Phillip Lindsay

2017 Media Guide Bio:

AT COLORADO: Career—He is third career all-purpose yards with 4,029 (2,233 rushing, 719 receiving, 1,077 kickoff returns), 13th in rushing yards (2,233), and tied for 22nd in scoring (144 points) … Became the 14th player to join CU’s 500/500 Club (rushing and receiving yards) … He has 449 career rushing attempts, but just 59 yards lost on those carries … Also ranks 24th with 87 career receptions and is tied for 42nd in receiving yards with 719 … Among all active and returning FBS players this coming fall, he ranks ninth in career all-purpose yardage … He has 17 career starts and appeared in 38 career games, tying for the team lead in that category … He has six 100-yard rushing games to his name and has appeared in 39 games with 18 starts.

This Season (Sr.)—He was named one of the captains for the season, joining Pat Carney (1891-92-93) and former teammate Sefo Liufau (201415-16) as the only Buffs to serve three years as captain … In the spring, he was awarded the Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding leadership along with ILB Rick Gamboa … Is CU’s nomination for the Doak Walker Award that honors the nation’s top running back (one of 61 players on official watch list) and the Maxwell Award that honors the College Player of the Year (one of 85 players on official watch list) … The Touchdown Club of Columbus honored Lindsay in February as one of its “Players to Watch” for the 2017 season (one of eight honored) … Lindy’s College Football ranked him as the 19th best running back on its national top 100 player ratings … Collegefootballnews.com, rated him as the 10th best running back in the nation and the 11th-best overall player in the Pac-12 … Phil Steele’s College Football had him at No. 28 on its list of top running backs in the country … Athlon Sports tabbed him as a preseason first-team AllPac-12 performer (at all-purpose) … Lindy’s College Football, Phil Steele’s College Football and collegesportsmadness.com all tabbed him to their preseason All-Pac-12 second-team.

2016 (Jr.)—He earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors from the league coaches (he was a first-team selection of collegefootballnews.com, Phil Steele’s College Football and the Colorado Chapter/NFF College Football Hall of Fame on its All-Colorado Team) … In playing in all 13 games (11 starts) plus the Alamo Bowl, he led the Pac-12 with 16 rushing touchdowns, which are the most by a Buffalo tailback since Chris Brown had 18 in 2002 (the seventh-most in CU single-season history) and became seventh player in CU history to score over 100 points in a season (had 102) … Became the first non-kicker to lead CU in scoring since Derek McCoy in 2003 … Rushed for 1,189 yards, ranking third in the conference, and also caught 47 passes (a school record for a running back) that went for 390 yards and one touchdown … His 1,579 total yards from scrimmage ranked as the 18th most in the FBS and second-most in the Pac-12, trailing only Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey (1,913) … He had four 100-yard rushing games on the year and one 100-yard receiving game at USC – the first by a CU running back since 2001 … He ran for a career-high 219 yards (on 26 carries) against Arizona State, which was CU’s first 200-plus game since 2002 (Chris Brown, 211 at Missouri) … Scored multiple touchdowns in five games, including a high of three two times (versus Arizona State and at Arizona) … He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, the CollegeSportsMadness.com Pac-12 Player of the Week, the NFF/Colorado Chapter State of Colorado Player of the Week, CU Athlete of the Week, the College Football Performance Awards National Player of the Week and earned an ESPN Helmet Sticker following his performance in the win over Arizona State … One of his three touchdown runs vs. the Sun Devils was a 75-yard score on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, which was the longest play of his career, the longest play of the season by any Buffalo and the 25th rushing play of 75 yards or longer in Colorado annals … He earned 10 first-downs in the win versus ASU, and was also named the CU Athlete of the Week for that performance … He opened the season with 144 all-purpose yards against Colorado State – his highest single-game total since his freshman season (ended up being fourth-highest total of the season) … He ran for 95 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns while also catching three passes for 23 yards and returning one kickoff 26 yards against CSU … Scored on the ground for the third time in the first four weeks of the season when he rushed 15 times for 72 yards and the TD at Oregon … In a 47-6 win over Oregon State, he moved into the top 20 at CU in career all-purpose yardage gained after racking up 118 yards (90 rushing, 28 receiving) with one touchdown against the Beavers … On Oct. 8 at USC he became the first Buff running back to have 100 yards receiving in a game since TB Cortlen Johnson did so at Iowa State in 2001 (both had identical games: 6-105) with a 67-yard TD reception against the Trojans … Against UCLA he accounted for 149 of CU’s 304 yards of offense, as he rushed for 73 yards and one TD and caught 11 passes for another 76 yards .. His 11 receptions were the most ever by a CU running back in school history and his rushing touchdown gave him 10 on the season, making him the first Buffalo tailback to score 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a season since Rodney Stewart had 10 TDs in 2010 … In the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl he put up 168 all-purpose yards on 68 rushing (14 carries) and 103 receiving (six catches) … Became the first running back in Colorado history to have two 100-yard receiving games; his 100-yard receiving game against Oklahoma State was the sixth by a running back at CU … Became the second CU back to lead the team in receiving yards during a bow! game (the second to lead in both rushing and receiving yards, joining Eric Bieniemy in the ’88 Freedom Bowl), with his 103 yards receiving the third most by a Buff in a bowl (trailing Rae Carruth 7-162, 96 Holiday Bowl and Joe Klopfenstein 5-134, ’04 Houston Bowl) … Was named the CU Athlete of the Week for his bowl performance … He was elected as one of five team captains for the 2016 season by a vote of his teammates and was CU’s nomination for the Doak Walker award that honors the nation’s top running back (one of 77 on official watch list) … After the season he was the recipient of three CU team awards; the John Mack Award (outstanding offensive player), the Derek Singleton Award (spirit/dedication/enthusiasm) and the Best Interview Award (selected by team beat media)

2015 (Soph.)—He played in all 13 games, including six starts, as he led the team in rushing with 653 yards, averaging 4.7 per his 140 attempts; he scored six touchdowns and had 17 runs of 10-plus yards (long of 37) and 48 of five or more … He lost just 27 yards rushing, the ninth-fewest in the nation for a player with at least 100 attempts … Caught 26 passes, tied for the third most on the team, for 211 yards and a TD (his seven TDs and 42 points led the non-kickers on the team) … His top game came against Nicholls State, when he rushed for 113 yards and two scores; he had 91 against Arizona and 78 in the rain at Washington State … Also returned seven kickoffs for 154 yards (22.0 per), with a long of 41; thus, it all added up to 1,018 all-purpose yards, which trailed only Nelson Spruce’s 1,114 total … Overall, he earned 39 first downs, 30 rushing and nine receiving; he picked up the first down 11 times on 18 third and/or fourth down tries (9-of-11 when it was 3rd/4th-and-1) … The coaches selected him as the recipient of the Derek Singleton Award for his spirit, dedication and enthusiasm, and he also earned the Hammer Award for the hardest legal hit of the year … He was one of 12 players on CU’s leadership council, which essentially served as team captains … For the spring, the coaching staff selected him as the recipient of the Dick Anderson Award, presented to the player with outstanding toughness following spring practice … Phil Steele’s College Football selected him as a second-team preseason All-Pac-12 performer at kick returner, with Athlon Sports selecting him to its fourth team.

2014 (Fr.-RS)— He saw action in all 12 games on offense and special teams (no starts); in amassing 1,358 all-purpose yards, he shattered the previous freshman mark by over 400 yards (947 by Lamont Warren in 1991); it was also the 14th-most overall by any player in any season … Averaged 10.5 yards for every touch on the year (a team-high 129) … He had the thirdmost kickoff return yards in a single-season in school history with 849, averaging 23.6 yards per return (long of 51); that ranked him eighth in the Pac-12 and 50th in the nation … Finished fourth on the team in rushing with 391 yards on 79 carries, a healthy 4.95 yards per carry, and he also caught 14 passes for 118 yards (9.8 per) … In all, he earned 17 first downs (14 rushing, three receiving), with his 12 rushes of 10 yards or longer second best on the team … Top game running ball came at Arizona (17 carries, 114 yards with his season longest run of 36), with other top efforts all on the road as well, against USC (10-55), Oregon (11-49) and Massachusetts (7-41) … He had 207 all-purpose yards against Oregon, setting a CU single-game record for a redshirt freshman (142 via kickoff return, 49 rushing and 26 receiving on 22 total touches) … Received plenty of reps in the spring, with 22 rushes for 77 yards in the four main spring scrimmages (with five receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown) … The coaches selected him as the recipient of the Fred Casotti Award for the spring, presented to the most improved running back.

2013 (Fr.)—Redshirted; he practiced the entire fall at running back but filled in where needed on the scout team and earned the Offensive Scout Player of the Year honor as selected by the coaches.

HIGH SCHOOL—The No. 5 overall and top running back prospect in the state by the Denver Post, he earned PrepStar All-Central Region honors at running back as a senior, despite suffering a knee injury in the season opener … He sat out one game and came back to play in South’s third game (against rival East), but came out after one quarter as was injured again … It was then determined he had a torn ACL instead of a sprain, and underwent surgery on September 19 … In those two games, he still rushed for 299 yards on 31 carries, scoring two touchdowns, with one reception for 18 yards and a punt return for 35; he thus had 33 touches for 352 yards, or 10.6 per … On defense, he had 12 tackles (five solo) … SuperPrep named him to its preseason All-Midlands team, the No. 49 player overall in the region and the third-ranked running back … As a junior, he earned firstteam All-State honors from the Denver Post; his freshman through junior seasons, he earned first-team All-Conference honors on offense (4A West Metro as a frosh, 5A Denver League as a sophomore and junior); he was first-team on defense as a junior and second-team as freshman and sophomore … Finished his prep career as South’s all-time leader in rushing yards (545 attempts for 4,587 yards, averaging 8.4 per carry) and allpurpose yards (5,747, a shade under 9.5 yards for his 606 touches) … Had 57 career touchdowns (44 rushing, nine receiving, three interception and one kickoff return), with 23 100-yard rushing games (five 200-plus) and 15 games where he scored multiple touchdowns … As a linebacker on defense, had 285 tackles, 10 quarterback sacks and three interceptions … As a junior, he had 192 rushes for 1,762 yards (9.2 per) and 13 touchdowns, with 10 receptions for 177 yards and three scores; he racked up 94 tackles on defense (65 solo), with five or losses (three sacks), an interception, a pass broken up and a forced fumble … Returned eight kickoffs for 130 yards and four punts for 54 … His sophomore season, he carried 164 times for 1,261 yards and 16 TDs, with 13 catches for 219 yards and four scores; he had 101 tackles (75 solo, three sacks) and an interception with five kickoff returns for 146 yards and four punt returns for 125 yards … Making the varsity as a freshman, he rushed for 1,265 yards and 13 touchdowns on 158 carries, caught 10 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, recorded 78 tackles (36 solo, four sacks), an interception, a caused fumble and a recovery … In his two games as a senior, he had 22 rushes for 160 yards and a TD in a 42-34 win over Mesa Ridge (when he had his reception and punt return), and in a 53-34 win over Denver East, he had nine carries for 139 yards and a score (including a 66-yard run) in just the first quarter before exiting with the knee injury … Top games as a junior: in a 64-13 win over Lincoln, he had 17 rushes for 300 yards and four touchdowns, returning an interception 39 yards for another TD; he had three other games over 200 yards, against Niwot (19-231, 1 TD in a 49-12 win), George Washington (15-225, 2 TD and a season-high 13 tackles in a 50-28 win) and Poudre (15-206, 1 TD and 12 tackles in a 23-20 loss) … Top games as a sophomore: in a 41-34 win over Lakewood, when he had 18 rushes for 138 yards and a score, caught two passes for 38 yards, both for touchdowns, and returned a kickoff 82 yards for a fourth TD; and in a 48-0 win over Lincoln, he carried 17 times for 250 yards and two TDs … As a freshman, he burst on the scene with seven 100-yard games, including 175 and a touchdown on 15 carries in his first varsity game (a 47-33 loss to Golden, in which he also caught a 9-yard TD pass); he also had his career-high in tackles, posting 18 (nine solo with a sack) in a 26-12 win over Kennedy … Under Coach Tony Lindsay (his uncle), Denver South was 12-2 his senior season, the 4A Plains League champions and the state runner-up (falling 17-14 to Monarch in the 4A title game), 6-4 his junior year, 7-3 his sophomore campaign and 6-4 his freshman year … He lettered in basketball (guard) as a freshman, and lettered four times in track (sprints and relays); he had personal bests of 10.9 in the 100-meter dash, 22.2 in the 200 and 49.0 in the 400.

ACADEMICS—He is majoring in both Communications and Sociology at Colorado … He owned a 3.49 grade point average in high school, just .01 shy of making the Honor Roll … In the spring of his junior year at CU, he was one of four recipients of the Ceal Barry Leadership Award, which is presented to those student-athletes who have inspired their team and the Colorado campus and community through exemplary commitment, composure and integrity.

PERSONAL—He was born July 24, 1994 in Denver … Hobbies include riding his mountain bike on area trails (often with his father), playing video games and playing with his younger brothers … Father (Troy) was a fullback at Colorado State; two cousins, Gabe and Tony Lindsay, played college football at Oklahoma State; and two older sisters were collegiate athletes, Cheri, an All-SWAC volleyball player at Prairie View A&M and Sparkle, who lettered in basketball at Mesa (Colo.) State … Three days after he underwent knee surgery his senior year of high school, he received a personal call to cheer him up from Denver Bronco running back Willis McGahee, who rebounded from a similar injury to continue his pro career … He is be the first player on the roster from Denver South since 1983, when seniors Scott Martin and Shelby Nash were seniors; but was the first to join the team as a true freshman since 1967 (defensive ends John Bliss and Dave Turner) … The first player to commit in CU’s 2013 recruiting class (on March 22, 2012), his family’s house was robbed and his dog (Rambo) beaten that same night; the burglars were apprehended and the dog fully recovered .. He has earned the nickname “The Tasmanian Devil” due to the way he plays the game.