Emmanuel Moody
Encyclopedia
Emmanuel Moody is an American football
running back
who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills
as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football
for the University of Florida (UF)
Gators football team
.
area. His father left the family early, leaving him to be raised by his mother and her younger brother, Michael Chang. Moody's uncle began helping him practice and train for football after seeing how well he performed in pee wee
football.
Physically a late bloomer, coaches initially hesitated to put him in the running back role that he desired. When his family moved to the suburb of Coppell, Texas
, Coppell High School
already had a highly regarded senior running back, one of the best in school history, and asked the sophomore Moody to spend a season at wide receiver. After insistence by himself and his uncle, Moody was allowed to play running back at the junior varsity
level. During that time, Moody grew taller and put on 25 pounds. His junior season saw him rise to the varsity team where he finished the season with 1,319 yards and 12 touchdowns. His abilities attracted interest from a number of prominent college football programs, notably Texas, Miami
and Southern California
. Moody originally verbally committed to Texas, but USC linebacker coach Ken Norton was able to eventually persuade Moody to change his commitment to the Trojans, enticing him to the challenge of competing against a number of other talented running backs.
in Los Angeles
. As a true freshman, Moody was the second leading rusher in the 2006 season
, gaining 458 yards on 79 carries in a rotating platoon of running backs. He was named the Pacific 10 Conference Freshman of the Year in 2006.
In the summer before the 2007 season
, he was featured as one of three USC running backs on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated
s college football preview edition.
The Trojans entered their 2007 fall training camp
with a high number of scholarship running backs (10), all of which were highly touted recruits; in August, midway through camp, Moody announced he was transferring from USC. Looking to be a featured player, Moody stated he had "felt forgotten" coming into training camp because of an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the Trojans' last four games of the 2006 season and a hamstring injury that caused him to sit out nearly all of spring practice; he then bruised his knee at a mid-camp scrimmage and had to sit out further. After looking at several schools, including Oklahoma State and North Carolina
, Moody transferred to the University of Florida.
. Welcomed by a team that needed a power running back to relieve quarterback Tim Tebow
, Moody had some difficulties adapting to the spread offense used by the Gators. He had 58 carries for 379 yards in the 2009 season and 66 carries for 265 yards in 2010. Moody participated in the Gator Pro Day but was not drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft
.
. He was released on August 5.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida (UF)
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
Gators football team
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
.
Early career
Moody was born to Young Sun (née Chang) as the youngest of three children, raised in the Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
area. His father left the family early, leaving him to be raised by his mother and her younger brother, Michael Chang. Moody's uncle began helping him practice and train for football after seeing how well he performed in pee wee
Pee Wee
Pee Wee may refer to:People* Randy Anderson , American wrestling referee* Pee Wee Crayton , American R&B and blues guitarist and singer* Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis , American saxophonist, composer and arranger...
football.
Physically a late bloomer, coaches initially hesitated to put him in the running back role that he desired. When his family moved to the suburb of Coppell, Texas
Coppell, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,958 people, 12,211 households, and 9,781 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,418.5 people per square mile . There were 12,587 housing units at an average density of 846.6 per square mile...
, Coppell High School
Coppell High School
Coppell High School is a 5A high school located in Coppell, Texas . It is part of the Coppell Independent School District located in extreme northwest Dallas County...
already had a highly regarded senior running back, one of the best in school history, and asked the sophomore Moody to spend a season at wide receiver. After insistence by himself and his uncle, Moody was allowed to play running back at the junior varsity
Junior varsity
Primarily in North America, junior varsity or JV players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition , usually at the high school and college levels in the United States and Canada. The main players comprise the varsity team...
level. During that time, Moody grew taller and put on 25 pounds. His junior season saw him rise to the varsity team where he finished the season with 1,319 yards and 12 touchdowns. His abilities attracted interest from a number of prominent college football programs, notably Texas, Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Moody originally verbally committed to Texas, but USC linebacker coach Ken Norton was able to eventually persuade Moody to change his commitment to the Trojans, enticing him to the challenge of competing against a number of other talented running backs.
University of Southern California (2006–2007)
Moody started his college career at the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. As a true freshman, Moody was the second leading rusher in the 2006 season
2006 USC Trojans football team
The 2006 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in college football season of 2006-2007, winning the Pacific-10 Conference and playing in the Rose Bowl...
, gaining 458 yards on 79 carries in a rotating platoon of running backs. He was named the Pacific 10 Conference Freshman of the Year in 2006.
In the summer before the 2007 season
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
, he was featured as one of three USC running backs on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
s college football preview edition.
The Trojans entered their 2007 fall training camp
2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
with a high number of scholarship running backs (10), all of which were highly touted recruits; in August, midway through camp, Moody announced he was transferring from USC. Looking to be a featured player, Moody stated he had "felt forgotten" coming into training camp because of an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the Trojans' last four games of the 2006 season and a hamstring injury that caused him to sit out nearly all of spring practice; he then bruised his knee at a mid-camp scrimmage and had to sit out further. After looking at several schools, including Oklahoma State and North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Moody transferred to the University of Florida.
University of Florida (2007–2010)
As required by NCAA transfer rules, Moody was forced to sit out the 2007 season with the Florida Gators; but was permitted to practice with the scout teamScout team
In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team, taxi squad, practice squad or practice roster, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured players. Frequently used in American or Canadian Football, these teams consist of less...
. Welcomed by a team that needed a power running back to relieve quarterback Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
, Moody had some difficulties adapting to the spread offense used by the Gators. He had 58 carries for 379 yards in the 2009 season and 66 carries for 265 yards in 2010. Moody participated in the Gator Pro Day but was not drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
.
Buffalo Bills
On July 26, 2011 Moody signed with the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was released on August 5.