{{Short description|American football player (born 1980)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Justin Fargas | image = Justin Fargas 2009.JPG | caption = Fargas with the Oakland Raiders in 2009 | number = 20, 25 | position = Running back | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|1|25}} | birth_place = Encino, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lbs = 220 | high_school = Notre Dame<br />(Sherman Oaks, California) | college = Michigan (1998–2000)<br>USC (2002) | draftyear = 2003 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 96 | pastteams = * Oakland Raiders ({{NFL Year|2003}}–{{NFL Year|2009}}) * Denver Broncos ({{NFL Year|2010}})* | highlights = * Second-team All-Pac-10 (2002) | statlabel1 = Rushing yards | statvalue1 = 3,369 | statlabel2 = Rushing average | statvalue2 = 4.1 | statlabel3 = Receptions | statvalue3 = 77 | statlabel4 = Receiving yards | statvalue4 = 523 | statlabel5 = Total touchdowns | statvalue5 = 10 | pfr = FargJu00 }}
'''Justin Alejandro Fargas''' (born January 25, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.
==College career== Fargas attended the University of Michigan, as a highly regarded football prospect, for three years (1998–2000). He was named one of the Top 10 Freshmen in the country by Sports Illustrated. During his freshman year, he ran for 277 yards with 1 TD on 77 carries (3.6 avg.) in 10 games. He started there as a running back before switching to safety in the middle of the 2000 season. Yet his college career at Michigan was cut short during his freshman season when he broke his leg. He was redshirted in 1999 while he rehabilitated his broken right leg.
After considering both California and USC, Fargas chose to transfer to USC in 2001.<ref name=LAT122200>Eric Sondheimer, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-22-sp-3314-story.html Fargas Makes Contact With California, USC], ''Los Angeles Times'', December 22, 2000, Accessed July 15, 2008.</ref> Due to NCAA transfer rules he sat out the 2001 season. In 2002, his final season in college, Fargas rushed for 715 yards on 161 carries (4.4 yards per rush) with the Trojans.<ref name="Justin Fargas stats page">{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FargJu00.htm |title=Justin Fargas stats page |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |year=2009|access-date=October 19, 2009}}</ref>
===Track and field=== Fargas was also a track star at the University of Michigan. He recorded personal best of 10.37 seconds in the 100 meters while in high school at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California while qualifying for the 1998 CIF California State Meet and 50.13 seconds in the 400 meters in 2007 during the off season while playing for the Oakland Raiders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.all-athletics.com/node/83937 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223011846/http://www.all-athletics.com/node/83937 |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |title=Profile of Justin FARGAS {{!}} All-Athletics.com}}</ref> Fargas won the state championship in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.dyestat.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/1997/stateres.htm|title=1997 - California State Meet Results}}</ref>
;Personal bests {| class="wikitable" |- !Event !Time (seconds) !Venue !Date |- |100 meters |10.37 +2.0 |Norwalk, California |May 23, 1998 |- |400 meters |50.13 |Fullerton, California |March 10, 2007 |}
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 0 7/8 | weight = 219 | dash = 4.35 | ten split = 1.47 | twenty split = 2.54 | broad ft = 11 | broad in = 5 | bench = 27 | wonderlic = | arm span = 31 | hand span = 9 3/4 | note = All values from NFL Combine<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=542&DraftYear=2003 |title=2003 NFL Draft Scout Justin Fargas College Football Profile |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=DraftScout.com}}</ref> }}
===Oakland Raiders=== left|thumb|Fargas with the Raiders Fargas played for seven seasons for the Oakland Raiders after being selected in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2003 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2003/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Fargas did not have many rushing attempts in his first several years. In 2006 he started six games and rushed 178 times for 659 yards and one touchdown. In 2007 he took over after LaMont Jordan became injured and had a 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,009 yards on 222 carries and four touchdowns. He was the starting running back for the Raiders for most of the 2008 season and had 218 carries for 853 yards and one touchdown. He split time in 2009 with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, and he was second on the team in rushing with 129 carries for 491 yards and three touchdowns. On March 6, 2010, he was released by the Raiders after reportedly failing his physical. Fargas disputed the claim.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wilson, Aaron |title=Wilson: Raiders say Justin Fargas flunked his physical |url=http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Wilson-Raiders-say-Justin-Fargas-flunked-his-physical.html |publisher=Nationalfootballpost.com |date=March 7, 2010 |access-date=March 11, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310055509/http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Wilson-Raiders-say-Justin-Fargas-flunked-his-physical.html |archive-date=March 10, 2010 }}</ref>
===Denver Broncos=== Fargas signed with the Denver Broncos on August 11, 2010. They needed a running back after Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and LenDale White were all injured in training camp. It was his first action with a team since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in March.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/football/articles/2010/08/12/nesbit_files_lawsuit/ | work=The Boston Globe | title=Nesbit files lawsuit | date=August 12, 2010}}</ref> He was released by the Broncos on August 30, 2010.
=== NFL statistics === '''Rushing stats'''<ref>{{Cite pro-football-reference |name=Justin Fargas|id=B/FargJu00 |accessdate=March 13, 2022}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- ! Year !! Team !! Games !! Carries !! Yards !! Yards per Carry !! Longest Carry !! Touchdowns !! First Downs !! Fumbles !! Fumbles Lost |- ! 2003 || OAK | 10 || 40 || 203 || 5.1 || 53 || 0 || 10 || 1 || 1 |- ! 2004 || OAK | 12 || 35 || 126 || 3.6 || 15 || 1 || 9 || 1 || 1 |- ! 2005 || OAK | 14 || 5 || 28 || 5.6 || 15 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- ! 2006 || OAK | 16 || 178 || 659 || 3.7 || 48 || 1 || 27 || 1 || 1 |- ! 2007 || OAK | 14 || 222 || 1,009 || 4.5 || 48 || 4 || 52 || 3 || 1 |- ! 2008 || OAK | 14 || 218 || 853 || 3.9 || 42 || 1 || 32 || 3 || 1 |- ! 2009 || OAK | 12 || 129 || 491 || 3.8 || 35 || 3 || 23 || 1 || 0 |- ! colspan="2"|Career ||92||827||3369|| 4.1 || 53 ||10||155|| 10 || 6 |}
==Personal life== Fargas is the son of ''Starsky and Hutch'' actor Antonio Fargas and designer Taylor Hastie.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uri.edu/hss/tmd/Wall%20of%20Fame.html|title=Home}}</ref>
He was indirectly referenced in an early episode of ''The Simpsons'', when a show titled "Old Starsky and Hutches" wins an Ace Award at a ceremony hosted by Homer as a Krusty the Klown impersonator. The award is accepted by "the son of the guy who played Huggy Bear".<ref>[http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F12.html 2F12 Homer the Clown] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091226074555/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F12.html |date=December 26, 2009 }}</ref>
Fargas is married to basketball coach and executive Nikki Caldwell. Their first child was born in March 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/1304785-123/coach-expects-march-madness-baby.html |title=| LSU | the Advocate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana |website=theadvocate.com |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814092412/http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/1304785-123/coach-expects-march-madness-baby.html |archive-date=14 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{Commons}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090913224514/http://www.raiders.com/team/roster/Justin-Fargas/e1c33ee1-de1e-479c-bf01-b1e5aef9698e Oakland Raiders bio] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204091444/http://www.cnnsi.com/football/nfl/players/6432/ CNN/SI player page] * [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395956 CBS Sportsline] * [http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/fargas_justin00.html USC Trojans football bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828073638/http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/fargas_justin00.html |date=August 28, 2007 }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fargas, Justin}} Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:People from Encino, Los Angeles Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles Category:American football running backs Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Michigan Wolverines football players Category:USC Trojans football players Category:Oakland Raiders players Category:Denver Broncos players Category:Track and field athletes from Los Angeles