So, when the Los Angeles Chargers looked beyond the modest height and small-school background and offered Ekeler an undrafted free agent contract just moments after the NFL Draft on April 29, Ekeler was quick to say yes. Austin Ekeler, left, poses with his younger brother, Wyett Adams. As of 2020, his age is 25. Austin Ekeler is now the Chargers’ unquestioned featured back — a job not about one position but rather all of them. From then on, everyone was a believer in the story, the talent, and the outlook of Austin Ekeler. So, Ekeler didn’t play varsity as a freshman. How Austin Ekeler is so photogenic during the middle of a football game. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} Running back Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers runs after his catch in front of defensive back David Amerson of the Arizona Cardinals during... Austin Ekeler … Austin Ekeler was born on May 17, 1995, in Eaton, Colorado, the United States to mother “He was a star from the beginning,” said Suzanne, who teaches at Roosevelt High School in Johnstown. That’s when McElwain said, ‘Can you dunk a basketball?’ Austin just kind of grinned.”. The Los Angeles Chargers initially placed running back Austin Ekeler on injured reserve with the expectation he could miss six weeks of action. “She’s been a huge influence, she’s the person I’ve looked up to my entire life,” Ekeler said of his mother. Ekeler totaled 557 yards on 132 attempts and scored three touchdowns for the Chargers. He also added 11 total touchdowns, three rushing and eight receiving. There are three main reasons NFL players tend to miss games and I'm going to let machine learning account for each appropriately. It was one of many times Ekeler found himself with something to prove. Austin Ekeler poses with family after Western State's football game against the University of Northern Colorado in 2015 in Greeley. Suzanne has raised Austin and Wyett, a freshman at Windsor High School, with the support of a tight-knit family locally, as well as from Nebraska and Kansas. “If I could say my kid has an addiction, it’s working hard and continuing to want to better himself.”. They fully embraced the town’s rich sports culture and weren’t afraid to put in the work needed to excel. Read the entire story on the Sports Illustrated website. Even at a young age, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of quit in him. The sound of water is soothing, like an oasis of calm. Then, Ekeler skied high and jammed that basketball, before continuing on with practice. 2 seed into boys soccer playoffs, High school girls volleyball tournament moved from NORCO facility to World Arena, Brought to you by Prairie Mountain Publishing, Police seek witnesses of crash that hospitalized 4, shut down U.S. 34, Jenny Huth resigns as University of Northern Colorado women's basketball coach, Downtown Greeley announces return of Friday Fest, Weld commissioners unanimously oppose animal cruelty-related Initiative 16, citing harm to ag industry, Greeley, Weld County Death Notices for April 21, 2021, CSU System planning to restrict Hughes Stadium housing to employees, students, Colorado Gov. 152 talking about this. A somewhat bold statement at the time, Ekeler has since made Mondt’s declaration a much more obvious one. The real excitement came after the final picks were called. It wasn’t easy going out, breaking ice at 6 or 7 in the morning so the horses could drink. By his senior season in ’12, he was a threat in the punting game, the return game, on defense and, on yeah, he carried the ball 236 times for 2,398 yards and 39 touchdowns – averaging 10.16 yards per carry and 218 yards per game. Chargers RB, Western Alum, CO Native, D-II & Damn Proud #AE30 #BoltUp Biz/Media Inquiries: cweiss@dynamicsportsgrp.com www.austinekeler.com Eaton coach and teacher Dean Grable has served as a mentor of Ekeler’s for years. An entire town rallying around her son under the lights at Eaton High School. “Honestly, we were all standing there on the sidelines and we’re going, ‘Who is that kid?’ because when he took it, he was gone,” Hoffman recalled. Suzanne Ekeler smiles as she stands next to Austin Ekeler's jersey from Western State University on Friday at her home in Windsor. “It took me awhile for it to sink in,” Suzanne said. Ekeler’s mom watched that pro day from the field. Through the Austin Ekeler Foundation, I seek to help those that may find themselves in situations similar to mine growing up. That was all the chance he needed. He saw enough of Ekeler’s record-breaking career at Western State to testify Ekeler did the same things in college as he did in high school. Austin Ekeler, right, poses with his grandfather, Bob. “I do not know how I was so blessed to become their mother.”. Troy Hoffman – coach of rival Platte Valley – started as a mere adversary of Ekeler’s but quickly became a growing admirer. Reach him at (970) 392-4478, by email at bfernandez@greeleytribune.com or on Twitter @BobbyDFernandez. In four seasons, Ekeler broke every conceivable rushing record at Western, finishing with nearly 6,000 rushing yards and scoring 63 times. Shortly after Suzanne and Austin moved to Eaton, Austin fit in with a group of like-minded kids. McElwain appeared a bit perplexed as to why Mondt – a former college coach in his own right – was trying to pass Ekeler off as a legitimate Division I prospect. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Ekeler spent the final day of the draft at Suzanne’s new house in Windsor, in the company of his mother, little brother and a few of his closest friends. 12th . Latest on Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Bill Mondt, Eaton’s football coach at the time, slyly took McElwain into the school’s gymnasium, where Austin Ekeler was shooting hoops, practicing for the upcoming basketball season. Eventually, Ekeler found out he could test for teams but only after the University of Colorado held its pro day, even though some scouts would already have left. His real claim to fame came in 2019. Eaton's Austin Ekeler runs to the end zone to score one of his five touchdowns late in the game while playing Platte Valley in Eaton in 2012. The soccer games. “We started playing together when we were 10 years old, maybe even earlier than that,” Ekeler said. Expert Consensus Austin Ekeler. “It’s an addiction,” Suzanne said. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Austin Ekeler, running back. Austin Ekeler, left, sits with his brother, Wyett Adams, while going over a spreadsheet and having a video conference with his agent during the NFL Draft last month. Fishing trips Austin took with his grandpa, Bob. Austin Ekeler Bio; Parents, Education, Height, Weight Austin was born on 17 May 1995 to American parents in Eaton, Colorado. Austin Ekeler MVP Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Experts rank this player at 14th among RB's. But Mondt was about to let McElwain in on a not-so-tightly kept a secret. It was at the beginning of 2020, before his world changed and before the. While other kids might have been locked onto their video game consoles or huddled around the television, Ekeler and his group of friends were staying active – honing their skills in football, basketball, baseball, you name it. Los Angeles Charger and Eaton alum Austin Ekeler made waves earlier this year with four-year, $24.5 million contract signing. Undrafted but also undeterred, Ekeler and his agent, Cameron Weiss, quickly worked out a deal with the Chargers after assessing their vast options. “My boys have been everything to me, being a single mom and raising them both,” Suzanne said. But if he wasn’t going to devote hours upon hours to soccer, he was going to spend that time playing something else. Three years later, Ekeler called her first after his pay bump. Nearly five years later, Ekeler would wow next-level scouts again with his jaw-dropping vertical leap and amazing all-around athleticism. Jared Polis signs two gun bills into law about a month after Boulder shooting, UNC proposes salary increases for faculty and staff in new budget, UNC basketball programs see nine outgoing transfers, Help sought to find 4-day-old Gypsy colt reported stolen north of Fort Lupton. The personnel folks that lingered, half-focused, looked up from their notebooks when he clocked a 4.43 40-yard dash and logged a 40.5-inch vertical leap. A young Austin Ekeler watching a University of Nebraska football game with friends. The art of professional alterations and repairs is alive at Tatyana’s 5 Star Dry Cleaning in Greeley. Jared Polis signs two gun bills into law about a month after Boulder shooting, UNC proposes salary increases for faculty and staff in new budget, UNC basketball programs see nine outgoing transfers, Help sought to find 4-day-old Gypsy colt reported stolen north of Fort Lupton. The big scene, naturally, was somewhere on the near horizon. 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