Brian Westbrook

Brian Collins Westbrook,

(born September 2, 1979 in Washington, D.C.) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Villanova.

Westbrook has earned two Pro Bowl selections with the Eagles in 2004 and 2007.

Early years

Westbrook attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland and was an excellent student and a letterman in football and basketball. In football, as a senior, he was a first team All-League selection, a first team All-Prince George's County selection, and an All-State Honorable Mention selection. As a junior, he was a first team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection and an All-State Honorable Mention selection.

College career

After DeMatha, Westbrook played college football at Villanova University from 1997–2001. Though he battled through several injuries, he holds the all-time NCAA record with 9,512 all-purpose yards, breaking the 9,301 yards accumulated by Brian Shay of Emporia State University. In 46 career games, he scored 542 points with 84 touchdowns, carried the ball 725 times for 4,298 yards (6.2 avg.), caught 219 passes for 2,582 yards (11.79 avg.) and gained 2,289 yards and four touchdowns on kickoff returns. Along the way, he established 41 school, 13 Atlantic Ten Conference and five NCAA records.

Westbrook became the only player in I-AA history to score 160 or more points twice in a career and the first player in the history of college football at any level with 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in one season (1998). He is one of only two players in Villanova history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and he accomplished that feat three times.

Westbrook was a consensus All-America and two-time A-10 offensive player of the year and was the 2001 recipient of the Walter Payton Award (as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA).As a senior, he amassed 2,823 combined net yards and scored 29 touchdowns.

Professional career

2002 NFL Draft

Despite his dominance in college, NFL teams were hesitant to draft him in the 2002 NFL Draft for three reasons: his small size (he was listed at only 5'8", 200 lb (91 kg)), his injury history (he missed an entire college season with a knee injury), and the fact that he did not play college football for a NCAA Division I-A school. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid liked what he had seen from Westbrook and drafted him in the third round.

Pre-draft measureables

Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic

200 lb* 4.57s* X 7.09s* 37"* 26* 31*

(* represents NFL Combine)

Early career

Westbrook saw limited time in the 2002 season, but he threw a touchdown pass to receiver Todd Pinkston on a trick play in a September 2002 rout of the Dallas Cowboys.] He made his mark in the NFL in the 2003 season with a fourth quarter punt return for a touchdown to defeat the New York Giants 14-10 in the closing minutes on October 19, 2003. The play managed to turn the Eagles' season around as they went to the NFC Championship Game. Westbrook, who scored eleven touchdowns by ground and air, missed the playoffs that year after tearing his triceps muscle in the final game of the season against the Washington Redskins.

2004–2007

After the departure of previous starter Duce Staley and a pre-season injury to Correll Buckhalter, Westbrook became the starting running back for 2004. He rushed for a career high 812 yards, led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 703 yards, and scored nine touchdowns, creating numerous problems with opposing teams' defenses and helping to propel the Eagles to a 13-3 season. He went on to have a solid performance in Philadelphia's Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, rushing for 44 yards, catching seven passes for 60 yards, and scoring one touchdown. He was also added to his first Pro Bowl that February.

Westbrook signed a five-year contract extension with the Eagles in November 2005, after holding out of training camp and months of hectic negotiations. With over 1,200 yards rushing and receiving, it was announced on December 6, 2005, that Westbrook would miss the rest of the 2005 season due to a mid-foot injury he sustained during a 42–0 Monday night loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Westbrook resumed his productivity in 2006, despite early injury concerns over a swollen knee. With a season-ending injury to McNabb on November 19, 2006, Westbrook stepped up and became the keystone of the Philadelphia offense. On November 26, 2006, he became the first Eagle to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games since Wilbert Montgomery did it 25 years earlier.

Westbrook set a career-high in rushing yards with 1,217, topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He also lead the team with 77 receptions for 699 receiving yards. His eleven total touchdowns (seven rushing and four receiving) were also tops on the Eagles. On January 7, 2007 Westbrook set a career-postseason rushing record, rushing for 141 yards on twenty carries against the New York Giants, including a 49 yard touchdown. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, Westbrook nearly willed the team to another playoff victory, scoring two touchdowns in the game.

After his strong playoff performance, Westbrook picked up right where he left in 2007 and cemented himself as one of the top backs in the league. He had over 100 yards rushing and receiving combined in twelve of the fifteen games that he played. His 1,333 rushing yards were a new career high and his 2,104 yards from scrimmage led the NFL. Westbrook was named to his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro team, after setting a new franchise record with 90 receptions.

2008

Westbrook (left) and Donovan McNabb (right) in 2009 NFC Wild Card game.

On August 8, 2008, Westbrook signed a five-year, $32 million extension with the Eagles, with the possibility of earning another $3 million after the first three seasons if incentives are met. On September 15, 2008, in a Monday night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Westbrook caught one touchdown and rushed for two more, making him only the seventh player in NFL history to rush for 30 and catch 25 touchdowns in his career. On October 26, 2008, coming off a rib and ankle injury, Westbrook did not show any rust whatsoever against Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in his first action since Week 5, recording a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns off 22 carries and adding 42 yards off six receptions. Then in week 13, Brian Westbrook scored two receiving and two rushing touchdowns with 100+ yards, the first time since 1975.

2009

Westbrook entered the 2009 season finally recovered from the injuries he sustained in 2008, but would see only seven starts during season, due to additional injuries suffered. In week 7, Westbrook suffered a concussion and would not return until week 10, when he would suffer yet another concussion and be forced to miss the majority of the remainder of the season, being played sparingly in the consecutive losses to Dallas in the season finale and wild-card round.

Westbrook was released on March 5, 2010.

2010

Westbrook signed a one-year contract with the 49ers on August 16, 2010. The 49ers' decision to sign Westbrook was considered to have partially sparked from the sudden retirement of backup RB Glen Coffee.

Personal

Westbrook has a younger brother, Byron Westbrook, who played defensive back at Salisbury University in Maryland and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2007. Their cousin, Lawrence Westbrook, is currently the starting shooting guard for the University of Minnesota basketball team.[4] Although it has been reported in various media biographies that Westbrook is the cousin of NBA player Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is not the case. A July 2008 Daily Oklahoman article reported that Russell Westbrook said the two are not cousins.

References

(source:wikipedia)

Blake Shelton

Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976, in Ada, Oklahoma) is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This song was the first single from his gold-certified debut album, which also produced two more Top 20 hits. Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.
His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer (his first for Warner Bros. proper) and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, were each certified gold as well. Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS, was issued in 2007, and re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. This cover was also that album's third single. A fifth album, Startin' Fires, was released in November 2008.
Overall, Shelton has charted seventeen singles on the country charts, including six Number One hits: "Austin" (2001), "The Baby" (2003), "Some Beach" (2004-2005), "Home" (2008), "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (2009) and "Hillbilly Bone" (2010), a duet with Trace Adkins. Besides these, three more of his singles have reached Top Ten: a cover version of Conway Twitty's "Goodbye Time", "Nobody but Me" and "I'll Just Hold On".

Biography

Biographical info -- life before his musical career.
Shelton was born in Ada, Oklahoma, and began singing at an early age. By age sixteen, Shelton had received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state. At age 17, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee in pursuit of a recording career.

Blake Shelton and The Dreamer
After several years in Nashville, he signed to Giant Records in 1998. In 2001, he was slated to release a song entitled "I Wanna Talk About Me" as a single. Staff at the label considered the song unsuitable for a lead-off single, however, and the song was eventually recorded by Toby Keith, whose version was a Number One hit.
Instead, Giant released "Austin" written by Kirsti Manna and David Kent, as Shelton's debut single. Shortly after its release, however, Giant Records was dissolved, and Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records, the parent company. "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. This song was the single from his self-titled debut album, which also produced the #18-peaking "All Over Me" (which Shelton co-wrote with fellow country artist Earl Thomas Conley) and the #14-peaking "Ol' Red", the latter of which was a cover version of a George Jones song. Although Shelton's rendition was not a major radio hit, he considers it his signature song, and it has become popular in concert. Blake Shelton is certified gold by the RIAA.
Shelton's second album, The Dreamer, was first released on February 4, 2003 on Warner Bros. Records. Its lead-off single, "The Baby", reached Number One on the country charts, holding that position for three weeks. Although the second and third singles ("Heavy Liftin'" and "Playboys of the Southwestern World", respectively) only reached #32 and #24, The Dreamer earned gold certification as well. He, along with Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry, sang guest vocals on Tracy Byrd's mid-2003 single "The Truth About Men".
[edit]Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill and Pure BS
Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was the title of Shelton's third studio album, released in 2004.Its lead-off single, the Harley Allen co-write "When Somebody Knows You That Well", peaked at #37 on the country charts, while the follow-up "Some Beach" went on to become his third Number One hit, holding the Number One position for four weeks. This single was followed by a cover of Conway Twitty's 1988 single "Goodbye Time". Both this cover and its followup, "Nobody but Me", reached Top Ten for Shelton as well. As with his first two albums, Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was certified gold. Accompanying the album's release was a video collection entitled Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill: A Video Collection.
On December 18, 2005, several of Shelton's songs, including "Nobody but Me", appeared on the TV movie The Christmas Blessing, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, and Rob Lowe. Shelton had a small role at the end of the movie, playing himself at a benefit concert, singing "Nobody but Me".
Shelton issued his fourth studio album, Pure BS, in early 2007. Unlike with his first three albums, which were produced entirely by Bobby Braddock, Shelton worked with Braddock, Brent Rowan, and Paul Worley as producers for this album. Its first two singles — "Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink" — were both Top 20 hits on the country charts, respectively reaching #12 and #19. Also in late 2007, Shelton made appearances on television shows: first as a judge on the talent competition Nashville Star, and later on Clash of the Choirs.
Pure BS was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, including a cover of Michael Bublé's hit single "Home". This cover, released in early 2008 as the album's third single, became his fourth Number One hit in July of that year.
[edit]Startin' Fires and Hillbilly Bone
"Home" was followed in August 2008 by the single "She Wouldn't Be Gone", his fourteenth chart entry and his fifth Number One hit, as well as the first time in his career that he had two consecutive Number Ones. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" is the lead-off to Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires, which has also produced the single "I'll Just Hold On". This album also includes "Bare Skin Rug", a duet with Lambert. It was produced by Scott Hendricks, except for one track which was produced by Brent Rowan, and another ("I Don't Care", which carried over from Pure BS) was produced by Braddock.
After "I'll Just Hold On" fell from the chart, in late-October 2009, Shelton released a duet with Trace Adkins titled "Hillbilly Bone." The song is the lead-off single and title track to Shelton's EP, Hillbilly Bone, which was released on March 2, 2010. The song has become Shelton's 16th consecutive Top 40 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.


All About Tonight
After "Hillbilly Bone" reached #1 in February 2010, Shelton released "All About Tonight", as the lead-off single to his upcoming second extended play, which is set for release later in 2010.


Personal life

Shelton was married to longtime girlfriend Kaynette Williams on November 17, 2003. They were divorced in 2006. As of 2006, he began dating fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, whom he met at the CMT's 100 Greatest Duets Concert.  Lambert also sang background vocals on his cover of Michael Bublé's song, "Home". Shelton's version of the song was a Number One single on the Hot Country Songs chart. Blake proposed to Miranda after asking her father for this blessing on May 9, 2010.



Discography

Main article: Blake Shelton discography
Studio album
Blake Shelton (2001)
The Dreamer (2003)
Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill (2004)
Pure BS (2007)
Startin' Fires (2008)
Extended plays
Blake Shelton: Collector's Edition (2008)
Hillbilly Bone (2010)
All About Tonight (2010)
Compilation album
Blake Shelton - The Essentials (2009)



Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Result
2001 Academy of Country Music Top New Male Vocalist Nominated
2002 Academy of Country Music Top New Male Vocalist Nominated
2003 Academy of Country Music Vocal Event of the Year - "The Truth About Men" (with Tracy Byrd, Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry) Nominated
2003 Country Music Association Horizon Award Nominated
Vocal Event of the Year - "The Truth About Men" (with Tracy Byrd, Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry) Nominated
2010 Academy of Country Music Vocal Event of the Year - "Hillbilly Bone" (with Trace Adkins) Won
CMT Music Awards Collaborative Video of the Year - "Hillbilly Bone" (with Trace Adkins) Pending
Source:wikipedia