Darren McFadden (1987–)

Darren McFadden played running back for two teams in the National Football League (NFL). He became one of the best football players in the country during his three-year stint at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County). Picked in the first round of the NFL draft by the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders, McFadden played the better part of nine seasons in the league and would garner moderate success in professional football.

Darren McFadden was born on August 27, 1987, in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Gralon McFadden and Mini Muhammad. The tenth of twelve children in the family, McFadden spent his formative years in Little Rock. McFadden characterized his childhood as a good one in which he would play pranks, trick-or-treat, and play with his siblings despite growing up in an economically struggling part of Little Rock and with family members who had issues with substance abuse. Known as “D-Dog” growing up, McFadden demonstrated diverse athleticism, playing football and baseball, as well as running track.

McFadden was declared Arkansas High School Player of the Year in football and received the Landers Award—given to the top player in Arkansas. Ranked as one of the top 100 best football players entering college, McFadden was highly recruited out of Oak Grove High School in Little Rock. Some of the universities that were interested in him included major Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools like the University of Alabama, Auburn University, and the University of Tennessee, but he selected UA.

McFadden played college football from 2005 to 2007. McFadden scored a touchdown in his first game, and in his second game, he rushed for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns in a win over University of Louisiana–Monroe. In total, he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman. He garnered Freshman All-America recognition, and he was named SEC freshman of the year, in addition to gaining the most yards from scrimmage by any freshman running back at UA.

McFadden’s sophomore year included 1,647 rushing yards and fifteen total touchdowns. UA, with McFadden’s play, managed ten wins and played in the Capital One Bowl, losing to Wisconsin 17–14. Nonetheless, UA was number twelve in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) football rankings. McFadden received the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back—the first sophomore to ever win the award. McFadden also won the Jim Brown trophy, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and a consensus All-American. McFadden was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, along with two quarterbacks; he finished second.

During McFadden’s junior season as a Razorback, he ran for 1,830 yards and seventeen total touchdowns. Although UA finished with only eight wins, and lost the Cotton Bowl to the University of Missouri 38–7, McFadden garnered recognition for his ability. He would win multiple awards, including the Jim Brown and Doak Walker awards for a second time. Sporting News named him the National Player of the Year for 2007. He would again receive a Heisman Trophy nomination, and he again finished second, this time to University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. A consensus All-American, McFadden decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

McFadden was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, being fourth overall in the 2008 draft. McFadden signed a six-year contract with the Raiders and quickly established himself as a promising young running back. He scored his first professional touchdown in week two of the NFL season and concluded his first year with Oakland with 499 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

McFadden struggled during his second season because of injuries, but in the 2010 season, McFadden ran for his first 1,000-yard season as a professional athlete. On October 24, McFadden became only the fourth Raiders player to score four touchdowns in a single game. Although he missed three games due to injury, McFadden averaged over five yards a carry, 1,663 yards from scrimmage, and was ninety-eighth on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2011 list.

Injuries hampered McFadden’s 2012–2014 seasons. In addition, the Raiders invested in other running backs that could help the team’s struggling offense. In his final season with the Raiders in 2014, McFadden rushed for 534 yards and managed to play in all sixteen games on the schedule.

As a free agent after 2014, McFadden signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. McFadden did not begin the year as the starter; however, he assumed the primary running back duties five games into the season. He finished with his most productive season since his third year in the league. He scored only three touchdowns, but he managed to run for 1,089 yards—making him the first UA running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in two separate NFL seasons. Despite the good year, McFadden suffered an off-the-field injury to his arm after the 2015 season. He would sign another contract with Dallas, but injuries and new running backs on the roster led to McFadden being released by Dallas on November 26, 2017. Two days later, McFadden announced his retirement from professional football. In his career, he accumulated over 7,000 yards from scrimmage and made thirty-three touchdowns.

McFadden and his wife, Tita, have three children, and he has three other children. McFadden invested in Bitcoin and was involved in a $15 million lawsuit claiming that a business partner defrauded him of funds. In 2019, McFadden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

McFadden has struggled with alcoholism. In 2019, he served four days in jail resulting from a DWI arrest when he was found asleep at the wheel in a Dallas-Fort Worth fast food drive-thru. After another run-in with the law in 2023, McFadden confronted his drinking problem, which had started when he was fifteen. In May 2023, McFadden entered an intensive outpatient program for alcoholics.

For additional information:
“Darren McFadden.” Pro Football Reference. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McFaDa00.htm (accessed June 12, 2024).

“Darren McFadden.” Sports Reference. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/darren-mcfadden-1.html (accessed June 12, 2024).

O’Neal, Rachel. “Darren Gralon McFadden.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 7, 2024, pp. 1D, 5D. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/07/darren-gralon-mcfadden/ (accessed June 12, 2024).

Michael J. Megelsh
Blue Mountain Christian University