The New England Patriots have had a lot of success in the NFL. Dating back to 2002, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls with their recent one coming in 2019. There have been many players that have come through the organization and had success.

One player that played a key role during his career with the Patriots was Kevin Faulk. Faulk spent his entire career in New England and won three Super Bowls. 

Kevin Faulk was a standout player in college

Before he entered the NFL, Faulk enjoyed an impressive career at LSU. Faulk immediately made an impact on the team during his freshman year. He was named the starting running back, and in 10 games, he rushed for 852 yards and six touchdowns. Faulk was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after an impressive season in 1995. The success continued for Faulk during his time at LSU.

The next season he saw a tremendous improvement in his stats. He rushed for 1,282 yards and 13 touchdowns and was named a first-team All-American. Faulk was one of LSU’s top players during his time there, and he put the team in many positions to win games. He only played in nine games during his junior year but still put up productive numbers rushing for 1,144 yards and 15 touchdowns. The 15 touchdowns were the most of his career at LSU.

As a senior, he rushed for over 1,000 yards for the third straight season. Faulk finished his final season rushing for 1,279 yards and 12 touchdowns. During his LSU career, he was named to the first-team All-SEC three times, and he finished with 4,557 yards in 41 games, which was second-best in SEC history behind Herschel Walker. 

Kevin Faulk’s career with the New England Patriots

After an impressive career at LSU, the Patriots selected Faulk in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft. He played in various roles during his career with the Patriots, from running back to receiver to returner. In his first season, he appeared in 11 games, rushing for 227 yards and one touchdown. During the 2001 season, he won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots as they defeated the St. Louis Rams. Faulk played a reserve role that season, and he led the team with 33 kickoff returns for 662 yards. 

The next season he finished with 1,440 all-purpose yards in 15 games. He had a total of seven touchdowns, which ranked second on the team. During the 2002 season, he also broke the franchise record for total kickoff return yards as he had 3,146 through the 2002 season. It was a big year for Faulk. He became the only player in franchise history and the only NFL player in the 2002 season to record multiple touchdowns in three categories: rushing, receiving, and kick returns.

Faulk went on to win two more Super Bowls with the Patriots during the 2003 and 2004 season. He finished his career with 12,349 all-purpose yards and had a total of 33 touchdowns. In 2016, he was elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Kevin Faulk started coaching after his playing career

Faulk continued to stay around football after his playing career and got into coaching. From 2013 to 2017, he was the assistant coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater Carencro High School in Louisiana. After his time there, he joined his college alma mater LSU as the Director of Player Development of the football program in 2018. Faulk served in that role for two seasons and then became the running backs coach in 2020.

As a former NFL running back, Faulk can share his knowledge and experience with the college players, and he knows what it takes to have success in college and the NFL. He continues to make an impact on football even though his playing career is over. 

Stats Courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference