Brian Westbrook

Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is a former American professional football running back who played nine seasons in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles picked him in the third round of the 2002 draft out of Villanova University. He spent eight years with the Eagles, earning Pro Bowl nods in 2004 and 2007, then played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. After his playing days, he worked as the director of player engagement for the XFL until it merged with the USFL to form the UFL in 2024.

Westbrook grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland, and attended DeMatha Catholic High School, where he excelled in class and lettered in football and basketball. As a senior, he made first-team All-League, first-team All-Prince George's County, and received All-State Honorable Mention. As a junior, he was first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and another All-State Honorable Mention.

At Villanova, Westbrook played for the Wildcats from 1997 to 2001, battling injuries along the way. He still holds the NCAA all-purpose yards record with 9,512, breaking Brian Shay’s mark of 9,301. Over 46 games, he scored 542 points on 84 touchdowns, rushed 725 times for 4,298 yards (6.2 average), caught 219 passes for 2,582 yards (11.79 average), and returned kickoffs for 2,289 yards and four scores. He set 41 school records, 13 Atlantic 10 Conference records, and five NCAA records.

Westbrook is the only I-AA player to score 160 or more points in two different seasons and the first college football player at any level to rack up 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season (1998). He’s one of just three Villanova players to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, and he did it three times. He was a consensus I-AA All-America, two-time Atlantic 10 offensive player of the year, and won the 2001 Walter Payton Award as the top player in Division I-AA. As a senior, he totaled 2,823 combined net yards and 29 touchdowns. He entered the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2016, the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023, and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame later that same year.

Despite his college dominance, NFL teams hesitated to draft him in 2002 because of his small frame (5'8", 200 pounds), injury history (he missed a full college season with a knee injury), and his non-Division I-A background. Eagles head coach Andy Reid liked what he saw and took him in the third round, 91st overall.

Westbrook saw limited action in 2002 but threw a touchdown pass to Todd Pinkston on a trick play during a September rout of the Dallas Cowboys. He made his mark in 2003 with a fourth-quarter punt return touchdown that beat the New York Giants 14–10 on October 19, turning the Eagles’ season around and sending them to the NFC Championship Game. He scored 11 total touchdowns that year but missed the playoffs after tearing a triceps in the season finale against Washington.

After Duce Staley left and Correll Buckhalter got hurt in preseason, Westbrook became the starting running back in 2004. He rushed for a career-high 812 yards, led all NFL running backs with 73 catches for 703 yards, and scored nine touchdowns, helping the Eagles go 13–3. In the playoffs, he had 117 scrimmage yards and a touchdown against the Vikings, then 135 scrimmage yards in the NFC Championship win over the Falcons. He played in the Super Bowl—Philadelphia’s first in 25 years—rushing for 44 yards, catching seven passes for 60 yards, and scoring a touchdown in the loss to New England. He played in his first Pro Bowl the following week.

In November 2005, after a training camp holdout and tough negotiations, Westbrook signed a five-year extension. On December 6, with over 1,200 total yards, he was lost for the season due to a mid-foot injury suffered in a 42–0 Monday night loss to Seattle. The Eagles, hit hard by injuries, finished 6–10.

Westbrook bounced back in 2006 despite early knee swelling. After quarterback Donovan McNabb went down for the season on November 19, Westbrook became the offense’s centerpiece. On November 26, he became the first Eagle since Wilbert Montgomery 25 years earlier to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games. He set a career high with 1,217 rushing yards, topping 1,000 for the first time, and led the team with 77 catches for 699 receiving yards.