(born
January 4 ,
1971 ) was a running back that last played for the
NFL 's
Denver Broncos in 2004. He had previously played for the Phoenix and Arizona
Cardinals ,
Cincinnati Bengals , and
San Francisco 49ers . He had run for 1,000 yards in a season on 4 occasions, and is the only NFL player to have won the
NFL Comeback Player Of The Year Award twice, most recently in 2001.
- . Hearst was a consensus All-America selection, the Doak Walker Award recipient, ESPN 's "ESPY" Winner for Outstanding Collegiate Athlete and SEC Player of the year in 1992. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Hearst finished his college career second on the Georgia records list in rushing yardage (3,232), all-purpose yardage (3,934), and 100-yard rushing games (16); trailing only
Herschel Walker . He also finished third in career rushing touchdowns (35).
Regarded as an excellent prospect, he was taken in the
1993 NFL Draft third overall by the
Phoenix Cardinals .
In Hearst's first two seasons with the Cardinals, he was used sparingly. In
1995 , however, he broke out as a pro player, rushing for 1,070 yards. However, after the season he was let go and joined the
Cincinnati Bengals . He played there one season, gaining 847 yards, but was then picked up by the
San Francisco 49ers .
Hearst's best years came with the 49ers. In his first year,
1997 , he ran for 1,019 yards and 4 touchdowns. The 4 touchdowns were more than he had scored in his entire pro career before 1997.
Hearst's true coming out, however, occurred in
1998 . He ran for 1,570 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. His total rushing yards placed him third in the NFL, behind only
Terrell Davis and
Jamal Anderson and set a franchise record for rushing yards in a season, previously held by
Roger Craig (1,502 yards in 1988). His 535 receiving yards gave him a combined 2,105 yards on the season, another franchise record previously held by Craig (2,066 yards in 1985). Against the
Detroit Lions , he set a then single-game franchise record of 198 rushing yards, the record now held by
Charlie Garner (201 yards). He also had the longest running play in the
NFL that year, when he ran 96 yards for a game-winning touchdown on Opening Day versus the
New York Jets .
Following the great season by Hearst, the
49ers faced the
Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Playoffs. Unfortunately on the first play from
Scrimmage , Hearst suffered a gruesome ankle break when his foot was caught in the
Georgia Dome turf and twisted severely as he tried to spin away from Falcons' defensive end
Chuck Smith . Doctors said he might not play again, even though the 49ers kept him on their roster as an inactive player.
Hearst ran into complications following surgery as circulatory problems choked off the blood supply in the area, leading to
Avascular Necrosis , causing the
Talus Bone in his foot to die.
Bo Jackson suffered this same condition in his hip and was forced to retire from football.
After over two years of long rehabilitation, Hearst surprised many by playing in football in
2001 and became the first player in NFL history to come back to football after suffering avascular necrosis. He had an excellent season as well, rushing for 1,206 yards on a 4.8 average. His amazing comeback earned him the
NFL Comeback Player Of The Year Award . The 49ers, who were 10-22 in 2 seasons without Hearst, went 12-4 that year.
Hearst would remain with the 49ers for two more seasons, but was used less often, the focus of the 49ers' running game shifting to
Kevan Barlow . Hearst still ran for 972 yards and 768 yards in
2002 and
2003 , respectively.
The 49ers cut Hearst after
2003 because of
Salary Cap issues. Hearst signed with the
Denver Broncos and in his final season, he was considered a "third down specialist" who had 8 first downs, and 81 yards on 20 attempts with one touchdown (4.1 yards/carry) before being placed on IR with a broken hand. He was not resigned in 2005.
Hearst has not signed with an NFL team since, and his career may be effectively over; he is now 35 years old.
