Professional Football Career
Culver was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He was a short-yardage back his first year, carrying the ball 121 times for 321 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 210 yards and two more touchdowns. The Colts finished 9-7 but missed the AFC playoffs by one game. In 1993, the Colts were expected to contend but a holdout by Jeff George and an injury to Steve Emtman plunged the Colts to last. Culver ran for three touchdowns and caught one more. He was cut at the end of the season and claimed off waivers by the San Diego Chargers.
Culver was the last man in a talented San Diego backfield that included newcomer Natrone Means, and halfbacks Eric Bieniemy and Ronnie Harmon. Culver, in fact, only carried the ball eight times all year, but he averaged over seven yards per carry. In the 1994-95 divisional playoff versus Miami, Culver carried six times for fourteen yards as the Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins, 22-21. Culver had no carries or catches in the 1994-95 AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game won by the Chargers, 17-13. Culver made an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX against the San Francisco 49ers, but he failed to touch the ball. The Chargers lost, 49-26.
In his final season, 1995, Culver got more carries because of a holdout and later injury to Natrone Means. He carried the ball forty-seven times for 155 yards and three touchdowns and caught five passes for twenty-one yards. The Chargers made it back to the playoffs but lost to Culver's former team, the Colts, 35-20.
Read more about this topic: Rodney Culver
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