | 3 | 1 | 18 | 88 | 4.9 | 22 | 1 | 8 | 87 | 10.9 | 22 | 0 |
| 1989 | SFO | 3 | 3 | 28 | 125 | 4.5 | 18 | 2 | 13 | 120 | 9.2 | 18 | 0 |
| 1990 | SFO | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 1992 | SFO | 2 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 63 | 7.9 | 12 | 0 |
| 1993 | SFO | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 9 | 1 |
| 14 | 10 | 64 | 287 | 4.5 | 22 | 4 | 38 | 327 | 8.6 | 22 | 1 | ||
After retiring as a player, Rathman began his coaching career in 1995 at thehigh school level, as the running backs coach forJunípero Serra High School inSan Mateo. The next year, he served asoffensive coordinator atMenlo College inAtherton. He became a pro coach in1997 when he joined the 49ers staff, and served as running backs coach through2002. In 2003, he accompanied head coachSteve Mariucci to theDetroit Lions where Rathman was running backs coach during Mariucci's three seasons with the Lions. He then held the same position for theOakland Raiders for three seasons, and returned to the 49ers as running backs coach on January 7, 2009.[9] Following the departure of head coachMike Singletary, Rathman was retained byJim Harbaugh for the2011 season and was again retained byJim Tomsula for the 2015 season. After the firing of Tomsula a year later, Rathman was once again retained by new 49ers head coachChip Kelly for the 2016 season. Following that season, Rathman was not re-hired afterKyle Shanahan was named head coach for the upcoming season.[10] On February 27, 2018, Rathman was hired as the running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts. On January 28, 2021, the Colts announced Rathman had retired.[11]
Rathman currently resides inRedwood Shores, California with his wife Holly, and three daughters, Nicole, Ali, and Samantha.