| No. 29, 27, 21 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1972-02-23)February 23, 1972 (age 53) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Dallas Carter | ||||||||
| College | Texas A&M | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 1st round, 25th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Gregory LaMonte Hill (born February 23, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 1999.
Hill attendedDavid W. Carter High School inDallas, Texas, where he was a highlyrecruited running back and was named to all-district, all-Texas, andAll-America teams afterrushing for 1,122 yards and 14touchdowns as a senior in 1989. He had transferred fromBishop Dunne Catholic School prior to his senior year.
He starredcollegiately atTexas A&M, where in 1991 he made an immediate impact in the first game of his freshman year by rushing for 212 yards (which is still anNCAA freshman debut record) in a 45-7 Aggie thrashing ofLSU. He would go on to set the A&M freshman rushing record that year at 1,216 yards.
His best season came during his sophomore season in 1992, whenThe Sporting News named him a second-team All-American running back after he rushed for 1,339 yards (3rd all-time for a single season at Texas A&M) and became the fastest running back inSouthwest Conference history to reach 2,000 career yards.
In 1993, he set a record for longest run by an Aggie with a 94-yard scamper againstTCU (later broken by D'Andre "Tiki" Hardeman). He finished his A&M career with 3,262 rushing yards - 3rd all-time for the Aggies, and added 33 touchdowns (5th all-time).
The only blemish on his career at Texas A&M was his involvement in a scandal in which 9 players received money from abooster for work that they did not perform. This led to an NCAA investigation that resulted in Texas A&M being put on probation and being banned from television appearances and postseason competition during the 1994 season. The timing of this penalty was particularly painful for Aggie football, as the team was unbeaten that season, yet unable to participate in abowl game. Many Aggie fans felt jilted, as Hill declared early for theNFL draft just days after the NCAA sanctions were announced.
Hill was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the first round (25th overall) of the1994 NFL draft, the third Texas A&M player chosen in the first round that year behindSam Adams andAaron Glenn.[1] Once again he made an immediate impact in his first season playing well as a backup to legendMarcus Allen, picking up 574 yards rushing and averaging 4.1 percarry. He appeared in all 16 games and making onestart. He had the third-most rushing yards among allAFCrookies and was the Chiefs leading rusher in five games.
The following season, he moved into a platoon role with Allen, appearing in all 16 contests and again making one start. He had the first 100-yard game of his career with 109 yards on 15 carries (7.3-yard avg.) in the season opener on September 3 vs.Seattle. Allen and Hill formed a formidable tandem, combining for 1,557 yards (667 of those gained by Hill). The Chiefs had an impressive year, finishing 13–3, but lost to an underdogIndianapolis Colts team in their firstplayoff game.
The Allen-Hill platoon continued in the1996 season, in which the Chiefs were picked by many to win the AFC. Although Hill played well, rushing for 645 yards on a 4.8 average, the Chiefs were disappointing, going 9-7 and narrowly missing theplayoffs.
Hill and Allen switched roles in1997 with Hill becoming the starter and the veteran Allen spelling him in relief. Although Hill started every game for the Chiefs that year, it was a disappointing season for him as he finished with only 550 yards with a subpar 3.5 average per carry. Hill was grantedfree agency after the1997 season and signed with theSt. Louis Rams.
Hill once again made a quick start in1998, leading the league in rushing and scoring with 240 yards and 4 touchdowns on a 6.0 average through the first two games of the season. Unfortunately, he broke his leg during the third game and never saw the field again for St. Louis. Hill fell to second-string when the Rams acquiredMarshall Faulk, the best all-purpose back in the NFL during that era, two days before theNFL draft.
The unexpected retirement ofBarry Sanders two days before the1999training camp opened left theDetroit Lions thin at running back, so they acquired Hill from St. Louis in exchange for two draft picks to help fill that void. Hill started eight games in 1999 and rushed for 542 yards and two touchdowns. He was released by the Lions after that season.
Hill spent the2000 season out of football and although there were rumors thatMarty Schottenheimer (who coached Hill in Kansas City) and theWashington Redskins would pick Hill up for the2001 season, it was not to be. Hill never returned to the NFL.
In six career seasons in the NFL, Hill rushed for 3,218 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Hill was an on-air talent with Kevin Scott on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan until June 22, 2009.
Rushing Stats[2]
| Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | KC | 16 | 141 | 574 | 4.1 | 20 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | KC | 16 | 155 | 667 | 4.3 | 27 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
| 1996 | KC | 15 | 135 | 645 | 4.8 | 28 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 1997 | KC | 16 | 157 | 550 | 3.5 | 38 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | STL | 2 | 40 | 240 | 6.0 | 46 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | DET | 14 | 144 | 542 | 3.8 | 45 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 79 | 772 | 3,218 | 4.2 | 46 | 12 | 134 | 6 | 4 |
Receiving Stats[2]
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | KC | 16 | 16 | 92 | 5.8 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | KC | 16 | 7 | 45 | 6.4 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | KC | 15 | 3 | 60 | 20.0 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | KC | 16 | 12 | 126 | 10.5 | 39 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | STL | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | DET | 14 | 13 | 77 | 5.9 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 79 | 52 | 406 | 7.8 | 39 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
