Former Harvard Running Back Aaron Shampklin ’22 Makes NFL Debut

Aaron Shampklin ’22, a former Harvard football standout, had four carries for a total of 14 yards Sunday in his second NFL game as an active player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The game, which was against the Dallas Cowboys, came down to the wire, though the Cowboys ultimately prevailed after a last-minute touchdown that brought the score to 20-17.

Shampklin’s activation comes after two years of being on practice squads for the Dallas Cowboys, the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Chargers, and then the Steelers.

After being released by the Chargers last year, Shampklin took a job as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Long Beach, California.

The California native would practice in the mornings to continue his training and was eventually signed to the Steelers practice squad in January.

Shampklin played his first National Football League game against the Colts, but with running backs Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson out, Shampklin earned the opportunity to make his mark for the black and gold.

Though Shampklin is the only current Harvard alum to play as a running back in the NFL, he is one of five former Harvard players signed to teams this season — including San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk '13, who appeared in last year’s Super Bowl. Shampklin also adds his name to the list of Harvard players to see action in the pro’s, alongside iconic Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05.

In college, Shampklin was a key asset for the Crimson’s offense. He received unanimous All-Ivy League honors in his last year of play after averaging 92.78 yards rushing a game. Over his career, he tallied 2,251 yards for 23 touchdowns.

Shampklin continues to prove his football prowess for the Steelers, and will look to continue making his mark for the program this upcoming weekend against the Colts By Timothy R. O'Meara

After missing the 2019 season due to injury and the 2020 season due to Ivy League cancellation, Shampklin scored 12 touchdowns in only nine games in 2021 - good enough for 8th in the FCS. In five of those games, he recorded two touchdowns, including three games with over 100 rushing yards.

Despite only having 148 attempts on the ground, Shampklin ended the 2021 season with an impressive 835 yards, posting 5.6 yards per carry. In 2018, prior to his injury, he recorded 1053 rushing yards on 173 attempts while leading the Ivy League in both all-purpose yards and rushing yards. He became just the 11th Crimson player to surpass 1,000 yards in a single season.

The Steelers - who play against the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday - might continue to lean on Shampklin as Warren remains sidelined with a grade 1 PCL sprain and Patterson continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in a week four contest against the Indianapolis Colts.

—Staff writer Jo Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com.