Chris Polk
{{Short description|American football player (born 1989)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Chris Polk
| image = Chris Polk UW.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Polk at the 2011 Alamo Bowl
| current_team =
| number = 32, 22
| position = Running back
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|12|16|mf=y}}
| birth_place = San Pedro, California, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lbs = 224
| high_school = Redlands East Valley {{avoid wrap|(Redlands, California)}}
| college = Washington
| undraftedyear = 2012
| pastteams =
- Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|2012}}–{{NFL Year|2014}})
- Houston Texans ({{NFL Year|2015}})
| status =
| highlights =
- First-team All-Pac-12 (2011)
- Second-team All-Pac-10 (2010)
| statweek =
| statseason =
| statlabel1 = Rushing attempts
| statvalue1 = 156
| statlabel2 = Rushing yards
| statvalue2 = 604
| statlabel3 = Receptions
| statvalue3 = 22
| statlabel4 = Receiving yards
| statvalue4 = 186
| statlabel5 = Return yards
| statvalue5 = 348
| statlabel6 = Total touchdowns
| statvalue6 = 10
|pfr=PolkCh00
}}
Chris Polk (born December 16, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Despite being considered a top running back prospect for the 2012 NFL draft, he went undrafted due to concerns over a potentially degenerative shoulder condition.{{cite news | url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2018097121_localdraft29.html | title=Star Huskies running back Chris Polk not taken in NFL draft | newspaper=Seattle Times |date=April 28, 2012 | access-date=April 29, 2012}} He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
Early life
Polk played at Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, California. Rated the #4 all-purpose back in the nation, Polk led his team to a 12-1 record and to the Inland Division semifinals in 2007. During his senior season Polk had a game in which he rushed for 214 yards on only 5 carries. Polk earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Inland Division honors as well as being named a SuperPrep All-American his senior season.{{cite web |url=http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/polk_chris00.html |title=Chris Polk UW Bio |publisher=GoHuskies.com |access-date=December 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515092114/http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/polk_chris00.html |archive-date=May 15, 2012 }}
College career
Polk enrolled early at the University of Washington in January 2008. He played in the first two games of the season before being injured and missing the rest of the season. Although he qualified for a medical redshirt for the 2008 season, he never applied and sat out the remainder of the season.{{cite news |author=Rang, Rob |title=Senior Bowl invites Washington "junior" RB Polk |url=http://rob-rang.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/34467109 |work=CBS Sports |date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123024854/http://rob-rang.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/34467109 |archive-date=January 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}
Polk became the starting running back in 2009 and also worked as a kick returner. He rushed for 1,113 yards on 226 attempts and five touchdowns after playing in all 12 games of the season. He had four consecutive 100-yard games, which is third in school history. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors and freshman All-Pac-10 first-team honors.{{ref label|a|1}}
Polk played in all 13 games at running back in 2010, and recorded 1,415 yards and nine touchdowns on 260 attempts. In a game against Washington State, he rushed for a career-high 284 yards and two touchdowns on 29 attempts.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/players/playerpage/1631997/chris-polk |title=Chris Polk Stats |publisher=CBSsports.com |access-date=December 23, 2010}} Polk's 284 yards was second-most in school history, trailing Hugh McElhenny's 296 in the 1950 Apple Cup.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=303380265|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115234312/http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=303380265|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 15, 2019|title = Washington vs. Washington State - Game Recap - December 4, 2010 - ESPN}} He rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown against 18th-ranked Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. At the end of the game he was named the Offensive MVP.
Polk suffered a knee injury during practice before the 2011 season that needed to be corrected with arthroscopic surgery. He rushed for 125 yards on 23 attempts during the season-opener against Eastern Washington.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/14889/chris-polk|title = Chris Polk Stats, News, Bio}} Against Arizona on October 30, he gained 244 total yards and scored five touchdowns, one shy of the single-game Pac-12 record.
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 5
| height in = 10 1/2
| weight = 215
| dash = 4.45
| ten split = 1.57
| twenty split = 2.62
| shuttle = 4.21
| cone drill = 7.13
| vertical = 31.5
| broad ft = 9
| broad in = 3
| bench = 16
| arm span = 31 1/2
| hand span = 9 3/4
| note = All values from 2012 NFL Scouting Combine/Pro Day{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/chris-polk/3200504f-4c12-5846-ad6b-65b0468a91ae |title=Chris Polk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |website=NFL.com |access-date=March 24, 2024}}{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=84016&DraftYear=2012 |title=2012 NFL Draft Scout Chris Polk College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=April 29, 2012}}
}}
=Philadelphia Eagles=
Polk signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles on April 28, 2012. The Sporting News called Polk the top undrafted player of the 2012 NFL draft.{{cite magazine | url=http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-04-29/nfl-draft-2012-top-undrafted-free-agents | title=NFL Draft 2012 Top Undrafted Free-Agents | magazine=Sporting News | access-date=April 29, 2012 | archive-date=May 1, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501102354/http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-04-29/nfl-draft-2012-top-undrafted-free-agents | url-status=dead }} It is believed that injury concerns led to Polk's not being drafted.{{cite news | url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2018097121_localdraft29.html | title=Star Huskies running back Chris Polk not taken in NFL draft | newspaper=Seattle Times | access-date=April 29, 2012}} He made the team and was the 4th string running back all season.
In his second season, after third string running back Dion Lewis was traded to the Browns, Polk made more of an impact for the Eagles, rushing for 98 yards on the season, including three touchdowns. He ran for a career-high 50 yards on four carries in a week 14 win over the Detroit Lions. He finished fifth on the team in rushing yards (98), behind LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, Michael Vick and Nick Foles.
In Week 3 of the 2014 season, Polk was given kick return duty against the Washington Redskins. His best game rushing was against the Cowboys in Philadelphia, where he scored two touchdowns on two carries in a 27-38 loss. He finished with 172 yards rushing and 340 returning on only 11 returns, with 5 all-purpose touchdowns. Despite only having 46 carries, Polk finished third in both rushing yards (172) and rushing touchdowns (4), behind Lesean McCoy (1,319, 5) and newly acquired Darren Sproles (329, 6). Polk was given a restricted free agent tender after the 2014 season, but on April 24, 2015, the team rescinded the tender, making him an unrestricted free agent.{{cite web|work=NFL.com|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/eagles-rescind-rfa-tender-to-chris-polk-per-report-0ap3000000488071|title=Eagles rescind RFA tender to Chris Polk, per report|first=Marc|last=Sessler|date=April 24, 2015|access-date=April 25, 2015}}
=Houston Texans=
Polk signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans on April 28, 2015. Due to injuries limiting the starter Arian Foster to only 4 games, Polk had more opportunities as the Texans' backup running back. Polk played in 15 games and started 2, recording 99 carries for 334 yards and a touchdown, as well as 16 catches for 109 yards and his first career receiving touchdown.{{Cite web |title=Chris Polk 2015 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PolkCh00/gamelog/2015/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
Notes
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120505220039/http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/roster/chris-polk/a1b9f716-74c7-45db-bfe8-bbbef3f5d47f/ Philadelphia Eagles bio]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120515092114/http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/polk_chris00.html Washington Huskies bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Chris}}
Category:Washington Huskies football players
Category:American football running backs
Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles
Category:People from San Pedro, Los Angeles
Category:Philadelphia Eagles players
Category:Houston Texans players