Rueben Mayes
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Rueben Mayes (born June 6, 1963 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan) was a Canadian football player.
He first gained notoriety as a running back in high school in North Battleford. From this unlikely beginning, Mayes went on to star for the Washington State University Cougars, where he would become All-America and finish among the top 10 in Heisman Trophy balloting. Mayes set single-season and career-rushing records (1,632; 3,519 yards) with the Cougars, and established an NCAA record for most rushing yards in one game (357 vs. Oregon in 1984). That record remains the Pacific Ten Conference record.
He was drafted in the third round of the 1986 draft by the NFL's New Orleans Saints. He proceeded to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award that year. Although his NFL career was hampered by injuries, he was named to the Pro Bowl two times. Mayes played four seasons with the Saints before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for the final two years of his career. Mayes, without benefits afforded promising young players in the U.S., excelled in a skill position among the best-trained football players in the world.
His NFL career saw him carry the ball 866 times for 3,484 yards. He scored 23 touchdowns. In 1995, a panel of experts commissioned by The Spokesman-Review named Mayes to the all-time WSU team. The honor was repeated in 1998 by Cougfan.com when it picked its list of the school's all-time greatest players.
After football, Mayes became active in efforts to better educate at-risk youth. He would later earn a master's degree and return to Washington State University as an administrator.
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