Quick Facts
Biography
Justin Alejandro Fargas (born January 25, 1980) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Southern California.
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 looking at both California and Southern California, Fargas chose to transfer to Southern California in 2001. 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.
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. Fargas won the state championship in 1997.
Personal bests
| 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
2003 NFL Combine
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in | 219 lb | 4.35 s | 1.47 s | 2.54 s | 11 ft 5 in | 27 reps | |||||||||||||
| All values from Central Florida Pro Day. | |||||||||||||||||||
Oakland Raiders
Fargas played for seven seasons for the Oakland Raiders after being drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. 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.
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. He was released by the Broncos on August 30, 2010.
Personal
Fargas is the son of Starsky and Hutch actor Antonio Fargas, who played Huggy Bear. His mother is Taylor Hastie, Director of Design and Trend for Expo Design Center and the Home Depot at their Atlanta headquarters.
His half-brother is film producer Matthew Chausse.
Justin 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".
Fargas is married to LSU women's basketball head coach, Nikki Caldwell. The couple had their first child in March 2012.