Tim Biakabutuka
Encyclopedia
Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka (born January 24, 1974) is a former American football
running back
for the Carolina Panthers
of the NFL
from 1996 to 2001.
with his family for Canada
when he was four years old, settling in the Montreal
area, where his family still lives. He did not play Canadian football
until his high school in Longueuil
organized a team. After grade 11, he attended CEGEP
at Vanier College
, where his football exploits earned him the nickname "Touchdown Tim" and earned him a scholarship to play college football
at the University of Michigan
.
Biakabutukua is perhaps best known for his 313-yard rushing effort against Ohio State
in 1995, which helped Michigan upset the previously-undefeated Buckeyes. His performance against Ohio State ranks as the second highest single-game performance in U-M history, as follows:
That season, Biakabutuka rushed for 1,818 yards, still the single-season Michigan record, as follows:
, and owns two Bojangles restaurants in Augusta, Georgia
. He had a failed venture as a franchisee of a Nathan's Hot Dog Restaurant.
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 Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
of the NFL
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...
from 1996 to 2001.
College career at Michigan
Biakabutuka left the former ZaireZaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
with his family for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
when he was four years old, settling in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
area, where his family still lives. He did not play Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
until his high school in Longueuil
Longueuil, Quebec
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
organized a team. After grade 11, he attended CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
at Vanier College
Vanier College
Vanier College is an English-language public college located in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college system...
, where his football exploits earned him the nickname "Touchdown Tim" and earned him a scholarship to play 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 the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Biakabutukua is perhaps best known for his 313-yard rushing effort against Ohio State
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1995, which helped Michigan upset the previously-undefeated Buckeyes. His performance against Ohio State ranks as the second highest single-game performance in U-M history, as follows:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Year | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Johnson | 31 | 347 | 11.2 | 1968 | Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
| 2 | Tim Biakabutuka | 37 | 313 | 8.5 | 1995 | Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
| 3 | Jon Vaughn Jon Vaughn Jonathan Stewart Vaughn is a former professional American football player who played running back and served as a kick returner in the National Football League for 4 seasons from 1991 to 1994 for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs... |
32 | 288 | 9.0 | 1990 | UCLA UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
| 4 | Ron Johnson | 26 | 270 | 10.4 | 1967 | Navy Navy Midshipmen football The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007... |
| 5 | Denard Robinson Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010... |
28 | 258 | 9.2 | 2010 | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
That season, Biakabutuka rushed for 1,818 yards, still the single-season Michigan record, as follows:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Biakabutuka | 303 | 1818 | 6.0 | 1995 |
| 2 | Anthony Thomas Anthony Thomas (American football) Anthony Jermaine Thomas is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach at at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Thomas was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft... |
319 | 1733 | 5.4 | 2000 |
| 3 | Jamie Morris Jamie Morris James Walter "Jamie" Morris is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and a record-setting running back in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines... |
282 | 1703 | 6.0 | 1987 |
| 4 | Denard Robinson Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson , nicknamed Shoelace, is an American football player who is playing his junior season for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at quarterback in all 13 games for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 2010... |
256 | 1702 | 6.6 | 2010 |
| 5 | Chris Perry | 338 | 1674 | 5.0 | 2003 |
NFL career
During his career in the NFL, Biakabutuka was often injured. He never played more than 12 games in a single season . For his career he played in 50 games over 6 seasons. Over that stretch he totalled 3319 yards from scrimmage and scored 17 touchdowns. As a member of the Carolina Panthers, Biakabutuka became the first running back to record two touchdown runs of 60 or more yards in the same game.Life after football
Biakabutuka currently resides in Fort Mill, South CarolinaFort Mill, South Carolina
Fort Mill is a fast-growing suburban town in both York and Lancaster counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, and a suburb of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rock Hill...
, and owns two Bojangles restaurants in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. He had a failed venture as a franchisee of a Nathan's Hot Dog Restaurant.
See also
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football rushing leaders
- List of Montreal athletes
- List of famous Montrealers