The reggie bush resource page

Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II (born March 2, 1985 in San Diego, California), nicknamed "The President," alluding to George W. Bush, is an American football player who plays for the New Orleans Saints and formerly for the University of Southern California (USC). He played running back/tailback, wide receiver, and punt and kickoff returner for the team. He is generally recognized as one of the best running backs in college football history due to his speed, agility, evasiveness, and outstanding instincts on the field.

On December 8, 2005, Bush was awarded the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award. On December 10, Bush won the most prestigious individual award in college football, the Heisman Trophy, beating out finalists Vince Young and former Heisman winner and teammate Matt Leinart. He rang up the highest-ever percentages of first-place votes (84.9 percent) and possible points (91.7 percent) in the balloting by members of the media and former Heisman winners.^[1] Additionally, he was named the 2005 AP Sportsman of the Year.

On January 12, 2006, Bush elected to forgo his senior season at USC and declared himself eligible for the NFL draft. Since it was predicted that he would be the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, held by the Houston Texans, Houston was expected to obtain Bush. However, in a surprising move on the night before the draft, the Texans signed Mario Williams, a defensive end from North Carolina State. The New Orleans Saints selected Bush with their #2 pick in the draft.^[2]

After being drafted by the Saints, many fans have called him "Saint Reggie", Mardi Gras and The Messiah , à la "King James", a name given to LeBron James because many expected him to be a savior for his team and city. Bush is now under the same hype. Fellow New Orleans teammate Joe Horn called him "Baby Matrix" on the Monday Night Football telecast on September 25, 2006.

On April 23, 2006, a report surfaced raising questions about whether Bush's family received gifts in violation of NCAA policies. The school has requested that the conference investigate the matter.

Early history

Bush grew up in Spring Valley, California. His father was a campus security officer and his mother was a deputy sheriff at the county jail. He attended Helix High School, where he excelled at football and track. In football, he and former University of Utah and current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, led the team to two sectional championships. In track, he won many honors and ran a 10.42 100m in the California state championships. Also an excellent student, Bush graduated with a 3.8 GPA.

College career

Bush studied political science at USC.^[3] Bush often etches the number "619" on top of his black under eye markings as a tribute to the area code of South San Diego county.^[1]

When head coach Pete Carroll recruited Bush for Southern California, he envisioned using Bush as a five-way threat. The freshman quickly proved he could carry, catch, throw and return the ball with college's elite. In 2003, he was a consensus Freshman All-American first-team selection and became the first Trojan since Anthony Davis in 1974 to lead the Pac-10 Conference in kickoff returns. His 1,331 all-purpose yards set a USC freshman record. ESPN's Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year amassed 521 yards with three touchdowns on 90 carries that year. He caught fifteen passes for 314 yards (20.9 avg) and three scores and averaged 27.3 yards on 18 kickoff returns with a touchdown.^[3]

Despite not starting any games in 2004, he finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, was named the team's MVP, earned consensus All-American honors and was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He finished second on the team with 143 carries for 908 yards (6.3 avg) and six touchdowns, adding 509 yards and seven scores on 43 receptions (11.8 avg). He returned 21 kickoffs for 537 yards (25.6 avg) and 24 punts for 376 yards (15.7 avg) and a pair of touchdowns. He became the first Trojan since Marcus Allen to lead the Pac-10 in all-purpose yardage, totaling 2,330 yards. He also showed a strong throwing arm, tossing a 52-yard scoring strike.^[3]

The 2005 season was electrifying, as Bush was a unanimous All-American first-team pick and the winner of the Heisman Trophy. He was named the Associated Press Player of the Year, Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. Offensive Player of the Year, Touchdown Club of Columbus Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and Doak Walker Award (nation's best running back). He led the nation with an average of 222.3 all-purpose yards per game and finished fourth in the NCAA Division 1-A ranks with an average of 133.85 yards per game rushing.^[3]

Bush led the Trojans with 1,740 yards on 200 carries (8.7 avg) with sixteen touchdowns and ranked third on the squad with 37 receptions for 478 yards (12.9 avg), including a pair of scores as a junior. He returned 18 punts for 179 yards (9.9 avg) and a touchdown and gained 493 yards on 28 kickoff returns (17.6 avg).^[3]

In 39 games at Southern California, Bush only started fifteen times. However, he finished tenth in NCAA Division 1-A history with 6,551 all-purpose yards. He finished with 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns on 433 carries (7.3 avg) and 1,301 yards with thirteen scores on 95 catches (13.7 avg). Bush returned 67 kickoffs for 1,522 yards and a touchdown, adding 559 yards and three scores on 44 punt returns (12.7 avg). He also completed one-of-three passes for a 52-yard touchdown.^[3]

Legacy

By the end of the 2005 season, Bush had amassed 2,611 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns (15 rushing, 2 receiving, 1 punt return).^[4] He was awarded the Heisman Trophy Award on December 10, 2005. He had 784 first-place votes while Texas quarterback Vince Young finished second with 79 first-place votes, with an overall edge in voting points of 2541 to Young's 1608. The 933 point margin-of-victory was the 17th highest of all time. Matt Leinart came in third with 18 first-place votes. Bush had the second most first-place votes in the history of Heisman voting, second only to O.J. Simpson's 855 in 1968.^[5] He became the 71st winner of the Heisman Trophy, and the 7th USC player to receive the award. In addition to his Heisman Trophy, Bush also won the Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award, and was selected as the PAC-10's offensive player of the year.

He and teammate Matt Leinart became the first and only two Heisman Trophy winners to play together in a single game (as Heisman trophy winners), the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006 against the University of Texas Longhorns, which USC lost 41-38. Bush had a decent performance, amassing a total of 279 all-purpose yards (82 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards, 102 kickoff return yards) and one touchdown scored, but it was vastly overshadowed by his runner-up in the Heisman, Vince Young, and Bush's teammate LenDale White, who led USC in rushing with 123 yards and 3 touchdowns. This game gave Bush a total of 2,890 all-purpose yards for the season, the most ever by a USC player, and 19 touchdowns.^{citation needed]}

Reggie Bush finished the 2005 football season nationally-ranked in several statistical categories:

In celebration of their stellar careers, Bush and Leinart appeared on the cover of the December 25, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated; the magazine anointed the pair as the "Best in College Football" in 2005.

He was featured on the cover of NCAA Football 2007^[6], released on July 18, 2006.

Entering the NFL Draft

On January 12, 2006 he announced that he would forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and enter the 2006 NFL Draft where he was expected to be among the first few selections. On April 2, 2006 during USC's Pro Day workouts Bush ran his 40 yard dash in 4.33 seconds, had a standing broad jump of 10-foot-9 (3.28 m), a vertical leap of 40.5 inches (103 cm) and did 24 repetitions in the 225-pound (102 kg) bench press.^{citation needed]}

On April 26, 2006, three days prior to the 2006 NFL Draft, he signed a multiyear endorsement with the athletic sportswear company Adidas, where he will promote football and training clothes and even launch cleats in 2007.^[7]

On April 28, 2006, it was announced that Mario Williams signed a deal with the Houston Texans, meaning that Reggie Bush would not be the first draft pick.^[8] Bush's representatives spoke that night with the New Orleans Saints, who said they intended to use their second overall pick to select the USC product.

Reggie Bush was indeed drafted by the Saints with the second overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. The Houston Texans' decision to not take Bush was derided by many sports analysts. ESPN commentator Len Pasquarelli claimed that Houston selecting Williams ahead of Bush was one of the biggest mistakes made in NFL Draft history.^[9]

It has been reported by Oregonian writers Jim Beseda & Paul Bucker that Bush put in a good word with the Saints' execs for former Pac-10 rival and Fred Biletnikoff Award winner Mike Hass, contributing to Hass being drafted by the Saints in the 6th round. It had also been reported that Bush requested for Hass to be his roommate at rookie camp, but Bush ended up rooming with someone else. ^[10]

New Orleans Saints

Bush's selection by the New Orleans Saints in the NFL draft generated much excitement and celebration among Saints fans, many of whom were still grappling with the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. By the end of the week after the draft, Reebok reported receiving over 15,000 orders for Bush's Saints jersey, even though his jersey number with the Saints had not yet been determined.^[11] Bush had petitioned the NFL to wear number 5 on his jersey, which he has worn throughout his high school and college careers. However, in order for him to wear #5, the NFL would have to revise its numbering regulations, which require running backs to wear a number between 20 and 49. Bush was allowed to wear the number 5, at least temporarily, during the Saints' minicamp practices pending the NFL's ruling. On May 23, the NFL competition committee officially rejected his request, and on May 25, it was officially announced that Bush would be wearing number 25, acquired from Saints running back Fred McAfee. Although Bush had earlier pledged to donate a quarter of the money he receives from jersey sales to Katrina victims if allowed to wear #5, he later said he would make that donation no matter what number he wears.^[12] As part of the deal with McAfee to wear #25, Bush agreed to allocate half of that money to charities of McAfee's choosing. McAfee pledged to donate his share to Katrina victims in his home state of Mississippi. Bush has also already set an amazing record. He is the second youngest NFL player with the largest money in endorsement deals this early in his career, amounting to roughly 5 million dollars, but also sure to grow. He has signed contracts with Pepsi co., General Motors Inc., Addidas and Subway restaurants. He is the runner up in this category to Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, who was worth 10 million in endorsement deals this early in his career.

Amazed by the warm reception he received from the fans in New Orleans, as well as the magnitude of the devastation caused there by Hurricane Katrina, Bush expressed excitement about playing with the Saints and has pledged to help the city recover from the hurricane. On May 15, 2006, Bush donated $50,000 to help keep a local Catholic school for students with learning disabilities from closing.^[13] In training camp, Saints receiver Joe Horn dubbed him "Baby Matrix" because his moves resembles those of the character Neo.

Controversy

On April 24, 2006, a week before the 2006 NFL Draft, a report surfaced from Yahoo! Sports exclusively raising questions about whether Bush's family received improper benefits during Bush's final college season. The questions involved a home valued at $757,000 located in Spring Valley, California which Reggie Bush's mother, stepfather and brother lived in during the 2005 season. The home was owned by a man with ties to a recently started sports marketing company. If Bush and his family paid less than fair market value on the rental, then this would equate to a gift prohibited by NCAA policies. USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett said the school has requested that the Pacific-10 Conference look into the matter.^[14] If Bush is ruled ineligible, USC could be forced to forfeit every game that Bush played in after losing his eligibility. The school could also be put on probation or banned from bowl games but that would likely depend on how much it knew or should have known about any violations. Bush could also potentially risk losing his 2005 Heisman Trophy because the official Heisman ballot states the following: "In order that there will be no misunderstanding regarding the eligibility of a candidate, the recipient of the award must be a bonafide student of an accredited university. The recipient must be in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student." Bush's former teammate Winston Justice has also been linked to this report.^[15] According to some reports Bush's family received money as early as October 2004, which theoretically could put USC's 2004 national championship title from that season in jeopardy.^[16]

Allegations of improper financial windfalls to Bush resurfaced on September 14, 2006, when Yahoo! Sports again exclusively reported news of more than $100,000 in benefits Bush and his family received from marketing agents while Bush played at USC. The web site reported that the benefits, which could lead the NCAA to retroactively declare Bush ineligible and level sanctions against the Trojans, were supplied by two groups that were attempting to sign Bush as a client. The report was based on an eight-month investigation by Yahoo! Sports, citing documents and interviews with on-the-record sources close to the situation. It lists several instances in which Bush and his family appear to have received financial benefits. ^[17]

Bush declined to comment when reached by Yahoo! Sports, however, Mike Ornstein, Bush's marketing agent who is alleged to have paid financial benefits, denied wrongdoing, telling Yahoo! that accusations of cash payments are lies.

After skipping a mandatory team meeting on July 28, 2006 as part of a contract hold-out, he signed a contract for six years the following day and reported on July 30. The deal includes $26.325 million guaranteed and $51 million total. Incentives can bring the deal up to $62 million.^[18] Reggie Bush was fined $10,000 by the NFL for wearing gold and black Adidas cleats. The NFL only allows Nike, Reebok, and Under Armour apparel because of a signed marketing agreement. Bush commented "Adidas took care of it" in response to the fine. ^[19]

NFL Debut

In the first game of Bush's NFL career, he amassed 141 total yards against the Cleveland Browns. He carried the ball fewer times than his counterpart Deuce McAllister, putting off any speculation that he would immediately supplant McAllister as the starter in New Orleans. The Saints won the game by a score of 19-14.

On October 8th, 2006, Bush scored his first NFL touchdown (and a game-winning one at that) on a 65-yard punt return against the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Interestingly, his USC teammate Matt Leinart scored his first touchdown on the same day against the Kansas City Chiefs.

References

^ ^a ^b Schrotenboer, Brent. "Bush's conquest is no contest", The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2005-12-11. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/specials/draft/2006/04/28/texans.williams.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Reggie Bush Draft Profile. FoxSports.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ Schrotenboer, Brent. "Trophy hopeful Bush from humble beginnings, tries to stay that way", SignOnSanDiego.com, 2005-12-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
^ "USC's Bush wins Heisman by monumental margin", Associated Press, 2005-12-11. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
^ EA Drafts Heisman Trophy Winner Reggie Bush as Cover Athlete (2006-04-28). Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ "Reggie Bush signs deal with Adidas", Associated Press, 2006-04-26. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ "Texans ink DE Williams, to draft him No. 1", NFL.com, 2006-04-28. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ Pasquarelli, Len. "Snubbing Bush a Texans-size blunder", ESPN.com, 2006-04-28. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/beaversoregonian/
^ Halliburton, Suzanne. "Football rookies make a big impact on fans", 2006-05-18. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ "Reggie Bush won't get his No. 5 this year", Associated Press, 2006-05-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-23/1147672788244480.xml
^ Robinson, Charles. "Yahoo! Sports report: Reggie Bush's family home", Yahoo! Sports, 2006-04-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.
^ Robinson, Charles. "Transcripts allegedly tie Bush to sports agency", Yahoo! Sports, 2006-04-26. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
^ Harmonson, Todd. "At USC, Bush reportedly received money and gifts from marketers", The Orange Country Register, 2006-09-14. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
^ Robinson, Charles. "Cash and carry: An eight-month probe uncovers evidence that Reggie Bush and his family appear to have accepted improper benefits from prospective agents while at USC.", Yahoo! Sports, 2006-09-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
^ Martel, Brett. "Bush makes debuts at training camp", Associated Press, 2006-07-29. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
^ "Bush fined by NFL for wearing unauthorized cleats", Associated Press, 2006-08-14. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.

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