To become a professional athlete takes a certain amount of discipline. Few people can actually put in the work to make it to the world of professional sports. For Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard, he had the work ethic and he put in the work. However, the road was not always easy.
After suffering a torn ACL during his senior year of high school and losing D-1 scholarships, Richard has made it to the top. Now heading into his fourth season, Richard has time to look back at the journey.
According to Wesley Boone of KALB.com, Richard recently had his number retired at his high school, Peabody Magnet in Alexandria, La. and he described how great that felt:
Back in January, Richard himself lived through a dream, as his alma mater honored him by retiring his number and hanging a banner in the rafters of the gym.
“Surreal doesn’t begin to describe it, man. This whole past year.”
On top of that great honor, Richard also earned his degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He spent four years with the Golden Eagles where he flourished. Richard spent time rushing and receiving, but particularly shined in his senior year. He rushed for over 1,000 yards, scored 14 rushing touchdowns and also secured two receiving touchdowns.
However, the hard road was not over after that stellar senior season. Richard went undrafted in 2016 and eventually signed with the Raiders.
Since that time, he has been one of the most consistent backup running backs in the NFL. In his three seasons, he has averaged 341 rushing yards per season, all while coming off the bench.
Last year, Richard also had an excellent year receiving. In addition to having the ninth-most rushing yards for players starting one game or less, he also led bench players with his 607 receiving yards.
Despite all the work that he has put in, Richard still feels that he can improve himself further:
“I’ve been blessed, man. I wake up every day and it’s like a dream,” says Richard. “I’m just trying to continue to work hard and prove to myself I’m not taking any of it for granted.”
Richard’s future still could be one relegated to the bench. With rookie running back Josh Jacobs coming in, he could be the one to assume the starting role for the Silver and Black.
