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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

The Life And Career Of Kevin Faulk

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Kevin Faulk
(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

 

Glue guys are the unsung heroes of sports teams and sports leagues.

They are the players who are the proverbial backbone of an organization and can be counted on to bring the team together during difficult moments.

Often, these athletes can also fill in wherever the franchise needs them.

For 13 years, Kevin Faulk was the glue guy for the New England Patriots.

Forget Bill Belichick or Tom Brady; Faulk was the Pats’ everyman, playing on both sides of the ball and special teams.

During his career, Faulk only started 47 games, but he helped New England to its first three Super Bowl wins.

After retiring following the 2011 season, Faulk became a coach at the prep, college and professional levels.

This is the story of Kevin Faulk.

 

Louisiana Born And Bred

Kevin Troy Faulk was born on June 5, 1976, in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Although he would never grow taller than 5’8”, Faulk was an athletic prodigy early and made an impression on the locals in middle school.

His coach at the time, Billy McCauley, went to Carencro High School coaches, Banks Menard and Mac Barousse, and told them that his seventh-grade running back was going to be a star.

“We were like, ‘Yeah right,’ but I decided that I had to go see this kid,” Menard said. “I watched this kid beat Anderson Middle, which I’m not sure had ever lost a game before, by himself. He was incredible.”

Convinced that McCauley was telling the truth, Menard returned to the school and told his boss, Barousse, that Faulk was indeed as advertised.

Sure enough, when he finally arrived at Carencro as a freshman, Faulk didn’t disappoint.

In his first prep season, Faulk played safety and picked off no less than nine passes.

The following year, he helped lead the Golden Bears to its first state title in its history as the team’s starting quarterback.

“Even as a freshman, his work ethic was relentless,” former Carencro High assistant coach Tony Courville said. “Sure he had a lot of God-given talent, but his mental strengths was as big or bigger than his physical strengths. I will never forget this 15-year-old kid during a big moment in the state championship game just tap Mac (Barousse) on the shoulder and say, ‘I got it coach.’ You don’t see that very often.”

After Carencro won the championship game, 28-27, Faulk was named the contest’s MVP.

By the time he graduated two years later, Faulk had racked up an astounding 4,877 rushing yards (8.1 yards per carry), 7,612 all-purpose yards and 89 touchdowns.

Faulk was twice named the State’s Offensive MVP and was also selected as a Parade Magazine All-American and a USA Today All-American.

“He was always thinking that there was something he could do better,” Menard said. “He worked at it. He went that extra mile. He had speed, vision and such a great knowledge of the game. He had passion for the game. When you have it, you have it. He’s one of those kind of athletes that you only get every 10 or 20 years.”

 

An Immediate Hit for LSU

Running back Kevin Faulk of the Louisiana State Tigers

 

It was hard to ignore Faulk’s prep stats as an option quarterback for the Golden Bears.

Countless big-name programs wanted his services, but Faulk chose to stay near home and accepted a scholarship offer to play at LSU.

Gerry DiNardo had just arrived as the Tigers’ new head coach after leading Vanderbilt for four years and he made a splash with his recruiting class.

Running backs coach Michael Haywood knew he had something special even before Faulk suited up.

“The first day I showed up on campus was the day Kevin Faulk came to visit LSU,” Haywood said. “I was stunned. All of those recruits were treating him like a rock star, asking him for his autographs.”

The true freshman displayed his myriad skills in summer camp and DiNardo’s staff named him a starter at running back.

By early November, DiNardo’s team had a woeful 4-4-1 record before winning its final three games, including a 45-26 win over Michigan State in the Independence Bowl.

During the contest, Faulk set program bowl records with 234 rushing yards and 271 all-purpose yards and was named the game’s Offensive MVP.

As the 1995 season wrapped, the new kid was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Year based on his 852 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.

 

A Stellar 1996 Campaign

Running back Kevin Faulk #3 of LSU carries the football

 

In 1996, the Tigers gelled and won its first four games before finishing the year 10-2, including a close, 10-7, Peach Bown win over Clemson.

Now a sophomore, Faulk went off, leading the SEC in carries (248), yards (1,242), all-purpose yards (2,104), rushing scores (13) and even average yards per punt return (15.6).

For good measure, he also threw one pass that was completed for seven yards and a touchdown.

“Kevin Faulk was the smartest football player I ever coached and the most competitive athlete I ever coached,” Haywood said. “He saw things before it happened. He understood the technique and the fundamentals so well.”

A program-record 246 yards came at the expense of the Houston Cougars during the season’s opening week.

At the end of three quarters, the Tigers were getting annihilated by the Cougars, 34-14, and many of the fans in attendance began leaving early.

They missed a doozy as Faulk carried the team in the final quarter to an improbable 35-34 victory.

Not only did he amass a hefty rushing total, but Faulk also had three touchdowns and 106 yards on four punt returns and his single-game total of 376 all-purpose yards set a Tigers’ record.

“That’s one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in this stadium,” said Charles Alexander, a 2012 College Football Hall of Fame inductee whose LSU single-game rushing record (237 yards, Oregon, 1977) Faulk broke.

When the season ended, he was promptly named a first-team All-American and All-SEC.

 

Faulk has Another Great Season

Sure, he was only 5’8” and somewhere around 200 pounds, but Faulk played like someone much bigger.

“I never thought his size was a problem,” Haywood said. “He was as physical as (other LSU backs) Cecil Collins, Rondell Mealey or Kendall Cleveland.”

In 1997, the junior ran for 1,144 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns, which led the conference.

On October 11, top-ranked Florida came to LSU intent on marching to a national title.

Instead, Faulk and his teammates shocked the world with a 28-21 upset.

During the contest, the junior rushed for 78 yards on 22 carries.

“We were sick and tired of hearing we had no chance to win this game,” said Faulk after the win. “They scored 56 points on us last year…We came out and won this game and nobody can say anything about that. Nobody can take that away.”

For the third year in a row, LSU won its bowl game; this time it was a 27-9 victory over Notre Dame.

 

Faulk Ends His Amazing College Career

In 1998, the Tigers burst out of the gate with a 3-0 record.

Then, the wheels fell off, and the program lost seven of its final eight games to finish 4-7.

It wasn’t exactly the way Faulk wanted to end his college career.

However, he still led the SEC with 1,279 rushing yards and 2,109 all-purpose yards, along with 12 rushing touchdowns and a career-best 287 receiving yards and three receiving scores.

Faulk also added a touchdown each on punt and kick returns.

At the conclusion of the season, he was named first-team All-SEC and a third-team All-American.

As a collegian, Faulk had totals of 856 carries, 4,557 rushing yards (program record at the time), 46 rushing touchdowns, 53 receptions for 600 yards and four scores and tallied 832 punt return yards and two touchdowns and 844 yards and a score on kick returns.

He also had two pass attempts and two completions for 27 yards and a touchdown.

By the time he left campus, Faulk owned 11 school records and had 22 100-yard rushing games and four 200-yard rushing days.

For over a decade, his 6,833 all-purpose yards led the SEC until Florida’s Tim Tebow broke the mark in 2009.

Faulk has since been named to the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame, State of Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

 

Second Rounder

Kevin Faulk #33 of the New England Patriots carries the ball
Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport

 

In 1996, the New England Patriots advanced all the way to Super Bowl XXXI with Bill Parcells as their head coach.

After the 35-21 loss to Green Bay in the title game, Parcells stepped down and former New York Jets head coach Pete Carroll took over in 1997.

Two playoff appearances followed in the next two years.

Then, with the 46th overall selection in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Pats selected Faulk.

He started the first two games of the year, then spent the remainder of the season in a backup role to veteran Terry Allen due to ankle injuries.

New England finished 8-8, and Faulk had 227 rushing yards and three combined touchdowns as a rusher and receiver.

He also added 943 yards in kick returns and 90 yards in punt returns.

When the season ended, Carroll was fired, and former Cleveland Browns head coach Bill Belichick was hired in his place.

During Belichick’s first year, the Pats went 5-11 while Faulk started nine games (career-high), rushed for 570 yards and four scores, and had 51 receptions for 465 yards, a receiving touchdown and 816 kick return yards.

 

Faulk and New England Take Flight Under Belichick

Kevin Faulk of the New England Patriots heads downfield
Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/Allsport

 

Thankfully, New England didn’t stay down in the dumps for very long.

In the 2000 NFL Draft, the team took a flyer in the sixth round and selected Michigan quarterback Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick.

Two games into the 2001 season, starting QB Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of a game against the New York Jets by a vicious hit.

Brady entered the contest and became a legend.

“Back in 2001, when Drew Bledsoe got hurt and Tom took over at quarterback, we knew there was something special about him right away. You could just feel it,” said Faulk years later.

As the team advanced to the postseason with an 11-5 record, Faulk was primarily a fill-in as a third-down back and backup to starter Antowain Smith.

It wasn’t an ideal situation for Faulk, but he adapted to his role as an Everyman for New England.

“What do you want to do?” Haywood remembered saying in discussing the issue with Faulk. “He said, ‘I want to play 10-14-15 years in the NFL.’ I agreed with him at the time. What’s wrong with being a third-down back? Look how it worked out for him.”

By season’s end, he had all of 169 yards and a touchdown on the ground and picked up 465 reception yards and a score and 662 kick return yards.

During a Week 15 victory over Miami, Faulk completed his first (and only) career pass attempt to Brady on a trick play for 23 yards.

The Pats downed the Raiders and Steelers in the postseason and beat the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

As fate would have it, the contest took place in Faulk’s home state of Louisiana.

“I thank God every day that I played my entire career for the New England Patriots. It gave me so many opportunities that I otherwise would not have had. I got to play in and win a Super Bowl in my home state of Louisiana, on the same field where I had won a state championship in high school. That was something special,” Faulk wrote in 2017.

Faulk had 15 rushing yards during the 20-17 upset, while his cousin, Rams running back sensation Marshall Faulk, had 76 yards on the ground and 54 as a receiver.

In 2002, New England missed the postseason and Faulk had fairly pedestrian numbers as a receiver and runner.

However, he totaled 1,440 all-purpose yards and led the NFL with two kick returns for touchdowns.

Furthermore, Faulk’s 725 kick return yards in ‘02 set a Patriots record for total career kick return yards, previously held by Dave Meggett.

 

More Super Bowl Victories

Running back Kevin Faulk #33 of the New England Patriots carries the football
(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

 

Beginning in 2003, the Patriots became arguably one of the best dynasties in the history of the NFL.

That season, Belichick and Brady led the team to a franchise-best 14-2 record.

Faulk also became the unofficial glue guy for the team as he put together a terrific season with 638 rushing yards (career-high), 440 receiving yards, and 212 combined return yards.

He also had a team-high 1,078 yards from scrimmage.

“We love overachievers, unselfish players who give everything they’ve got on every play,” team owner Robert Kraft said about Faulk years later. “We especially love the little guys who always seem to come up big.”

After beating the Titans and Colts in the playoffs, the Pats met the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The game was a hard-fought affair, and in the fourth quarter, linebacker Mike Vrabel caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Brady.

Faulk was successful on the two-point conversion try to put New England in the lead, 29-22.

Carolina tied it before Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winner from 41 yards out to win.

Faulk had 61 total yards and his two-point conversion for the day.

In 2004, Faulk had a solid year as New England returned to the NFL title game with a repeat 14-2 record.

He won another championship when the Pats beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24-21.

During the afternoon, Faulk tallied 65 total yards.

 

The Patriot Way

detail of a New England Patriots helmet
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

 

With three Super Bowl victories in four tries, New England was a consistent, every-year threat to go all the way.

By 2005, Belichick’s “Patriot Way” was well-known among all NFL franchises and football fans alike.

According to Faulk, the mantra was really about one thing.

“The Patriot Way ain’t about nothing but winning, man. That’s it,” Faulk said.

That year, New England went 10-6 and lost in the divisional round.

In 2006, the organization advanced to the AFC Championship Game before losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

New England just missed becoming only the second team in NFL history to finish a season undefeated in 2007.

Fully stocked with the likes of Faulk, Brady, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and Benjamin Watson, the team finished the regular season 16-0.

The Pats beat Jacksonville and San Diego in the playoffs for the right to take on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

An Eli Manning pass to receiver David Tyree went down in game lore as the “Helmet Catch,” eventually leading to an improbable 17-14 Giants upset.

Faulk had 59 combined yards for the day.

Before the 2008 season began, Faulk was given a one-game suspension by the league for possessing marijuana in February.

When he returned in Week 2, Faulk had one of the best statistical seasons of his career.

That year, he had 507 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, 58 receptions (career-high), 486 yards and three scores as a receiver, and 157 yards as a returner.

 

Faulk Retires

Retirement

 

New England posted a 10-6 record and divisional-round loss to Baltimore in 2009, while Faulk had over 600 combined yards and three touchdowns.

In 2011, the Pats won 14 games again before getting upset in the divisional round by the New York Jets, 28-21.

Faulk was still active as a leader for the franchise, but he rarely saw the field.

Then, after a 13-3 season and a New England Super Bowl XLVI loss to the Giants, Faulk hung up his cleats for good.

During his career, the Pats’ ultimate glue guy had 3,607 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing, 431 receptions (tops in Pats history for a running back), 3,701 yards and 15 touchdowns receiving, two of four passing attempts for 21 yards, one tackle on special teams, 954 punt return yards, and 4,098 yards and two scores as a kick returner.

His 5,041 total return yards is the best in team history, and Faulk’s 12,349 all-purpose yards also leads the New England organization.

He was a three-time Super Bowl winner and was later added to the Pats’ All-2000s team, 50th Anniversary Team, All-Dynasty Team, and New England’s Hall of Fame.

“Kevin Faulk helped deliver three Super Bowl championships and redefined the way an entire generation of Patriots fans celebrated football in New England,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “Despite entering the NFL as the second-leading rusher in SEC history, he arrived in New England without ego or pretense. He was a selfless and tireless contributor to the team, accepting every challenge and excelling in many roles throughout his 13-year career. His work ethic, enthusiasm for the game and clutch performances, especially on third down, earned him the respect of his coaches, teammates and fans alike.”

 

Coach Faulk

Kevin Faulk #33 of the New England Patriots answers questions
(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

 

Faulk didn’t stray far from the game of football after retiring.

In 2013, he returned to Carencro High School to become an assistant and coach his son, Kevin Faulk Jr.

“It’s hard being Kevin Faulk’s son,” Faulk Jr. said. “People always look at you differently. They look at you like you’re supposed to be this guy (and) you’re supposed to act like you’re rich and all that stuff. But that’s not me.”

In 2018, Faulk returned to his second alma mater, LSU, to serve as the Director of Player Development.

He then became the team’s running backs coach in 2020.

Tragically, Faulk’s daughter, Kevione, died on September 14, 2021, from an undisclosed illness.

“We are heartbroken with the passing of Kevione Faulk, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Faulk family and all of those who love Kevione,” LSU football wrote in an official statement. “She was a part of the LSU Family, and we mourn the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate and a colleague. We ask that all Tigers keep the Faulks in their prayers and respect their privacy at this difficult time.”

In 2022, the New York Giants added Faulk as a minority coaching intern.

 

References

https://giantswire.usatoday.com

https://www.theadvertiser.com

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/2015/06/24/early-impressions-carencros-faulk-target/29224385/

https://www.usatodayhss.com

https://vault.si.com/vault

https://www.patriots.com/news/faulk-induction-laughter-tears-surprises-266301

https://www.patriots.com/news

https://www.patriots.com/news/kevin-faulk-mr-patriot-139736

https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-rb-kevin-faulk-announces-retirement-183131

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-faulk-patriots-way

https://www.iheart.com

https://www.theadvocate.com

https://www.patriots.com/news/kevin-faulk-elected-into-patriots-hall-of-fame-262686

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kevin-faulk-1.html

https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/kevin-faulk-2/

https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=2486

lasportshall.com

https://www.patriotshalloffame.com/hall_of_famer/kevin-faulk/

https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/coach/kevin-faulk/

https://www.patriots.com/news/where-are-they-now-kevin-faulk-292441

https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2025/02/where-is-kevin-faulk-patriots-legend-who-set-the-gold-standard.html

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FaulKe00.htm

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Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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