Former Hutchinson Community College football All-American running back Alvin Kamara was named the 2017 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year on Friday.
Kamara, a 2018 Pro Bowl selection, led all rookies with 14 total touchdowns and ranked second with 1,554 scrimmage yards. Kamara led all rookies with 81 receptions, the third-most by a rookie running back in NFL history.
Selected in the third round with the 67th overall pick by the Saints, Kamara joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (1965) as the only rookies in NFL history to have at least five rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns and a kickoff-return touchdown.
In the Pro Bowl last week, Kamara had four carries for 13 yards and four receptions for 36 yards for the NFC team.
In 2014, Kamara became the 17th Hutchinson running back to reach 1,000 yards in a season. Kamara finished 10th on the Blue Dragon single-season rushing list with 1,211 yards on 172 carries. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry, which ranks second in team history. Kamara is tied for second place on Hutch’s single-season list with 21 total touchdowns. Kamara also scored 126 points, tied for second place with Mack Herron.
Kamara was named the 2014 Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year and NJCAA First-Team All-American.
Coming to Hutch from Alabama, Kamara returned to the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers where he played for two seasons in an impressive running-back rotation.