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{{Short description|American football player (born 1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Napoleon Kaufman
| image
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 26
| position = [[Running back]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|6|7}}
| birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 9
| weight_lbs = 185
| high_school = [[Lompoc High School|Lompoc]] {{nowrap|(
| college = [[Washington Huskies football|Washington]]
| draftyear = 1995
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 18
| pastteams =
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ([[1995 NFL season|1995]]–[[2000 NFL season|2000]])
| highlights =
* [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1991 Washington Huskies football team|1991]])
*Second-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1994 College Football All-America Team|1994]])
*Third-team All-American ([[1993 College Football All-America Team|1993]])
* [[Pac-12 Conference football individual awards|Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year]] (1994)
* 3× First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-10]] ([[1992 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team|1992]]–[[1994 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team|1994]])
| statlabel1 = Rushing yards
| statvalue1 = 4,792
| statlabel2 = Average
| statvalue2 = 4.9
| statlabel3 = Touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 12
| pfr = KaufNa00
}}
'''Napoleon "Nip" Kaufman''' (born June 7, 1973) is
==Early life==
Kaufman was born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] and grew up in [[Lompoc, California]], 55 miles west-northwest of [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]. At [[Lompoc High School]] he was one of the greatest high school running backs in California prep history
As a 135-pound sophomore in 1988, he rushed for 1,008 yards in leading Lompoc to the [[CIF Southern Section|Southern Section]] divisional semifinals. As a junior in 1989, he had an even better season. Kaufman was named to the CIF All-State First Team,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruthemeyer |first=Dan |date=December 27, 1990 |title=Kaufman scores award |pages=B-1 |work=San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune}}</ref> compiling 2,954 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns, averaging a remarkable 70 yards on kickoff returns. As a senior in 1990, at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, with 4.3-second speed in the [[40-yard dash]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Polin |first=Mitch |date=August 30, 1990 |title=Cream of the Crop: Southern California's Top 22 Football Players |work=Los Angeles Times |pages=8}}</ref> he was named the Cal Hi Sports California High School Football Player of the Year. Despite injuries, Kaufman rushed for 1,960 yards and 34 touchdowns, leading his team to a 13-1 record and a CIF championship<ref>{{Cite news |last=Neumann |first=Thomas |date=December 23, 2015 |title=Where are they now? Oakland Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman |work=ESPN}}</ref> at then-[[Alex G. Spanos Stadium|Mustang Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bailey |first=Joe |date=May 17, 2019 |title=From the Vault: Recounting Napoleon Kaufman's days in Lompoc |work=Lompoc Record}}</ref> He was also named to the ''[[USA Today All-USA high school football team (1990–1999)|USA Today]]'' and ''Parade Magazine'' first-team All-American lists on top of being named [[Central Coast Athletic Association|Northern League]] MVP and [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara County]] MVP.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 31, 1990 |title=Kaufman named CIF's top offensive player |pages=B1 |work=San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune}}</ref> In his high school career, he rushed for 5,151 yards and 86 TDs. Kaufman chose the [[University of Washington]] over [[University of Southern California|USC]], [[University of Colorado|Colorado]], and [[University of Arizona|Arizona]].
Kaufman was also an exceptional [[track and field|track]] athlete. As a junior, Kaufman's personal best in the 100 meters was 10.39 and he was the [[CIF California State Meet|CIF California State Champion]] in both 100 (10.57) and 200 meters (21.15) He also was an accomplished long jumper with a personal best of over 24 feet.▼
▲Kaufman was also an exceptional [[track and field|track]] athlete. As a junior, Kaufman's personal best in the 100 meters was 10.39 seconds, and he was the [[CIF California State Meet|CIF California State Champion]] in both the 100 (10.57) and 200 meters (21.15).<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Lonnie |date=November 1, 1990 |title=Kaufman Is the Talk of Lompoc |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He also was an accomplished long jumper with a personal best of over 24 feet.
==College career==
In 1991, as a true freshman at Washington, Kaufman returned kicks for the Huskies during the year the team won the national championship. In September 1992, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' reported Kaufman to have recently been timed at 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash, with teammate Jason Shelley commenting, "Nobody runs with Napoleon."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Sally |date=September 28, 1992 |title=Flying High Again: With a 29-14 Victory Over Nebraska, Defending National Co-Champion Washington Proved it Will be in the Chase for Another Crown |work=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> By the fall of [[1994 Washington Huskies football team|1994]], coaches reported his 40-yard dash time to be 4.3 seconds, while being able to bench-press 420 pounds.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Long |first=Chris |date=September 29, 1994 |title=Husky Voice - Kaufman speaks highly of Washington program |work=Torrance Daily Breeze |pages=D6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kuwada |first=Robert |date=October 6, 1994 |title=Mission is to Stop Kaufman |work=San Jose Mercury News |pages=1F}}</ref>
In 1991, as a true freshman at Washington, Kaufman returned kicks for the Huskies during the year the team won the national championship. Among his notable collegiate performances was the 1994 "[[Washington Huskies football#The .27Whammy in Miami.27|Whammy In Miami]]" game between the Huskies and the [[University of Miami]] at the [[Miami Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]], where the Huskies ended Miami's 58-game home winning streak, which dated back to 1985. Kaufman was Washington's all-time leader in rushing yards for 23 years (4,106)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/650168-the-top-25-rbs-in-pac-10-history#/articles/650168-the-top-25-rbs-in-pac-10-history/page/16 |title=LaMichael James and the Top 25 RBs in Pac-10 History |publisher=[[bleacherreport.com]] |author=Thad Novak |date=March 30, 2011 |access-date=January 12, 2013}}</ref> and 200-yard games (4), third in rushing touchdowns (34), and tied with [[Chris Polk]] for most rushes for 50+ yards (6). In a game against [[UCLA]] in 1994 Kaufman set the school's record for longest non-scoring rush with 79 yards.<ref>[http://www.gohuskies.com/fls/30200/old_site/pdf/m-footbl/2012-13/misc_non_event/FB_Record_Book.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30200 2012 Washington Football Information Guide & Reference Book.]</ref> Along with Polk and [[Myles Gaskin]], he is one of only three Washington running backs to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons (1992-94: 1,045, 1,299, and 1,390). He was named to the All-Pac-10 team in 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1994, he was a second-team All-American and is a member of the University of Washington Hall of Fame.▼
▲
He was named to the All-Pac-10 team in 1992, 1993, and 1994. In [[1994 College Football All-America Team|1994, he was a second-team All-American]], finished ninth in [[Heisman Trophy]] voting (receiving three first-place ballots),<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 11, 1994 |title=Heisman Voting |work=Buffalo News}}</ref> and is a member of the University of Washington Hall of Fame.
As of 2022, Kaufman still held UW's career all-purpose yardage record, amassing 5,832 total yards.<ref>{{Cite book |title=2022 University of Washington Football Media Guide |publisher=University of Washington Athletics |year=2022 |pages=115}}</ref>
==Professional career==
{{NFL predraft
Kaufman was selected with the 18th pick in the 1st round of the [[1995 NFL Draft]] by the [[Oakland Raiders]], where he remained for the entirety of his 6-year NFL career, amassing 4,792 [[yard]]s [[rush (American football)|rushing]]<ref name="florio">{{cite web|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/13/napoleon-kaufman-returns-to-raiders-as-team-chaplain/ |title=Napoleon Kaufman returns to Raiders, as team chaplain |publisher=[[NBC Sports]] |author=Mike Florio |date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=January 13, 2013 }}</ref> on 4.90 yards per carry. Kaufman scored a touchdown in his first NFL game against the San Diego Chargers. Kaufman rushed for 490 yards as a rookie backing up [[Harvey Williams (American football)|Harvey Williams]]. As the Raiders' primary running back in [[1997 NFL season|1997]] and [[1998 NFL season|1998]], he rushed for 1,294 and 921 yards, respectively, and had 65 total [[reception (American football)|receptions]] during those two seasons. Kaufman split playing time with [[Tyrone Wheatley]] in the latter part of his career.▼
| height ft = 5
| height in = 8 1/2
| weight = 182
| dash = 4.48
| ten split = 1.64
| twenty split = 2.64
| vertical = 38.5
| bench = 24
| arm span = 29 1/2
| hand span = 8 1/2
}}
▲Kaufman was selected with the 18th pick in the
As the Raiders' primary running back in [[1997 NFL season|1997]] and [[1998 NFL season|1998]], he rushed for 1,294 and 921 yards, respectively, and had 65 total [[reception (American football)|receptions]] during those two seasons. Kaufman split playing time with [[Tyrone Wheatley]] in the latter part of his career. On October 19, 1997, in Week 8 of the 1997 season, Kaufman rushed for 227 yards, leading the Raiders to an upset of the undefeated [[Denver Broncos]] (the eventual [[Super Bowl]] champions that year) and setting the franchise mark for rushing yards in a single game.
== Personal life and coaching ==
▲On October 19, 1997, in Week 8 of the 1997 season, Kaufman rushed for 227 yards, leading the Raiders to an upset of the undefeated [[Denver Broncos]] (the eventual [[Super Bowl]] champions that year) and setting the franchise mark for rushing yards in a single game. Kaufman broke the record of 221, set by [[Bo Jackson]] in his famous [[Monday Night Football]] performance against the [[Seattle Seahawks]] on November 30, 1987. As of 2022, Kaufman's record still stands.
During the latter part of his playing career, Kaufman was the Raiders' chaplain, and [[Baptism|baptized]] several teammates in the whirlpool at the team's practice facility.<ref name="WATN">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14421245/where-now-washington-huskies-oakland-raiders-running-back-napoleon-kaufman |title=Where are they now? Oakland Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman |first=Thomas |last=Neumann |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=December 23, 2015 |access-date=December 23, 2015}}</ref> He retired abruptly at the end of the [[2000 NFL season]]<ref name="florio" /> to pursue a career as a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[religious minister|minister]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Neil |first=Danny |date=July 16, 2011 |title=Napoleon Kaufman finds faith after football |work=Seattle Times}}</ref> Today he is the senior [[pastor]] at The Well Christian Community Church in [[Livermore, California]], a church he founded with about 15 families in 2003; as of 2018 the church has over 1,000 regular worshipers. His wife also serves as a pastor, two other former Raiders serve in leadership roles, and [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Rod Woodson]] is a member.<ref name="WATN" /> He has three sons and one daughter and has been married since September 1996.
==NFL career statistics==
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|-
! colspan="2"| Career || 91 || 978 || 4,792 || 4.9 || 83 || 12 || 203 || 12 || 9
|}
==See also==
* [[Washington Huskies football statistical leaders]]
* [[CIF California State Meet alumni]]
==References==
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==External links==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/
* {{cite web|url=https://www.thewellchurch.net/who-we-are/our-pastor/|title=Pastor Napoleon Kaufman}} - profile at The Well Christian Community.
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[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:American football return specialists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male sprinters]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:People from Lompoc, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Santa Barbara County, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in California]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from California]]
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