Colin Kaepernick
Encyclopedia
Colin Rand Kaepernick is an American football
quarterback
for the San Francisco 49ers
of the National Football League
. He played college football at Nevada
.
. An adopted child of Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, Kaepernick is of mixed European
and African
descent and the youngest of their three children. He lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
until age four and attended grade school in Turlock, California
.
Kaepernick graduated in December 2010 with a bachelors degree in business management and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity. He is known to have high character and a relatively unassuming personality off the field, as evidenced by an incident that took place during the summer of 2010 interning at a University of Nevada-themed sports apparel shop in Reno. One woman came in and, completely unaware she was speaking to Kaepernick, asked him to find his jersey. A manager at the store would later recall, "Colin said, ‘I’m pretty sure it’s No. 10, and it’s right over here.’ He rang up her purchase and everything."
, Kaepernick passed up a promising baseball career as a pitcher in order to play football. Kaepernick was nominated for all state in football, basketball, and baseball his senior year. He was the MVP of the Central California Conference in football leading his school to its first ever playoff victory. In basketball he was a first team all CCC selection at forward and led his 16th ranked team to a near upset of the number 1 ranked Oak Ridge Trojans in the opening round of playoffs. In that game Colin would score 34 points but it wouldn't be enough as Ryan Anderson
would score 50 to best the Pride.
Although Kaepernick achieved most of his accolades in high school as a baseball pitcher and received several scholarship
offers in that sport, he desperately wanted to play football in college. Although he was almost 6'5" as a senior, he only weighed 170 pounds (77 kg); his coaches generally kept him from running the ball to limit his risk of injury. Also, despite his strong arm, he had poor throwing mechanics. During his junior year, Pitman's head coach at the time, Larry Nigro, made a highlight tape which Colin's brother Kyle copied to DVD and then sent to about 100 Division I-A (now FBS) programs, receiving some interest but no offers for scholarship. Even as a senior, he received little attention from FBS schools. Although the Wolf Pack coaching staff frequently watched video of his high school team, no one from Nevada's staff came to Turlock to see him play during his senior football season. Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault
decided to offer him a scholarship after one of his assistants, Barry Sacks, saw Kaepernick dominate a high school basketball game on an evening he was suffering from a fever of 102 °F (38.9 °C). Nevada was the only school that offered him a football scholarship, but was still concerned that he would opt for baseball until he signed
in February 2006.
He was a two time all state baseball player in California and was listed as a draftable prospect on Major League Baseball's website in the class of 2006. He earned Northern California athlete of the week honors as a pitcher. He was reported to throw a 94 MPH fastball as a senior in HS as reported on ABC by commentator Dan Fouts
during his first football action vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers
. He was also a member of the Brewers Grey squad in the 2005 Area Code games. During his senior year, Kaepernick pitched two no-hitters in high school play. He also turned down numerous scholarship offers to play baseball at many notable NCAA programs instead taking his lone scholarship offer to play quarterback at Nevada.
.
that Colin got his first extended playing time. After starting quarterback Nick Graziano went down with a season ending foot injury, Colin entered the game with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. He would go on to amass 384 yards passing, 4 TD's and 60 yards rushing. It would prove to not be enough though as Fresno would win the game 49–41
It would be in Colin's first start on Sunday October 14, 2007 that he would have his most popular game to date. Entering as 26 point underdogs to the Boise State Broncos, a team that had never lost on its home field to a WAC opponent, Colin would help guide the Wolf Pack to a near upset of the Broncos in what would eventually become one of the highest scoring game in NCAA history (69-67 in 4 overtimes). The game was nationally televised on ESPN and would be deemed an Instant Classic to be re-aired on the networks ESPN Classic
station in the following days. Compiling 243 yards passing with 3 TD's and rushing for another 177 yards and 2 scores, Kaepernick would lead the Wolf Pack into a fourth overtime period before a failed two point conversion attempt would ultimately prevent the game from entering a fifth overtime. During the game Kaepernick earned high praise from ESPN's Bill Curry
(the former Georgia Tech and Green Bay Packer center and University of Kentucky
head football coach) as having perhaps the best game he had ever witnessed any redshirt freshman quarterback playing in.
He would then go on to lead the Wolf Pack to three straight victories over Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State (a game in which he threw the go ahead score with a minute remaining) and earn WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the latter. Against undefeated and nationally ranked Hawaii his team would fall 2 points short after giving up a late field goal with 15 seconds remaining. A loss to San Jose St. followed.
In the final game of the regular season vs. the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Kaepernick would throw for a gaudy 404 yards and 3 scores with no turnovers to help lead the Pack their third consecutive bowl appearance, a first in school history.
Kaepernick earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts during the regular season. At 161.06 he finished as the 5th ranked quarterback in NCAA football based on pass efficiency behind Sam Bradford
(Oklahoma), Tim Tebow
(Florida), Colt Brennan
(Hawaii), and Dennis Dixon
(Oregon) and 3rd in the nation in yards per attempt at 9.4 behind Tebow and Paul Smith (Tulsa)
With bowl games completed, Kaepernick's stats dropped slightly. He would finish the season ranked in the top ten in NCAA in various categories including: 2nd lowest Interception Percent to Florida State's Drew Weatherford
, 5th in Yards Per Passing Attempt, 7th in Touchdowns Passing Percent, and 10th in Passer Rating. Amongst quarterbacks he was 6th in Yards Per Carry when running the ball.
Only NCAA QB in 2008 to pass for 2,500 or more yards and rush for 1,000 or more yards.
Ranked 2nd amongst all NCAA QB's in rushing yardage with 1,130.
Ranked 7th amongst all NCAA players with 7.02 yards per carry.
Was tied 9th amongst all NCAA players with 17 rushing TD's.
Kaepernick, with 1,130 rushing yards, and running back Vai Taua
, with 1,521 rushing yards, made 2008 the first year in school history that Nevada had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
Despite playing the entire second half with an ankle injury, he set a new Humanitarian Bowl record with 370 yards passing and was awarded the MVP in a losing effort.
He was also named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year at the end of the season. He was the first sophomore to win this award since Marshall Faulk
of San Diego State did in 1992. He was also named first team All WAC QB. He was the first sophomore to win this award since Trent Dilfer
of Fresno State which was also in 1992.
pre-season watch list. On August 14 it was announced that he was named to the pre-season Maxwell Award
watch list and on August 17 to the Manning Award
watch list.
Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack to an 8–5 record and a second place finish in the WAC behind undefeated Boise State. He was named 2nd team All WAC QB. He is the first player in Nevada history to earn the teams MVP award twice, doing so in 2008 as well.
Colin finished the 2009 season with 2,052 passing yards and 1,183 rushing yards. He became the first player in NCAA history to record back-to-back 2,000/1,000 yard seasons. His 1,183 rush yards along with Luke Lippincott's 1,034 and Vai Taua's 1,345 makes him a part of the first trio of teammates in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards each in the same season on the same team.
Kaepernick was a counselor at the prestigious MPA event in Thibodaux, Louisiana
, during the 2010 camp. He had an impressive showing, drawing praise from various NFL and ESPN personnel including former New York Giants
QB Jesse Palmer
who said of Kaepernick, "by far, the strongest arm in the camp".
It was also announced that Kaepernick, along with teammates Taua and Lippincott will have a display in the College Football Hall of Fame
commemorating their being the first players in NCAA history to each break 1,000 yards rushing on the same team during the same season. Kaepernick has been named to the watch list for six major college football awards: the Manning Award
, the O'Brien Award, the Paul Hornung Award
, the Maxwell Award
, the Unitas Award, and the Walter Camp Award
.
On November 26, Kaepernick led his team to a 34–31 overtime victory against the previously undefeated Boise State Broncos
, snapping a 24 game win streak that had dated back to the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
. This game was played on Nevada's senior night, the final home game for Kaepernick and fellow notable senior running back Vai Taua. Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault would later call this game the "most important win in program history." During this game, Kaepernick surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for this season, becoming the first player in NCAA history to have over 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing for 3 consecutive seasons. Along with Taua's 131 yards rushing in the game, the duo became the NCAA's all time leaders in rushing yards by teammates (8,285) passing the legendary SMU
"Pony Express" duo of Eric Dickerson
and Craig James (8,193).
On December 4 against Louisiana Tech University, Kaepernick joined Florida's Tim Tebow
as the second quarterback in FBS history to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 20 in the same season. Later that same evening, Auburn's Cam Newton joined Tebow and Kaepernick as the third. Kaepernick's three rushing touchdowns in that game also placed in him in a tie with former Nebraska QB and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch
for most rushing TD's in NCAA history by a quarterback with 59 in his career. Nevada claimed a share of the WAC title after defeating Louisiana Tech.
Kaepernick is the only quarterback in the history of Division I FBS college football to have passed for over 10,000 yards and rushed for over 4,000 yards in a collegiate career. Kaepernick is also the only Division 1 FBS QB to have passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single season three times in a career (consecutively).
training for the NFL Combine at Competitive Edge Sports with trainer Chip Smith and quarterbacks coach Roger Theder
.
traded up with the Denver Broncos
from the thirteen pick in the second round (#45 overall) to select Colin Kaepernick in the 2011 NFL Draft
. The Denver Broncos
received picks 45, 108 and 141 overall in exchange for the 36th overall pick. He is currently the second-string quarterback.
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
of 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...
. He played college football at Nevada
Nevada Wolf Pack football
The Nevada Wolf Pack Football program represents the University of Nevada, Reno in college football. The Wolf Pack competes in the Western Athletic Conference at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of the NCAA...
.
Personal
Kaepernick was born in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. An adopted child of Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, Kaepernick is of mixed European
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
and African
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent and the youngest of their three children. He lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
until age four and attended grade school in Turlock, California
Turlock, California
Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States, part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, Turlock had a population of 80,549, up from 55,810 at the 2000 census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County.-Geography:Turlock lies in the...
.
Kaepernick graduated in December 2010 with a bachelors degree in business management and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity. He is known to have high character and a relatively unassuming personality off the field, as evidenced by an incident that took place during the summer of 2010 interning at a University of Nevada-themed sports apparel shop in Reno. One woman came in and, completely unaware she was speaking to Kaepernick, asked him to find his jersey. A manager at the store would later recall, "Colin said, ‘I’m pretty sure it’s No. 10, and it’s right over here.’ He rang up her purchase and everything."
Childhood
The young Kaepernick adjusted easily as a dark-skinned member in a white family, using different colors of crayons for himself and the rest of his family on drawing family portraits, and laughing off some classmates who did not believe that he had white parents. He started youth football at the age of eight years old in Turlock, and played sparingly as a defensive end and punter. He then became his youth team's starting quarterback at age nine. He completed his first competitive pass for a long touchdown. He went on to win several punt, pass, and kick competitions mainly on his passing ability, and he often threw passes over the heads of contest officials. It was then his passion for football began.High school
A three-sport star at Pitman High School in Turlock, CaliforniaTurlock, California
Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States, part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, Turlock had a population of 80,549, up from 55,810 at the 2000 census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County.-Geography:Turlock lies in the...
, Kaepernick passed up a promising baseball career as a pitcher in order to play football. Kaepernick was nominated for all state in football, basketball, and baseball his senior year. He was the MVP of the Central California Conference in football leading his school to its first ever playoff victory. In basketball he was a first team all CCC selection at forward and led his 16th ranked team to a near upset of the number 1 ranked Oak Ridge Trojans in the opening round of playoffs. In that game Colin would score 34 points but it wouldn't be enough as Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson (basketball)
Ryan James Anderson is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic. Anderson previously played the power forward position at California....
would score 50 to best the Pride.
Although Kaepernick achieved most of his accolades in high school as a baseball pitcher and received several scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
offers in that sport, he desperately wanted to play football in college. Although he was almost 6'5" as a senior, he only weighed 170 pounds (77 kg); his coaches generally kept him from running the ball to limit his risk of injury. Also, despite his strong arm, he had poor throwing mechanics. During his junior year, Pitman's head coach at the time, Larry Nigro, made a highlight tape which Colin's brother Kyle copied to DVD and then sent to about 100 Division I-A (now FBS) programs, receiving some interest but no offers for scholarship. Even as a senior, he received little attention from FBS schools. Although the Wolf Pack coaching staff frequently watched video of his high school team, no one from Nevada's staff came to Turlock to see him play during his senior football season. Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault
Chris Ault
Chris Ault is the current college football head coach of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. Ault, along with John Gagliardi, is one of two active coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame....
decided to offer him a scholarship after one of his assistants, Barry Sacks, saw Kaepernick dominate a high school basketball game on an evening he was suffering from a fever of 102 °F (38.9 °C). Nevada was the only school that offered him a football scholarship, but was still concerned that he would opt for baseball until he signed
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
in February 2006.
He was a two time all state baseball player in California and was listed as a draftable prospect on Major League Baseball's website in the class of 2006. He earned Northern California athlete of the week honors as a pitcher. He was reported to throw a 94 MPH fastball as a senior in HS as reported on ABC by commentator Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
during his first football action vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
. He was also a member of the Brewers Grey squad in the 2005 Area Code games. During his senior year, Kaepernick pitched two no-hitters in high school play. He also turned down numerous scholarship offers to play baseball at many notable NCAA programs instead taking his lone scholarship offer to play quarterback at Nevada.
Recruitment
Though heavily recruited by major NCAA baseball programs, Kaepernick received his lone football scholarship offer from the University of Nevada Wolf Pack.2006 season
Kaepernick joined the Nevada Wolf Pack as a redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
.
2007 season
As a redshirt freshman, Colin saw little action through Nevada's first four games. It was during the fifth game of the season against the 2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
The 2007 Fresno State football team represent California State University, Fresno in the 2007 college football season. This season will be the Bulldogs' 27th in their current home of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, and their 11th with Pat Hill as head coach.-Pre-Season:At the end of the 2006...
that Colin got his first extended playing time. After starting quarterback Nick Graziano went down with a season ending foot injury, Colin entered the game with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. He would go on to amass 384 yards passing, 4 TD's and 60 yards rushing. It would prove to not be enough though as Fresno would win the game 49–41
It would be in Colin's first start on Sunday October 14, 2007 that he would have his most popular game to date. Entering as 26 point underdogs to the Boise State Broncos, a team that had never lost on its home field to a WAC opponent, Colin would help guide the Wolf Pack to a near upset of the Broncos in what would eventually become one of the highest scoring game in NCAA history (69-67 in 4 overtimes). The game was nationally televised on ESPN and would be deemed an Instant Classic to be re-aired on the networks ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
station in the following days. Compiling 243 yards passing with 3 TD's and rushing for another 177 yards and 2 scores, Kaepernick would lead the Wolf Pack into a fourth overtime period before a failed two point conversion attempt would ultimately prevent the game from entering a fifth overtime. During the game Kaepernick earned high praise from ESPN's Bill Curry
Bill Curry
William Alexander "Bill" Curry is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head coach at Georgia State University, which began competing in college football in 2010...
(the former Georgia Tech and Green Bay Packer center and University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
head football coach) as having perhaps the best game he had ever witnessed any redshirt freshman quarterback playing in.
He would then go on to lead the Wolf Pack to three straight victories over Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State (a game in which he threw the go ahead score with a minute remaining) and earn WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the latter. Against undefeated and nationally ranked Hawaii his team would fall 2 points short after giving up a late field goal with 15 seconds remaining. A loss to San Jose St. followed.
In the final game of the regular season vs. the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Kaepernick would throw for a gaudy 404 yards and 3 scores with no turnovers to help lead the Pack their third consecutive bowl appearance, a first in school history.
Kaepernick earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts during the regular season. At 161.06 he finished as the 5th ranked quarterback in NCAA football based on pass efficiency behind Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
(Oklahoma), Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
(Florida), Colt Brennan
Colt Brennan
Colton "Colt" James Brennan is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
(Hawaii), and Dennis Dixon
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Lee Dixon, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
(Oregon) and 3rd in the nation in yards per attempt at 9.4 behind Tebow and Paul Smith (Tulsa)
With bowl games completed, Kaepernick's stats dropped slightly. He would finish the season ranked in the top ten in NCAA in various categories including: 2nd lowest Interception Percent to Florida State's Drew Weatherford
Drew Weatherford
Andrew Skillern Weatherford is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State University.-High school career:...
, 5th in Yards Per Passing Attempt, 7th in Touchdowns Passing Percent, and 10th in Passer Rating. Amongst quarterbacks he was 6th in Yards Per Carry when running the ball.
2008 season
As a sophomore Kaepernick became just the fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 or more yards in a single season. Some of his notable statistical achievements were:Only NCAA QB in 2008 to pass for 2,500 or more yards and rush for 1,000 or more yards.
Ranked 2nd amongst all NCAA QB's in rushing yardage with 1,130.
Ranked 7th amongst all NCAA players with 7.02 yards per carry.
Was tied 9th amongst all NCAA players with 17 rushing TD's.
Kaepernick, with 1,130 rushing yards, and running back Vai Taua
Vai Taua
Vailala "Vai" Lima Taua is an American football running back, for the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Nevada.-Early years:Taua was born in Fountain Valley,...
, with 1,521 rushing yards, made 2008 the first year in school history that Nevada had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
Despite playing the entire second half with an ankle injury, he set a new Humanitarian Bowl record with 370 yards passing and was awarded the MVP in a losing effort.
He was also named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year at the end of the season. He was the first sophomore to win this award since Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
of San Diego State did in 1992. He was also named first team All WAC QB. He was the first sophomore to win this award since Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
of Fresno State which was also in 1992.
2009 season
Kaepernick was named the pre-season WAC Offensive Player of the Year at the WAC Media's event in July. On August 3 it was announced he was named to the Davey O'Brien AwardDavey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
pre-season watch list. On August 14 it was announced that he was named to the pre-season Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
watch list and on August 17 to the Manning Award
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
watch list.
Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack to an 8–5 record and a second place finish in the WAC behind undefeated Boise State. He was named 2nd team All WAC QB. He is the first player in Nevada history to earn the teams MVP award twice, doing so in 2008 as well.
Colin finished the 2009 season with 2,052 passing yards and 1,183 rushing yards. He became the first player in NCAA history to record back-to-back 2,000/1,000 yard seasons. His 1,183 rush yards along with Luke Lippincott's 1,034 and Vai Taua's 1,345 makes him a part of the first trio of teammates in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards each in the same season on the same team.
2010 season
Entering the 2010 NCAA season, Kaepernick ranks #1 among active college football players in rushing touchdowns. He is second in Yards Per Carry (behind Wolf Pack teammate Vai Taua), Total Offense per Game, and Touchdowns Scored. He ranks #3 in Yards per Play and #4 in pass touchdowns and Total Number of Offensive Plays.Kaepernick was a counselor at the prestigious MPA event in Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
, during the 2010 camp. He had an impressive showing, drawing praise from various NFL and ESPN personnel including former New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
QB Jesse Palmer
Jesse Palmer
Jesse James Palmer is a Canadian-born sports commentator and former college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons in the early 2000s...
who said of Kaepernick, "by far, the strongest arm in the camp".
It was also announced that Kaepernick, along with teammates Taua and Lippincott will have a display in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
commemorating their being the first players in NCAA history to each break 1,000 yards rushing on the same team during the same season. Kaepernick has been named to the watch list for six major college football awards: the Manning Award
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
, the O'Brien Award, the Paul Hornung Award
Paul Hornung Award
The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission with the support of Paul Hornung, a native and resident of Louisville, Kentucky and member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
, the Unitas Award, and the Walter Camp Award
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
.
On November 26, Kaepernick led his team to a 34–31 overtime victory against the previously undefeated Boise State Broncos
2010 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games...
, snapping a 24 game win streak that had dated back to the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
2008 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2008 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game started at 5 PM US PST on Tuesday, December 23, 2008...
. This game was played on Nevada's senior night, the final home game for Kaepernick and fellow notable senior running back Vai Taua. Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault would later call this game the "most important win in program history." During this game, Kaepernick surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for this season, becoming the first player in NCAA history to have over 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing for 3 consecutive seasons. Along with Taua's 131 yards rushing in the game, the duo became the NCAA's all time leaders in rushing yards by teammates (8,285) passing the legendary SMU
SMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
"Pony Express" duo of Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
and Craig James (8,193).
On December 4 against Louisiana Tech University, Kaepernick joined Florida's Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
as the second quarterback in FBS history to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 20 in the same season. Later that same evening, Auburn's Cam Newton joined Tebow and Kaepernick as the third. Kaepernick's three rushing touchdowns in that game also placed in him in a tie with former Nebraska QB and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch
Eric Crouch
Eric Eugene Crouch is an American quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor....
for most rushing TD's in NCAA history by a quarterback with 59 in his career. Nevada claimed a share of the WAC title after defeating Louisiana Tech.
Kaepernick is the only quarterback in the history of Division I FBS college football to have passed for over 10,000 yards and rushed for over 4,000 yards in a collegiate career. Kaepernick is also the only Division 1 FBS QB to have passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single season three times in a career (consecutively).
College stats
| Year | Team | Attempts | Completions | Completion % | Yards | TDs | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
|
|||||
| 2007 | Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
247 | 133 | 53.8% | 2,175 | 19 | 3 |
| 2008 2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team The 2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Nevada competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference .The team was led by... |
Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
383 | 208 | 54.3% | 2,849 | 22 | 7 |
| 2009 2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team The 2009 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by head coach Chris Ault, entering his 25th overall season at Nevada, and 6th season since becoming the head coach for the third time in 2004.... |
Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
282 | 166 | 58.9% | 2,052 | 20 | 6 |
| 2010 2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team The 2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by head coach Chris Ault in his 26th season overall and 7th since taking over the head coaching job for the third time in 2004. They played... |
Nevada University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA... |
359 | 233 | 64.9% | 3,022 | 21 | 8 |
| College Totals | 1,271 | 740 | 58.2% | 10,098 | 82 | 24 | |
Professional
Upon graduation, Kaepernick signed with XAM Sports and Entertainment. He spent time in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
training for the NFL Combine at Competitive Edge Sports with trainer Chip Smith and quarterbacks coach Roger Theder
Roger Theder
-External links:...
.
2011 NFL Draft
On April 29, 2011, The San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
traded up with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from the thirteen pick in the second round (#45 overall) to select Colin Kaepernick in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. The Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
received picks 45, 108 and 141 overall in exchange for the 36th overall pick. He is currently the second-string quarterback.