Maurice Carthon life and biography

Maurice Carthon(born April 24, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) enters his 17th season as an NFL assistant coach and his second year as Kansas City’s assistant head coach. Owning a longstanding relationship with Head Coach Todd Haley, Carthon and Haley have coached together with four different NFL clubs, including the Chiefs. In addition to his duties assisting Haley, Carthon will work closely with the club’s running backs.

Possessing five seasons of experience as an NFL offensive coordinator, Carthon also owns 11 years of pro experience as a running back. Along with Haley, Carthon was part of an Arizona staff that helped guide the Cardinals to a berth in Super Bowl XLIII.

Carthon has been a member of four Super Bowl squads as either a player or a coach, including wins in Super Bowls XXI and XXV as a member of the N.Y. Giants. In his 27 previous seasons in pro football, Carthon has either blocked for or coached running backs who enjoyed a 1,000-yard season on 18 different occasions.

In his first season with the Chiefs, Carthon was instrumental in the rapid development of RB Jamaal Charles. The third-year running back became the first NFL player to record 1,100 or more rushing yards on less than 200 carries. Thanks in large part to Charles, the Chiefs averaged 142.6 rushing yards per game the final eight contests of 2009.

In 2008, Carthon played a key role in the emergence of Cardinals RB Tim Hightower, who set a franchise rookie record with 10 rushing TDs. In 2007, Carthon helped RB Edgerrin James record the seventh 1,000-yard campaign of his career.

Carthon served as offensive coordinator in Cleveland (2005-06). In 2005, RB Reuben Droughns became the Browns first 1,000-yard rusher since ’85. He spent two seasons with Dallas (2003-04), where he served as offensive coordinator/running backs coach on Bill Parcells’ staff.

He spent two seasons in Detroit (2001-02), serving as offensive coordinator in 2002. Prior to his time with the Lions, Carthon served four seasons as running backs coach with the N.Y. Jets (’97-00). He also served as assistant head coach in 2000. RB Curtis Martin had three straight 1,000-yard seasons, including a 1,464-yard performance in ’99.

The Arkansas State product began his NFL career on Parcells’ staff in New England (’94-96). In ’95, Martin was the lone NFL rookie to earn a Pro Bowl berth after accumulating 1,487 rushing yards and 14 TDs. In ’96, Carthon helped the Patriots earn their first division crown in a decade as New England advanced to Super Bowl XXXI.

A veteran of eight NFL seasons as a player with the N.Y. Giants (’85-91) and Indianapolis (’92), Carthon played in 123 games, rushing 300 times for 950 yards with two TDs and catching 90 passes for 745 yards with a TD. He was part of Parcells’ squads that won Super Bowls XXI and XXV.

An eighth-round selection of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals in ’83, Carthon compiled 2,102 rushing yards in that league, including 1,042 yards and 11 TDs in ’84. He also paved the way for RB Herschel Walker, who gained 5,562 rushing yards during his three-year USFL career. Walker followed Carthon’s lead to amass 2,411 yards in ’85, the highest single-season total in pro football history.

Carthon was a two-time all-conference pick at Arkansas State and was inducted into that school’s Ring of Honor in 2002. He was a prep standout at Osceola High School in Osceola, Arkansas.

Education: Arkansas State (B.S. ’89). Born: Chicago, Illinois. Family: Married.

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