Aveion Cason

Aveion Cason

No. --
Running back / Kick returner
Personal information
Date of birth: July 12, 1979 (1979-07-12)
Place of birth: St. Petersburg, Florida
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Weight: 204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College: Illinois State
Undrafted in 2001
Debuted in 2001 for the St. Louis Rams
Career history
St. Louis Rams (2001) Kansas City Chiefs (2001)* Detroit Lions (2001–2002) Dallas Cowboys (2003) Arizona Cardinals (2004)* St. Louis Rams (2004–2005) Detroit Lions (2006–2008) Florida Tuskers (2010) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
N/A
Stats at NFL.com

Aveion Marquel Cason ( /ˈeɪvi.ɒn ˈkeɪsən/; born July 12, 1979 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is a former American football running back and kick returner who played in the NFL from 2001 - 2009. He was originally signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Illinois State.

Cason has also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Florida Tuskers.

Early years

Cason attended Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, and as a junior, he rushed for 980 yards and averaged nearly 38.0 yards per kickoff return. He did not play during his senior year after switching schools.

College career

Cason played two years of college ball at Illinois State University, but did not play in 2000. As a freshman in 1998, he rushed for 728 yards and eight touchdowns. In 1999 as a sophomore, Cason reached totals of 345 yards and six touchdowns, along with a 28.1-yard average on kickoff returns.

Professional career

As an undrafted rookie in 2001, Cason played five games for the Detroit Lions, rushing for 31 yards. In 2002 with a bigger role he rushed for 107 yards, and also returned two kicks with an average of 24.0 yards. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003 and played in ten games before injuring his knee. He had career highs of 220 yards and two touchdowns, and returned five kickoffs for an average of 16.2 yards. In 2004 he played for the St. Louis Rams as a kick returner. He returned 14 kicks for a 22.1-yard average. In 2005, Cason rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown. He did not return to the Rams following the 2005 season. He was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions in October, 2006. Due to an injury to Kevin Jones, he started his first game in a Week 16 loss vs the Chicago Bears and rushed for 31 yards on five carries. On September 1, 2007, Cason was released by the Detroit Lions. However, on September 12, 2007 the Detroit Lions re-signed him. Cason was on the Detroit Lions active roster as their kick returner on special teams, in place of former Detroit Lion Eddie Drummond, who had left for the Kansas City Chiefs.

After being a free agent in 2008, he decided to stay with the Lions and re-signed with them. Cason was released on September 4, 2009.