Amos Zereoue
Encyclopedia
Amos Zereoué is an African-born former American football
player in the National Football League
, who last played for the New England Patriots
. During his college career Zereoué played for West Virginia University
before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
as the 95th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft
.
He now owns and operates a restaurant in Manhattan, New York, called Zereoué.
; he lived in a group home called "Hope for Youth", in Bellmore, NY, during his high school years, owing to legal trouble in junior high school and the concerns of his father that the drugs and crime of the neighborhood he grew up in were undermining his ambition.
Zereoué attended Wellington C. Mepham High School
in Bellmore, New York and was a letterman in football. Zereoué set Long Island
records of 5,360 yards and 59 touchdowns at Mepham, earning Street & Smith
All-America recognition. He was also the first two-time Thorpe Award winner in high school, which recognizes the best player in Nassau County
, an honor that surpassed accomplished local icons such as Jim Brown
and Matt Snell
.
roster in 1996, but made an immediate impact. On Zereoué's first collegiate carry, he rushed the ball for a 69-yard touchdown against Pitt. In that same season, Zereoué finished the season with two of the school's five-best single-game rushing performances (234 yards against Notre Dame
and 228 yards against Rutgers). He was unanimously voted the Big East Rookie of the Year after the season and was a first-team all-Big East selection. He also set a West Virginia freshman rushing record for a season with 1,035 rushing yards, which was later broken by his successor, Avon Cobourne
(who broke Zereoue's career rushing records as well).
race and was a Doak Walker Award
semifinalist. He was a third-team All-American selection and was voted all-Big East and first-team All-ECAC
selection as well. Zereoué also led the conference and set a school single-season rushing record with 1,589 yards on 281 carries. His 18 touchdowns on the season was one shy of the WVU record. He was ranked third on the season with 150 yards per game.
by the Pittsburgh Steelers
, who had acquired future-Hall of Famer
Jerome Bettis
from the St. Louis Rams
four years earlier in 1996. Zereoué got good playing time in his five seasons in Pittsburgh
from 1999 to 2003. His best season came in 2002, when he rushed for a career-high 762 yards and four touchdowns. Also in 2002
, Zereoué caught a career-high 42 receptions for 341 yards. In his years in Pittsburgh, Zereoué rushed for 1,698 yards and seven touchdowns.
, Zereoué was cut by the Steelers. He was then signed as a free-agent by the Oakland Raiders
. Tyrone Wheatley
ended up getting the starting job for 2004, but Zereoué saw time on the field as well. He rushed for 425 yards and three touchdowns in his one season in Oakland
, before he was cut with the arrival of LaMont Jordan
from the New York Jets
.
. he spent time playing backup to veteran Corey Dillon
, but he only ran the ball seven times on the season for 14 yards. Zereoué then was cut by the Patriots as well, and eventually retired.
In his seven-year career, Amos Zereoué rushed for 2,137 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 137 receptions for 1,111 yards and a touchdown. He also had seven kick returns for 169 yards.
called Zereoué. The restaurant is located at 13 East 37th Street (between 5th and Madison) in New York City
. Amos also keeps fit by playing for the first team of the well known NYC amateur soccer club Central Park Rangers FC, using his athletic skills to transition to a top scorer for the flagship team of the club.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, who last played for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. During his college career Zereoué played for West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
as the 95th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
.
He now owns and operates a restaurant in Manhattan, New York, called Zereoué.
High school years
Zereoué was raised by a single father in Hempstead, New YorkHempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
; he lived in a group home called "Hope for Youth", in Bellmore, NY, during his high school years, owing to legal trouble in junior high school and the concerns of his father that the drugs and crime of the neighborhood he grew up in were undermining his ambition.
Zereoué attended Wellington C. Mepham High School
Wellington C. Mepham High School
Wellington C. Mepham High School is a high school located on a campus in Bellmore, New York. It is the oldest of three high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District...
in Bellmore, New York and was a letterman in football. Zereoué set Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
records of 5,360 yards and 59 touchdowns at Mepham, earning Street & Smith
Street & Smith
Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as pulp fiction and dime novels. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks...
All-America recognition. He was also the first two-time Thorpe Award winner in high school, which recognizes the best player in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, an honor that surpassed accomplished local icons such as Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
and Matt Snell
Matt Snell
Matt Snell was the American Football League's New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath...
.
Freshman (1996)
Amos Zereoué was a late addition to the West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
roster in 1996, but made an immediate impact. On Zereoué's first collegiate carry, he rushed the ball for a 69-yard touchdown against Pitt. In that same season, Zereoué finished the season with two of the school's five-best single-game rushing performances (234 yards against Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and 228 yards against Rutgers). He was unanimously voted the Big East Rookie of the Year after the season and was a first-team all-Big East selection. He also set a West Virginia freshman rushing record for a season with 1,035 rushing yards, which was later broken by his successor, Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne is a football running back in the Canadian Football League. He currently plays for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
(who broke Zereoue's career rushing records as well).
Sophomore (1997)
Zereoué was tenth in the 1997 HeismanHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
race and was a Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
semifinalist. He was a third-team All-American selection and was voted all-Big East and first-team All-ECAC
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
selection as well. Zereoué also led the conference and set a school single-season rushing record with 1,589 yards on 281 carries. His 18 touchdowns on the season was one shy of the WVU record. He was ranked third on the season with 150 yards per game.
Junior (1998)
He was also a second-team All-American selection in 1998 by leading the team with 1,462 yards and 13 touchdowns on 283 carries. He was also ranked sixth in the nation with 143 yards per game in '98.College stats
During his college career he rushed for over 100 yards 21 times, had seven straight games with over 100 yards rushing - averaging 123.8 yards per game during his career. At the time of leaving, he held the all-time WVU rushing yardage with 4,086 and held the record at WVU for the most yards in a season with 1,589 in 1997. Both records were broken by his successor at running back, Avon Cobourne. While at WVU Zereoué's nickname was "Famous Amos".Pittsburgh Steelers (1999-2003)
Zereoué was selected in the third round, 95th overall of the 1999 NFL Draft1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, who had acquired future-Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
from the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
four years earlier in 1996. Zereoué got good playing time in his five seasons in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
from 1999 to 2003. His best season came in 2002, when he rushed for a career-high 762 yards and four touchdowns. Also in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, Zereoué caught a career-high 42 receptions for 341 yards. In his years in Pittsburgh, Zereoué rushed for 1,698 yards and seven touchdowns.
Oakland Raiders (2004)
After the 2003 season2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
, Zereoué was cut by the Steelers. He was then signed as a free-agent by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history...
ended up getting the starting job for 2004, but Zereoué saw time on the field as well. He rushed for 425 yards and three touchdowns in his one season in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, before he was cut with the arrival of LaMont Jordan
LaMont Jordan
LaMont Damon Jordan is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
from the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
New England Patriots (2005)
After being cut by the Raiders, Zereoué spent his final NFL season with the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. he spent time playing backup to veteran Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
, but he only ran the ball seven times on the season for 14 yards. Zereoué then was cut by the Patriots as well, and eventually retired.
In his seven-year career, Amos Zereoué rushed for 2,137 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 137 receptions for 1,111 yards and a touchdown. He also had seven kick returns for 169 yards.
Post-football
Zereoué opened an African/French restaurant in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
called Zereoué. The restaurant is located at 13 East 37th Street (between 5th and Madison) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Amos also keeps fit by playing for the first team of the well known NYC amateur soccer club Central Park Rangers FC, using his athletic skills to transition to a top scorer for the flagship team of the club.