
It is time to take a look at another legend of the Philadelphia Eagles. Duce Staley is the next player to be featured in the this edition of Eagles Legends Spotlight. Staley played as an Eagle for seven years of his career. He started his career in Philadelphia by getting drafted by the Eagles in the 3rd round (71st overall pick) in the 1997 NFL Draft. This article will look at Staley’s college career, his accolades during his time in Philadelphia and where he is now.
Duce Staley was a South Carolina Gamecock for two seasons before going on to the NFL. His freshmen year started in 1995. He made an impact right away as the Gamecocks running back. He racked up 736 yards and eight touchdowns during his 1995 campaign. Staley also made an impact catching the ball. The Gamecocks running back had 236 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. His college career only excelled after the 1995 season. In 1996, Staley surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season. He had 1,116 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 253 receiving yards that year. The South Carolina running back ranked 2nd in the SEC in 1996 in rushing yards.
Staley did not start much as a rookie in the NFL. He only had seven rushing attempts on the season, with minimal yardage. Staley broke out during his second season in the NFL. Staley rushed for 1,065 yards and five touchdowns. He was even more productive in his 1999 campaign. He beat his rushing total from the year before, as that year he had 1,273 rushing yards. The Eagles running back also had four rushing touchdowns. He ranked 7th in the NFL in rushing yards that year.
Photo Courtesy of Jamie Squire
His next big season came in 2002. He racked up 1,029 rushing yards and five touchdowns during the campaign. The Eagles legend also had 541 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. During the 2004 season, Staley became a Pittsburg Steeler. He would play three years with the Steelers before retiring from the NFL in December of 2007. Staley is known for being a speedy and elusive running back. He also knows how to juke out defenders and break tackles.
Duce Staley still has a job in the NFL, as he is an assistant head coach and running back coach for the Detroit Lions. Before his time in Detroit, Staley spent 10 seasons coaching with the Eagles. He took on a lot of roles during his time coaching in Philadelphia. He worked as a coaching intern, special teams quality control coach, a running back coach and assistant head coach. Staley was also a candidate for the Eagles head coaching position a couple months ago. He was ultimately turned down for Eagles current head coach Nick Sirianni. Duce Staley should make it into the Eagles Hall of Fame one day. He also has a decent shot at the NFL Hall of Fame. As of now, Staley seems to be enjoying his coaching career and will probably be a head coach one day.
This concludes this edition of Eagles Legends Spotlight: Duce Staley. Be on the lookout for more content on Eagles players from past history.
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