Jason Snelling
Encyclopedia
Jason Michael Snelling is an American football
running back
for the Atlanta Falcons
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Virginia
.
. His average of 5.3 yards per rush is the fifth on the school’s all-time rushing record list, topped only by John Papit
(1947–50), Terry Kirby
(1989–92), Barry Word
(1982–85) and Nikki Fisher (1988–91).
His 325 rushing yards in 2005 were the most by a Virginia fullback in a season since Charles Way
totaled 517 yards in 1994, he also led the ACC fullbacks in rushing yards in 2005. Snelling was diagnosed with epilepsy
, and the condition caused him to take a medical redshirt his sophomore season and later miss practices and games. His condition was eventually diagnosed and is now treated by medication. He was unable to talk openly about epilepsy until his senior season at Virginia.
(244 overall). He made his National Football League
debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and scored his first professional touchdown
against the Arizona Cardinals
. He started his first game November 22, 2009 against the New York Giants, rushing for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries, while also catching 3 passes for 13 yards. On January 3, 2010, he rushed 25 times for a career-high 147 yards and added three receptions for 21 yards in a victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the Falcons to the first back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise's 44-year history. Snelling was re-signed by the Falcons on April 15, 2010. He finished the 2009 season with 613 yards on 142 carries with 4 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 259 yards and 1 touchdown.
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
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 was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Early years
Snelling played football at L.C. Bird High School, where he was an all-district tailback and was named to the all-region team three times. He rushed for 3,300 yards during his career, including 1,444 yards and 14 touchdowns during his senior year. His jersey number was retired by the school in 2007College career
Snelling enrolled to University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. His average of 5.3 yards per rush is the fifth on the school’s all-time rushing record list, topped only by John Papit
John Papit
John Michael Papit is a former American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Virginia and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1951 NFL Draft....
(1947–50), Terry Kirby
Terry Kirby
Terry Gayle Kirby , is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the NFL from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia...
(1989–92), Barry Word
Barry Word
Barry Quentin Word is a former American football running back for the National Football League.-College:...
(1982–85) and Nikki Fisher (1988–91).
His 325 rushing yards in 2005 were the most by a Virginia fullback in a season since Charles Way
Charles Way
Charles Christopher Way, also known as Charles "Get Out of My" Way is a former professional American football halfback in the National Football League for five seasons for the New York Giants....
totaled 517 yards in 1994, he also led the ACC fullbacks in rushing yards in 2005. Snelling was diagnosed with epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and the condition caused him to take a medical redshirt his sophomore season and later miss practices and games. His condition was eventually diagnosed and is now treated by medication. He was unable to talk openly about epilepsy until his senior season at Virginia.
Professional career
He was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
(244 overall). He made his 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...
debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and scored his first professional touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He started his first game November 22, 2009 against the New York Giants, rushing for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries, while also catching 3 passes for 13 yards. On January 3, 2010, he rushed 25 times for a career-high 147 yards and added three receptions for 21 yards in a victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the Falcons to the first back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise's 44-year history. Snelling was re-signed by the Falcons on April 15, 2010. He finished the 2009 season with 613 yards on 142 carries with 4 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 259 yards and 1 touchdown.