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'Reginald Alfred “Reggie” Bush XVII' (born March 2, 1985 in San Diego, California), nicknamed 'The President', alluding to President Bush, is an American football player who plays for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. He has played Running Back/Tailback, Wide Receiver, Kick Returner and Punt Returner.
On December 8, 2005, Bush was awarded the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award. On December 10, Bush won the Heisman Trophy, beating finalists Vince Young and former Heisman winner and teammate Matt Leinart. He was, after Carson Palmer and Leinart, the third Trojan in four years to win the Heisman. 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. Draft analysts predicted that he would be the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, held by the Houston Texans. 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 then selected Bush as the number 2 overall pick in the draft.^[1] His rookie year saw his team go from a 3-13 record without him to playing in the NFC Championship game. On January 3, 2007, Bush was 5th in the voting for Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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.

Contents

Early years

College career

Legacy

NFL career

2006 NFL Draft

New Orleans Saints

2006 rookie season

Saints career

Controversy

Media career and personal life

References

External links

Early years

Reggie grew up in Spring Valley, California in a suburb of San Diego. His father was a campus security officer, and his mother was a deputy sheriff at the county jail. He attended Helix High School in La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego, also with San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith. Reggie excelled at football and track. 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 and many scholarships.

College career

Bush studied political science at USC. Reggie Bush Draft Profile Bush often etched the number "619" on top of his black under eye markings as a tribute to the area code of central San Diego city / South San Diego county.
Before attending USC Bush was the most highly recruited running back out of high school. His and others expectations during his college career were very high. 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 great skill. 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. His number in 2003 was #5.
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 on 509 yards and seven scores on 83 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 threw for one touchdown, tossing a 52-yard scoring strike.
Bush had an excellent 2005 season, as he was a unanimous All-American first-team pick and the winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy. He was named the Associated Press 2005 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.
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).
In 39 games at Southern California, Bush started only 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.

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).^[2] He was awarded the Heisman Trophy 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 at that time, only behind O.J. Simpson's 855 in 1968.^[3] Troy Smith of Ohio State University exceeded the mark for first place votes in the 2006 Heisman voting. Bush 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 pair of Heisman Trophy winners to play together in a single game in the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006 against the University of Texas Longhorns. 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 he was overshadowed by his runner-up for the Heisman, Vince Young, and Bush's teammate LenDale White, who led USC in rushing with 123 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bush also attempted to lateral when he was tackled after a long run, but the lateral fell to the ground and was recovered by Texas. The bad lateral nullified a drive where USC may have scored, and set up a Texas scoring drive, potentially losing at least 10 points for the Trojans. This game gave Bush a total of 2,890 all-purpose yards for the season.
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.

★ Finished 10th in NCAA Division I-A history and with 6,551 all-purpose yards

★ Only 12th player in NCAA history to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards twice (2,330 yards in 2004 and 2,890 yards in 2005).
He was featured on the cover of ''NCAA Football 2007''^[4], released on July 18, 2006.

NFL career

2006 NFL Draft

''Pre-draft measureables''
Weight	40 yd	20 ss	3-cone	Vert	BP	Wonderlic
	4.35s	X	X		24[5]	X
'' ★ represents NFL Combine''

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 the first overall pick.
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.^[6]
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.^[7] 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.^[8]

New Orleans Saints

2006 rookie season

Bush's selection by the New Orleans Saints in the NFL draft generated excitement and celebration among New Orleans Saints fans. 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.^[9] 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 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.^[10] 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. He has signed contracts with Pepsi, General Motors, Adidas 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 Holy Rosary High School, a local Catholic school for students with learning disabilities, from closing.^[11] In training camp, Saints receiver Joe Horn dubbed him "Baby Matrix" because of his seemingly impossible evasive maneuvers (obviously comparing him to the movie The Matrix, which features characters who move faster than humanly possible to dodge bullets).
Bush's rookie season had both ups and downs, although as the season wore on, he became more productive and integral to the Saints' surprising success. 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. This effort lowered his league-worst rushing average among running backs to only 2.55 yards per carry. However, he finished the midway point of the season with 46 receptions, the most by any running back in the NFL. At only 6.8 yards per reception, Bush ranked 20th out of 29 qualified running backs in the league.
At the midway point of the season, Bush had yet to score a single touchdown either receiving or running the ball; however, on November 12, 2006, Bush rushed for his first touchdown from scrimmage on a reverse against the Pittsburgh Steelers[1]. On December 3, Bush tied the Saints' single game touchdown record, held by Joe Horn, by scoring 4 touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. He gained 168 all-purpose yards as he sparked the Saints to their 8th win of the season. On December 10, Bush scored a 62 yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys[2] in Dallas, contributing to the Saints' surprising 42-17 drubbing of the Cowboys in what was expected to be a more competitive match up that would be important to the playoff race. On December 24, Bush scored a 1 yard touchdown on a reverse against the New York Giants. Bush also had a career high 126 rushing yards on the day. On December 31, Bush scored a 1 yard touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, but only carried the ball three times, even though backfield counterpart Deuce McAllister did not play. This was because the New Orleans Saints had already clinched the #2 NFC seed in the playoffs.
On January 13, in the NFC Divisional Playoff game, Bush ran for 52 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown and added 3 catches for 22 yards as New Orleans edged Philadelphia, 27-24 to earn its first NFC Championship Game appearance in the team's 40-year history. The game was also notable for the vicious hit that Bush absorbed from Sheldon Brown while attempting to catch a swing pass on the Saints' first play of the game. On January 21, in the NFC Championship playoff game, Bush caught a pass on the 22 and ran 78 yards downfield (eluding the Chicago Bears safety) for an 88 yard touchdown thrown by Drew Brees. This comeback was the first score of the second half and closed the gap from 16-7 (in favor of Chicago) to 16-14.[3][4][5]
Reggie Bush was fined by the NFL after the game for $5,000 dollars for taunting: which consisted of wagging his finger at All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher and doing a somersault after the 88-yard reception score. Bush apologized immediately after the event. [6]
Many people consider Reggie's first season as a disappointment. While proving himself as an above average receiver, he struggled running the ball. He had 565 yards with only a 3.6 yards per carry average, and was constantly caught behind the line. Reggie improved on all levels in the second half of the 2006 season (with 4.0 yards/carry over the last 8 games) and is expected to improve vastly for the 2007 season.

Saints career

Year	Team	G	GS	Rec	Yards	AVG	LG	TD	Att	Yards	AVG	LNG	TD	Total Yards
2006	NO	16	8	88	742	8.4	74	2	155	565	3.6	18	6	1,307

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 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.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.^[14]
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. ^[15]
On January 24, 2007, Yahoo! Sports again published a story claiming "the existence of taped conversations that could confirm Bush took cash and gifts while he was playing football for the University of Southern California."^[16]
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.
On April 14, 2007, the ''San Diego Union-Tribune'' and Yahoo Sports reported that Michaels had settled with Bush and his family.^[17]
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.

Media career and personal life

Bush on the cover of NCAA Football 07

French mobile game publisher Gameloft announced on November 21 that it had signed Bush as its cover athlete for Reggie Bush Pro Football 2007, which was made available in January 2007 across multiple wireless carriers and cell phones. This marks the second cover endorsement for Bush, who currently is on the box of Electronic Arts' NCAA Football 07, which is out now for Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PSP. Gameloft did not secure the NFL license for this mobile game, which means that actual team names, logos and NFLPA players (aside from Bush) will not be incorporated into the gameplay.
He recently appeared on the video for Ciara's song Like a Boy and in a Commercial for Madden NFL 08. Bush has also dined with Condoleezza Rice at the White House correspondent's diner and made an appearance in Las Vegas during the 2007 NBA All-Star weekend.
On June 26 2007, David Beckham's first major U.S. ad campaign since finishing with Real Madrid made its debut via the web. Titled "Futbol Meets Football", it pairs him with Reggie Bush in a 13-part video series, with additional television, radio, and online promotion by Adidas.^[19]
In July 2007, he also appeared at E3 2007, playing Madden NFL 08 for the crowd in Santa Monica, California.
In August 2007, he signed a deal with Sirius Satellite radio to be a weekly announcer for the 2007 season. ^[20]

References

1. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/specials/draft/2006/04/28/texans.williams.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
2. Trophy hopeful Bush from humble beginnings, tries to stay that way Brent Schrotenboer
3. USC's Bush wins Heisman by monumental margin
4. EA Drafts Heisman Trophy Winner Reggie Bush as Cover Athlete
5. Gil Brandt's Analysis By Position: Running Backs Gil Brandt
6. Reggie Bush signs deal with adidas
7. Texans ink DE Williams, to draft him No. 1
8. Snubbing Bush a Texans-size blunder
9. Football rookies make a big impact on fans Suzanne Halliburton
10. Reggie Bush won't get his No. 5 this year
11. http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-23/1147672788244480.xml
12. Yahoo! Sports report: Reggie Bush's family home Charles Robinson
13. Transcripts allegedly tie Bush to sports agency Charles Robinson
14. At USC, Bush reportedly received money and gifts from marketers Todd Harmonson
15. 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. Charles Robinson
16. Tale of the tapes? Charles Robinson
17. Ex-landlord, would-be agent won't sue Bush, family, ESPN.com, ''April 14, 2007''.
18. Bush makes debuts at training camp Brett Martel
19. http://sdmlsproject.com/adidasbecksandbush.html
20. http://news.lalate.com/2007/08/16/reggie-bush-inks-sirius-radio-deal/

External links

★ Beckham Meets Bush... ''25 June 2007 ''

★ Futbol Meets Football adidas video site

★ Career Stats

★ School Bio

★ Heisman voting results

★ Official Reggie Bush website

★ Reggie Bush fansite since 2004

★ A Reggie Bush fan website

★ Reggie Bush Pro Football 2007

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