Tag: Peyton Hillis

Christian McCaffrey ended the 11-year Madden cover drought for running backs and joined these 6 RBs

Christian McCaffrey joined a very exclusive club by getting picked for the Madden cover.

As is tradition, getting picked for the annual Madden cover is the best sign an NFL player has become mainstream. That should make San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey’s selection for Madden 25 not the least bit surprising.

What is surprising is that McCaffrey’s running back position hasn’t been featured on the famed video game cover in a long time. In fact, with McCaffrey’s selection, he is the first tailback to be the official Madden athlete since Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders’ joint selection for Madden NFL 25 in 2014. That is likely a statement on how runners have been de-emphasized in the NFL over the last decade, making McCaffrey’s cover boy look all the more impressive.

In other words, running backs are making their comeback! (Maybe.)

With McCaffrey officially representing Madden now, here are the six other running backs to appear on the worldwide cover in the game’s illustrious, extended history.

1. Madden 2001 — Eddie George, Tennessee Titans

The first Madden on the PlayStation 2 featured George, a four-time Pro Bowler and former First-Team All-Pro for the Tennessee Titans.

2. Madden 2003 — Marshall Faulk, St Louis. Rams

Near the end of “The Greatest Show on Turf” offense in St. Louis, the Rams finally had their rightful poster boy in do-it-all running back Marshall Faulk.

3. Madden 2007 — Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks

The 2005 MVP finally got his virtual flowers with a Madden cover later that summer.

4. Madden 12 — Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns

At the height of his bruising phenomenon in Cleveland, Hillis won a fan vote to notch this early 2010s cover.

5. Madden NFL 25 — Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (Xbox One and PlayStation 4)

In celebration of Madden’s 25th anniversary, the decorated Peterson debuted on the then-next-gen cover.

6. Madden NFL 2000/25 — Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3)

Sanders is the rare NFL star to have technically been featured on two Madden covers. He was in the background of Madden 2000 and then won a fan vote for the 25th-anniversary edition on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

Former Browns RB Peyton Hillis breaks ceremonial guitar after life-altering rescue

After a life-altering rescue mission that almost cost him his life, Former Browns RB Peyton Hillis has returned to break the pregame guitar

The Cleveland Browns saw a former Pro Bowl player and a hero return to Cleveland Browns Stadium to break the ceremonial pregame guitar before the opening kickoff of their Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears. After a life-changing rescue mission where he rescued his children from drowning this summer, a decision that nearly cost him his life, former running back Peyton Hillis has returned to a loud ovation.

Hillis will be most remembered for his heroics this summer, but his time with the Browns will not be forgotten anytime soon either. The Madden 12 cover athlete, Hillis’ 2010 season will go down as one of the best by a Cleveland running back of all time.

Running for over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Browns that year, Hillis was a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield as well. He also caught 61 passes that year for another 477 yards and two touchdowns in 2010.

Welcome back, Peyton! You deserve every ounce of praise bestowed on you today.

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Mallett, Hillis, Peters headline 2024 Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame class

Ryan Mallett, Peyton Hillis and Jason Peters headline a 10-member Class of 2024.

Ten icons of sports in the Natural State were announced as the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 over the weekend.

Three of the 10 are former Arkansas football players.

Quarterback Ryan Mallett, running back Peyton Hillis and tight end/offensive lineman Jason Peters headlined the class that also includes Carla Crowder, Glen Day, Jeff Glassbrenner, Al Flanigan, Ed Harris and Eric Jackson.

Peters is largely considered the greatest NFL player to come out of Arkansas. He played tight end for the Razorbacks from 2000-2003, but made a major mark in the pros where he has been named a Pro Bowler nine times and an All-Pro seven times. Peters is now in his 19th year in the league, playing tackle for the Seattle Seahawks.

Hillis is a native of Conway and played fullback for Arkansas from 2004-2007. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but exceeded expectations by having a seven-year career. His best season was in 2010 when he ran for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, a year good enough to see him named cover athlete for the Madden video game franchise heading into the following year.

Mallett is a Texarkana graduate who also spent a bulk of his childhood in nearby Lincoln. After a season at Michigan, Mallett transferred to Arkansas where in just two years he became the schol’s all-time leading passer before playing in the NFL for six seasons. Tragically, Mallett drowned in the summer of 2023.

The introduction ceremony for the Hall of Fame will take place April 19, 2024.

Arkansas Football: The Razorbacks All-2000s Team

The 2000s: Drama, drama, drama. But oh, so full of highlight reel plays and seven overtime games.

The 2000s ushered Arkansas football into the new millennium.

Texas got a butt whooping in the Cotton Bowl to get the party started, and the Razorbacks closed the decade with turning the corner in the Bobby Petrino era by winning a frigid Liberty Bowl to conclude his second season.

There was a lot that happened in between then, but that’s a story for another day.

Some of the most decorated players in school history played during this decade, and we will document it here.

 

Peyton Hillis says surviving near drowning was ‘100% a miracle’

Despite his heroic actions, Peyton Hillis did not dub himself a hero after saving his son and niece from drowning. “I call myself a dad.”

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Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis made national headlines in January after he was hospitalized with lung and kidney complications after saving his son and niece from drowning in Pensacola, Florida.

About two-and-a-half weeks after the accident, Hillis was discharged from Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.

Last week, in an interview with Michael Strahan of “Good Morning America,” Hillis said it is “100% a miracle that somebody didn’t die.”

The running back recounted the scary decision to swim past his son in order to save his niece first because she was in more immediate danger.

“I think the scariest point … was when I’m swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger,” Hillis said. “I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. Because, you know, if I didn’t then there’s no way she would’ve made it.”

After swimming back, Hillis prayed that his son would make it.

“‘Lord, please,'” Hillis said he prayed. ” ‘Like, I really don’t care about my life. I don’t. But if we can get him out of here that’s the only thing I’m going to care about.’ ”

Hillis said he is still recovering and doesn’t think his lungs will ever be fully recovered. He also said the mental recovery has also been tough.

Despite his heroic actions, Hillis did not dub himself a hero.

“I call myself a dad,” he said.

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Ex-Giant Peyton Hillis details heroic act of saving son, niece from riptide

Former New York Giants RB Peyton Hillis recalls nearly dying in an effort to save his son and niece from a riptide pulling them out to sea.

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For the first time since the incident, former New York Giants running back Peyton Hillis, speaking with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, recounted the terrifying moments a riptide swept his son and niece out to sea.

“The night before it was a bad storm, but you know, I didn’t really pay too much attention to it and when I woke up the next morning it was windy but it was beautiful,” Hillis recalled.

It was just a normal day until, in an instant, it wasn’t.

The family was relaxing at Pensacola Beach and the kids were playing in the surf. Suddenly, Hillis’ son and his niece were waving their arms and screaming. Despite no riptide flags up for nearly a mile, the undercurrent pulled the two out in the blink of an eye.

Without hesitation, Hillis dove in.

Once Hillis reached his son, he realized that he had to pass him by. Although his son was struggling, his niece was even further out and Hillis knew if he didn’t get to her that a grim ending was guaranteed.

“I think the scariest point … was when I’m swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger,” Hillis told Strahan. “I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. Because, you know, if I didn’t then there’s no way she would’ve made it.”

Hillis managed to reach Camille and was able to put her on a boogey board supplied by another beachgoer. That’s when he turned back to his son.

Exhausted, Hillis managed to reach his son who he said had gone limp after fighting the current. His eyes began rolling back into his head and just as Hillis managed to get footing through 12-foot waves, he lost consciousness. His lungs and kidneys began to shut down.

Following resuscitation efforts, Hillis was airlifted to a local hospital where he was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. He was unconscious for 10 days before finally being able to open his eyes again. He was eventually removed from the ventilator and discharged.

It was a miracle that Hillis lived and both children survived.

“I don’t think my lungs will ever get back to where they needed to be,” he said. “Physically, it’s comin’ along okay. Mentally things [are] coming along a lot slower. I’m just tryin’ to take it one day at a time.”

Hillis refuses to call himself a hero. Rather, he says, he’s just a Dad who did what anyone else would have done whether the children were their own or not.

That sure sounds like a hero.

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WATCH: Former Razorback Peyton Hillis opens up about near-death ocean rescue

Former Razorback star Peyton Hillis was on Good Morning America to recount the dramatic ocean rescue that nearly cost him his life earlier this year.

In January of this year, reports began to surface regarding former Arkansas running back [autotag]Peyton Hillis[/autotag] being injured in an accident of the coast of Florida.

The details were pretty scare at the time, but it was confirmed that Hillis was in critical condition after saving one of his children and a relative from drowning in a rip current off the coast of Florida.

Now, Hillis is finally speaking out and offering details of the dramatic incident that nearly cost him his life. In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan, Hillis went through the events leading to the accident, his thought-process during the rescue and his recovery. The full interview is linked below.

“I hear my mom screaming and so I looked at her and she pointed out to my son and [they were] drowning” Hillis said while recounting the dramatic event. “So, I didn’t even think, I just reacted and started running into the water.”

Hillis was able to save his niece and son but would have to spend ten days on a ventilator in the hospital following the rescue. In the interview, the Conway (Ark.) native shared how this experience has changed him.

“It makes you realize what’s really important,” said Hillis. “If you’re not here for your loved ones, your family or your friends, why are you here? You can say you want to pursue this career, make this money, have this wife or husband – none of it matters. At the end of the day, none of it matters.”

Hillis, 36, played running back at Arkansas from 2004-2007 where he finished his career with 203 carries for 959 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also tallied an impressive 118 receptions for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns – all while playing in one of the most impressive backfields in program history.

He went on to have a solid NFL career, playing for five different teams over the span of seven seasons. In 2011, following the best season of his career with the Cleveland Browns, Hillis was voted cover athlete of the popular NFL video game Madden 12.

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Former Browns running back Peyton Hillis talks about saving kids from drowning

Hillis opens up about his heroic act.

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Back in January former Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis was hospitalized after saving two children from drowning. His son and niece got caught up in a rip current and Hillis didn’t hesitate to jump in and make sure the kids were ok. During the event, Hillis had to battle 10 to 12-foot waves to rescue both children.

On Tuesdays Good Morning America, Hillis sat down with Michael Strahan to make his first public comments since the incident. After the event, Hillis was unconscious for 10 days in the hospital recovering. He is still recovering but it’s clear as day that Hillis is a hero who deserves all the respect in the world for his actions.

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Former Hogs star Peyton Hillis expected to make full recovery after swimming incident

Peyton Hillis spent more than a week in the hospital and was in intensive care and on a ventilator.

Peyton Hillis is one of the most beloved Arkansas players of the 21st century. The Conway native and CHS graduate had a stellar career with the Razorbacks as part of a backfield with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the mid-to-late 2000s.

On Tuesday, the Hogs great took to Twitter to update his condition following a swimming incident just after New Year’s Day. Hillis was hospitalized after he reportedly rescued some family members after an accident off the coast of Pensacola.

“I left the hospital with no worries and concerns and should make a 100% recovery. I’m a very lucky and blessed man,” Hillis wrote on Twitter.

According to reports, Hillis was in intensive care and on a ventilator after the incident. He was released from the hospital in mid-January.

Hillis play four years with the Razorbacks from 2004-07. He ran for 960 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 118 passes for 1,197 and 11 touchdowns.

Those numbers helped him get drafted in the seventh round of 2007 NFL Draft by Denver. He spent two seasons with the Broncos before joining Cleveland. His first year with the Browns, Hillis 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, which earned the cover of the Madden video game the following year.

Hillis retired officially in 2015 after injuries became a factor.

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Ex-Giant Peyton Hillis says he expects to make a full recovery

In his first public comments, former Giants RB Peyton Hillis thanks everyone for their support and says he expects to make a full recovery.

Former New York Giants running back Peyton Hillis expects to make a full recovery following a hospitalization after aiding in a recuse attempt in Pensacola, Florida on January 4.

Hillis reportedly rescued several individuals, including his children, in a swimming accident which resulted in him being hospitalized and placed on a ventilator. He released a statement on Tuesday thanking all involved.

“I just wanted to come on here and thank everyone for all the prayers and love y’all have given me. It’s really made all the difference. I also want to thank my brave sister, mother, sister-in-law, my kids, and my girlfriend who has saved my life in more ways than one,” Hillis wrote on Twitter.

“Thank you to the amazing staff at the hospital. Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. Y’all were truly amazing and took such great care of me. You made all the difference in my recovery. I haven’t taken any interviews on this because I’d like to keep my family out of the public eye because it was a very traumatic time for us.

“But I did want to come on here and show my appreciation for everyone who helped save my life and for all of your prayers and love and support. I left the hospital with no worries or concerns and should make a 100% recovery. I’m a very lucky and blessed man. Yahweh has really blessed me and I am very thankful.”

Hillis played seven seasons in the NFL beginning with Denver and ending with two seasons here with the Giants. He also played for Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City.

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