Eric Bieniemy

Eric Bieniemy, Jr. (born August 15, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League from 1991 to 1999. He was an All-American out of the University of Colorado and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft.

High school

Bieniemy lettered in football and track at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California, earning second-team All-America honors in football as a senior when he rushed for 2,002 yards and 30 touchdowns.

College career

Bieniemy was heavily recruited out of high school and chose the University of Colorado, where he became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Bieniemy's footprints are all over the CU record book, as he remains the school's all-time leader in rushing (3,940 yards), all-purpose yards (4,351), and touchdowns (42). He was the nation's second leading rusher in 1990 with 1,628 yards, along with 17 touchdowns, when he finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year behind BYU's Ty Detmer (the winner) and Notre Dame's Raghib Ismail.

In 1990, Bieniemy earned consensus All-America honors. He was a two-time first-team all Big-Eight performer, in 1988 and in 1990, earning the conference's offensive player-of-the-year honor as a senior. As a junior, he was named to CU's prestigious 25-member "All-Century Football Team," the only active player at the time to be selected to the group honoring the first 100 years of Colorado Buffalo football.

Professional career

Bieniemy's success in college did not translate into the professional ranks. He played from 1991 through 1999, and finished his career with 1,589 yards rushing, 1,223 yards receiving, 276 yards returning punts, 1,621 yards on kickoff returns, and 12 touchdowns (11 rushing and one kickoff return) while playing for the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles. Chris Berman gave him the nickname Eric "Sleeping with" Bieniemy in reference to the movie Sleeping with the Enemy.

Coaching career

Bieniemy was the running backs coach at Colorado from 2001 to 2002^[1] and UCLA from 2003 to 2005, as well as the team's recruiting coordinator in 2005. Following UCLA's 2005 Sun Bowl victory, Bieniemy accepted a position as running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings.

Personal

Bieniemy and his wife, Mia, have two sons, Eric III and Elijah.

External links

• UCLA Website Bio
• Pro Football Reference

References

1. "NFL". http://www.nfl.com/teams/coaches?coaType=head&team=MIN. Retrieved 2007-10-28.