Age: 28 (Dec.
27)
5th
season in pro football & with Jaguars
College: Tennessee
Height: 6’1” Weight: 224
Prelude:
Stewart
rushed for 2890 yards in college, with 1028 as a senior in 1994, and also gained
another 463 yards on 54 pass receptions while scoring a total of 39 touchdowns.
He was chosen by the expansion Jaguars in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft
(19th overall), who were attracted by his ability to catch out of
the backfield as well as his size and speed. Struggling early, he led the club
with 525 rushing yards as a rookie. Stewart performed well in 1996 before a toe
injury sidelined him late in the season, after gaining 723 yards on the ground,
catching 30 passes, and scoring 10 touchdowns. He was primarily a backup to
veteran RB Natrone Means in ’97, although he accumulated 555 rushing yards and
336 more on 41 catches, and had a five-touchdown performance against the
Eagles. A knee injury cost him all but the first three games of the 1998 season
and hastened the emergence of rookie RB Fred Taylor, which again put Stewart in
a backup role heading into ’99, but an injury to Taylor put him back in the
lineup.
1999 Season Summary
Appeared in 14
of 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 249
[16]
Most
attempts, game – 30 (for 145 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 12/2
Yards – 931 [17]
Most yards,
game – 145 yards (on 30 carries) vs. Pittsburgh 12/2
Average gain
– 3.7
TDs – 13 [2,
tied with Edgerrin James, 1st in AFC]
100-yard
rushing games – 2
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 21
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 53 yds.) vs. New Orleans 11/21
Yards – 108
Most yards,
game – 53 (on 5 catches) vs. New Orleans 11/21
Average gain
– 5.1
TDs – 0
Scoring
TDs – 13 [3,
tied with Cris Carter, Eddie George & Emmitt Smith]
Points – 78
Postseason: 2 G
Rushing
attempts – 14
Most rushing
attempts, game – 11 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards
– 97
Most rushing
yards, game – 62 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff
Average gain
rushing – 6.9
Rushing TDs –
2
Jaguars went 14-2
to finish first in the AFC Central while leading the conference in rushing
yards (2091). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Miami Dolphins (62-7). Lost AFC
Championship to Tennessee Titans (33-14).
Aftermath:
With Fred
Taylor expected to regain the starting job, Stewart signed with the Detroit
Lions as a free agent in 2000. He rushed for 1184 yards and 10 touchdowns,
although averaging only 3.5 yards-per-carry. While the average improved to 4.8
yards in 2001, Stewart appeared in only 11 games due to ankle problems. In 2002,
he gained 1021 yards and caught a career-high 46 passes for 333 yards, but a shoulder
injury suffered during the ’03 preseason finished his career. Overall, Stewart
rushed for 5841 yards on 1478 carries (4.0 avg.) and caught 220 passes for 1715
yards, scoring a total of 57 touchdowns. Of that, 2951 rushing yards and 853
receiving yards on 119 receptions came with the Jaguars, as well as 38 of the
TDs.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
