Reginal Alfred “Reggie” Bush II was born March 2, 1985 in San Diego, California. Reggie has been nicknamed ‘The President’, “president Bush”, currently is a running back/tailback, wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner for the New Orleans Saints. 

Bush received the Walter Camp Award and also the Doak Walker Award. On December 10, 2005 Reggie was awarded the Heisman Trophy, beating Vince Young, and his teammate Matt Leinart. Reggie was the third USC Trojan in four years to win the award. Also in 2005, he was named the AP Sportsman of the Year. In January of 2006, Reggie decided to not come back for his senior at USC, and decided to put his name in the NFL Draft. Reggie was drafted behind Mario Williams, a defensice end from North Carolina State. That may have been the worst mistake of the Houston Texans young life. The Saints then drafted Reggie second overall.  During Reggie’s rookie year his team went 3-13, and then in his second year they were playing in the NFC Championship game. His rookie year saw his team go from a 3-13 record without him to playing in the NFC Championship game. April 23, 2006 a report came out raising questions about whether Reggie’s family received gifts, which is a violation of NCAA policies.

Reggie grew up in Spring Valley, California in a suburb of San Diego. His father was a campus security officer, and his mother was a deputy sheriff at the county jail. He attended Helix High School in La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego, also with San Fransisco 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith. Reggie excelled at football and track. In track, he won many honors and ran a 10.42 100m in the California state championships. Also an excellent student, Bush graduated with a 3.8 GPA and many scholarships.

Reggiestudied political science at USC. Bush often etched the number “619″ on top of his black under eye markings as a tribute to the area code of central San Diego. Before attending USC Bush was the most highly recruited running back out of high school. His and others expectations during his college career were very high. When head coach Pete Carroll recruited Bush for Southern California, he envisioned using Bush as a five-way threat. The freshman quickly proved he could carry, catch, throw and return the ball with great skill. In 2003, he was a consensus Freshman All-American first-team selection and became the first Trojan since  Anthony Davis in 1974 to lead the Pac-10 Conference in kickoff returns. His 1,331 all-purpose yards set a USC freshman record. ESPN’s Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year amassed 521 yards with three touchdowns on 90 carries that year. He caught fifteen passes for 314 yards (20.9 avg) and three scores and averaged 27.3 yards on 18 kickoff returns with a touchdown. His number in 2003 was #5. Despite not starting any games in 2004, he finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman, was named the team’s MVP, earned consensus All-American honors and was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He finished second on the team with 143 carries for 908 yards (6.3 avg) and six touchdowns, adding on 509 yards and seven scores on 43 receptions (11.8 avg). He returned 21 kickoffs for 537 yards (25.6 avg) and 24 punts for 376 yards (15.7 avg) and a pair of touchdowns. He became the first Trojan since Marcus Allen to lead the Pac-10 in all-purpose yardage, totaling 2,330 yards. He also threw for one touchdown, tossing a 52-yard scoring strike.

Bush had an excellent 2005 season, as he was a unanimous All-American first-team pick and the winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy. He was named the Associated Press 2005 Player of the Year, Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. Offensive Player of the Year, Touchdown Club of Columbus Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and Doak Walker Award(nation’s best running back). He led the nation with an average of 222.3 all-purpose yards per game and finished fourth in the NCAA Division 1-A ranks with an average of 133.85 yards per game rushing.

Bush led the Trojans with 1,740 yards on 200 carries (8.7 avg) with sixteen touchdowns and ranked third on the squad with 37 receptions for 478 yards (12.9 avg), including a pair of scores as a junior. He returned 18 punts for 179 yards (9.9 avg) and a touchdown and gained 493 yards on 28 kickoff returns (17.6 avg).

In 39 games at Southern California, Bush started only fifteen times. However, he finished tenth in NCAA Division 1-A history with 6,551 all-purpose yards. He finished with 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns on 433 carries (7.3 avg) and 1,301 yards with thirteen scores on 95 catches (13.7 avg). Bush returned 67 kickoffs for 1,522 yards and a touchdown, adding 559 yards and three scores on 44 punt returns (12.7 avg). He also completed one-of-three passes for a 52-yard touchdown.^[2]

He and teammate Matt Leinert became the first pair of Heisman Trophy winners to play together in a single game in the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006 against the University of Texas. USC lost 41-38. Bush had a decent performance, amassing a total of 279 all-purpose yards (82 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards, 102 kickoff return yards) and one touchdown scored, but he was overshadowed by his runner-up for the Heisman, Vince  Young, and Bush’s teammate LenDale White, who led USC in rushing with 123 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bush also attempted to lateral when he was tackled after a long run, but the lateral fell to the ground and was recovered by Texas. The bad lateral nullified a drive where USC may have scored, and set up a Texas scoring drive, potentially losing at least 10 points for the Trojans. This game gave Bush a total of 2,890 all-purpose yards for the season, the most ever by a USC player, and 19 touchdowns.

In celebration of their stellar careers, Bush and Leinart appeared on the cover of the December 25, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated; the magazine anointed the pair as the “Best in College Football” in 2005.

• Finished 10th in NCAA Division I-A history and with 6,551 all-purpose yards
• Only 12th player in NCAA history to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards twice (2,330 yards in 2004 and 2,890 yards in 2005).

He was featured on the cover of NCAA Football 2007, released on July 18, 2006.