WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2018

Written by Bryan Messerly

Collegiate: Steve Slaton was one of the top play-making tailbacks in the BIG EAST Conference history, as well as in the nation during his three seasons ... extremely physical for his size with breakaway speed ... 2006 Consensus All-American … 2007 Playboy All-American … two-time All-Big East, first team in 2006 and second team in 2007 … bowl trips: 2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator, 2008 Fiesta

2007: Awarded with the Coach's Contribution Award by the coaching staff ... second-team all-BIG EAST as voted on by the league's head coaches ... second-team all-BIG EAST by rivals.com ... Maxwell Award semifinalist ... offensive champion: Maryland, Mississippi State and Cincinnati
... accumulated 1,051 yards on 211 carries and scored 17 touchdowns ... third-straight year of 1,000 or more yards rushing - 3,923 yards and 50 touchdowns for his career ... broke Ira Rodgers' WVU record for career rushing touchdowns (50) ... No. 3 on the school's single-season receiving yards list by a running back ... tied for No. 10 on the school's single-season all-purpose yardage list ... has 25 receptions for 348 yards and scored a touchdown ... averages 5.0 yards per play ... leads the team with 18 total touchdowns ... second-leading receiver on the team with 25 catches for 348 yards and a touchdown ... six 100-yard rushing performances ... 14 plays of 20 yards or more ... scored multiple-touchdowns in five games ... season-high 146 yards and two touchdowns at Marshall ... 137 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns at Maryland ... 109 yards and three touchdowns against Western Michigan ... also had two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown ... 110 yards and one touchdown against East Carolina ... 127 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown against Mississippi State ... 103 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown against Cincinnati ... school's all-time scoring leader (330)... BIG EAST: No. 4 in BIG EAST in scoring average per game ... No. 4 in BIG
EAST all-purpose yards per game ... No. 4 in BIG EAST rushing yards per game ... No. 55 nationally in rushing yards per game ... No. 3 on the school's career rushing yardage list
(3,925) ... NCAA: No. 1 active points per game leader (9.4) ... No. 6 active scoring leader (330) ... No. 5 in yards per game (109.0) ... No. 7 n rushing yards (3,925) .... No. 8 in yards per carry (5.9) ... No. 14 in all-purpose yards (132.6) ... 2007 Playboy All-America

2006: Consensus All-America tailback who ranked fourth in NCAA rushing ... 2006 West Virginia team MVP ... one of three Doak Walker finalists ... fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting ... first team All-America (AFCA, FWAA, Walter Camp, The Sporting News, AP, Scout) ... second team
All-America (Rivals) ... Philadelphia Sports Writers amateur athlete of the year ... Maxwell award semifinalist ... 2006 (So.): WVU record 1,744 yards for season ... fourth in WVU career rushing TDs (33) ... third in WVU career 100- yard games (15) ... third in WVU career rushing (2,872) ... gained 203 yards on 33 carries against Marshall to become first back in WVU history with consecutive 200-yard rushing games ... touchdowns of 14 and 16 yards in the Friends of Coal Bowl ... gained 105 yards in the first quarter against Eastern Washington on eight carries, with TDs of 49 and 17 yards ... 195 yards, two touchdowns vs. Maryland ... 149 yards in first quarter with TDs of 38 and 37 yards vs. Terps ... gained 80 yards rushing and 35 receiving at East Carolina ... 185 yards, one score in win at Mississippi State ... 163 yards with a 52-yard TD run in Syracuse win ... 128 yards with a 56-yard TD run at Connecticut ... banged his funny bone in his left arm against Louisville and fumbled twice; missed a quarter of action before he regained full sensation in his grip ... gained 156 yards vs. the Cardinals with a 42-yard score and three catches for 74 yards ... 148 yards on 12 carries vs. Cincinnati, with two scores and a long TD of 65 yards ... first player in WVU history to gain 200 yards rushing and 100 receiving in same game with 215 on ground and 130 catching at Pitt; both career bests ... scored on catches of 67 and 11 yards and runs of 15 and 55 yards in the "Backyard Brawl" ... held to 43 yards vs. USF ... 112 yards with a pair of scores in triple-overtime Rutgers win ... limited in Gator Bowl because of a thigh bruise ... BIG EAST player of week: Marshall, Pitt ... BIG EAST honor roll: Maryland, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Rutgers ... offensive champion: Marshall, Mississippi State, Pitt ... received the 2006 Iron Mountaineer Award as the top performer in the winter workout program

2005: Emerged as WVU's lead tailback as a true freshman ... 2005 BIG EAST rookie of the year ... second team all-BIG EAST ... ECAC rookie of the year ... rushed for 1, 128 yards in 1O games, scoring 19 total touchdowns ... first team freshman All­America (Rivals), second team (The Sporting News, Collegefootballnews, Scout) ... ranks third in WVU all-time freshman rushing ... gained 42 yards in Wofford win and also had a 14-yard reception ... 90 yards on 11 carries against Virginia Tech, with a long gain of 44 and a pair of receptions ... first start came at Rutgers, where he rushed for 139 yards on 25 carries with an 11-yard TD ... also caught team-best three passes for 35 yards ... rushed for 188 yards and scored six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) in the 46-44 triple­
overtime win over Louisville; scored all three overtime TDs, on runs of two, 23 and one
yards ... 31 carries marked the first time a WVU player crossed the 30-carry plateau since Kay-Jay Harris carried 32 times for 142 yards in 2004 win over Maryland ... six touchdowns are the most scored by a WVU player in a single game, surpassing Ira Errett Rodgers (1919 vs. Marietta and Ohio Wesleyan), Woody Bruder (1924 vs. Bethany) and George Allen (1932 vs. Marquette) ... 36 points rank second behind Rodgers (37 points in 1919 vs. Marietta and Ohio Wesleyan) and set a Mountaineer Field record ... six TDs tied a BIG EAST record first set by Willis McGahee of Miami against Virginia Tech in 2002 ... only played one half vs. Connecticut before leaving with a hip pointer, gaining 71 yards with a TD ... 129 yards rushing with four TD in win at Cincinnati ... 179 yards on 34 carries against Pitt, scoring two rushing and a receiving TD ... touchdown and 86 yards rushing at USF ... Sugar Bowl MVP with a bowl record 204 yards rushing ... scored on runs of 52, 18 and 52 yards against Georgia ... Walter Camp, USA Today, Rivals.com national player of the week: Louisville ... BIG EAST player of week: Louisville ... BIG EAST honor roll: Rutgers, Cincinnati ... Coaches Contribution Award ... Offensive Champion: Virginia Tech, Louisville

Professional: Drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Houston Texans (2008) … played four years for the Texans (2008-11), one for the Miami Dolphins (2011) and finished his career with in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts (2014) … finished career with 1,896 rushing yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns … also had 99 catches for 809 yards and five touchdowns … since he retired in 2015, Slaton went to culinary school and worked for Houston chef Chris Shepherd at his restaurant Underbelly, helping to prepare nutritious meals for several Houston Texans players.

Prior to WVU: MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League and a four-year all-conference selection ... led Coach Kevin Kelly's squad to a 10-3 record, rushing for 1,836 yards and 26 TDs as a senior ... first team all-state as a junior and senior ... rushed for more than 6,000 career yards and 73 scores, setting five school records ... Courier, Trentonian and Daily News all-star ... Big 33 game ... also a track standout

Personal: birthday is January 4 ... son of Carl and Juanita Tiggett-Slaton ... one of five children ... an athletic coaching education major