Tampa, FL - Hofstra alumnus Kareem Huggins ('07) has signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the National Football League team announced this week.
Huggins, a four-year letterman for Hofstra from 2004 through 2007, was a threat for the Pride on the ground, through the air, and on special teams. In his 41-game career at Hofstra he rushed 428 times for 2,178 yards and 21 touchdowns, becoming the ninth player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards in his career. He currently ranks sixth on the Hofstra career rushing list. Huggins also returned 70 kickoffs for 1,596 yards and a 22.8 average and 45 punts for an 8.9 average, and caught 45 passes for a 9.0 yards per catch average.
As a senior co-captain in 2007, the Irvington, New Jersey native was named to the All-CAA second team at both running back and kickoff returner. He was selected the Iron Mike Award winner as Hofstra's Most Valuable Player. He led the Pride in rushing for two consecutive seasons as well as kickoff returns for three straight years. Huggins was a shoo-in to become Hofstra's sixth 1,000-yard rusher and the first since 2000 before an injury caused him to missed most of the final three games of his college career. He ranked fifth in the CAA and 24th in the FCS in rushing with 957 yards and nine touchdowns on 178 carries. Huggins posted five 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 186 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns at Towson. He was sixth in the CAA and 35th in the country with a 24.7 kickoff return average and two touchdowns on 26 returns and recorded a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Albany and a 92-yard return for a score against Maine. The two kickoff returns for a touchdown in a season equaled Robert Thomas' Hofstra record set in 1998. Huggins led the league and was sixth in the FCS in all-purpose yards.
As a junior Huggins played in all 11 games, starting four, and led the Pride and ranked eighth in the Atlantic 10 in rushing with 572 yards on 136 carries with a team-high four rushing touchdowns. He recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game with 117 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown against Towson. He caught 13 passes for 79 yards, returned 14 kickoffs for 235 yards ranking 13th in the Atlantic 10, and returned 13 punt returns for 162 yards.
In 2005, as a sophomore, Huggins was named to Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-Northeast Regional third team at kickoff/punt returner. He played in all 11 games, was second on the team in rushing and 17th in the Atlantic 10 with 529 yards and six touchdowns on 87 rushes. He posted a season-high 91 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries at Rhode Island. He also recorded 11 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown and returned 15 kickoffs for 339 yards and a 22.6 average, ranking seventh in kickoff returns in the Atlantic 10...
Huggins played in 10 games as a freshman and recorded 27 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns and tallied six receptions for 77 yards on the season. He led the team, ranked sixth in the Atlantic 10 and 43rd in I-AA in punt returns with 23 returns for 205 yards and recorded 15 kickoff returns for 381 yards on the season, ranking fourth in the A-10 and 21st in I-AA in kickoff returns.
Huggins is the second former Pride player on the Buccaneers' player roster and the third alumnus in the organization. Defensive back Kyle Arrington, who also played for the Pride from 2004 through 2007, signed a free agent contract with the Bucs in January. Tampa Bay is led by head coach Raheem Morris, who played for the Pride from 1994 through 1997 and served as a graduate-assistant coach in 1998 and defensive backs coach during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
-30-
