Reginald Alfred Bush II (born March 2, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning consensus All-American honors twice and winning the 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush is widely regarded as one of the greatest college football players of all time.
He was selected by the New Orleans Saints second overall in the 2006 NFL draft. Bush was named an All-Pro punt returner in 2008 and helped the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. He also played for the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers before retiring from professional football in 2017. Bush later worked as a college football analyst for Fox Sports.
Allegations that he received improper benefits with USC in 2004 were central to an NCAA investigation of the USC football program that led to severe sanctions against the school, including a two-year postseason ban and the vacating of the 2004 national championship. Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman Trophy in 2010 during the scandal, but it was reinstated 14 years later during the NCAA rule changes.
Early life Bush was born in 1985 in Spring Valley in San Diego County, California, and named after his biological father, Reginald Sr. He was a running back at Helix High School in La Mesa, California. While at Helix, he played with 2004 Heisman Trophy finalist and first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft Alex Smith. During his prep career with the Helix Highlanders, he won the prestigious Silver Pigskin trophy awarded by KUSI's Prep Pigskin Report. Smith and Bush were later finalists for the 2004 Heisman, making it the first time a high school had two finalists at the same ceremony. He played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Bush was listed as the No. 1 running back in the nation in 2003.
Bush was also a track star at Helix, placing second (10.72) -1.7m in the 2002 CIF California State Meet 100 meters final and posting bests of 10.42 seconds in the 100 meters (both the fastest prep time in the state and among the nation's senior football players) and 21.06 seconds in the 200 meters (third fastest prep in California in 2002). Bush is still 3rd all-time on the 100m dash list for San Diego. He placed second in the boys' 50 meters, clocking at 5.85 at the 2003 Los Angeles Invitational Indoor Meet.
College career
USC Bush received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Southern California, where he played for the Trojans from 2003 to 2005 under head coach Pete Carroll. When Carroll recruited Bush he envisioned using him as a five-way threat.
2003 season The freshman quickly proved effective in carrying, catching, throwing, and returning the ball. Bush was a consensus first-team Freshman All-American selection in 2003, and became the first Trojan since Anthony Davis in 1974 to lead the Pacific-10 Conference in kickoff returns. His 1,331 all-purpose yards set a USC freshman record. The ESPN Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year also amassed 521 yards rushing that year, with three touchdowns on 91 carries.
2004 season University of Utah quarterback Alex Smith and Bush were both finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy, making it the first time a high school had two finalists at the same ceremony. In 2004, Bush finished fifth in the Heisman voting and was named the team's MVP. He 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 509 yards and seven scores on 43 receptions (11.8 avg). Bush 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.
2005 Heisman season In 2005, Bush had amassed 2,611 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns (15 rushing, two receiving, one punt return). He led the Trojans with 1,740 yards on 200 carries (8.7 avg) with 16 touchdowns and ranked third on the squad with 39 receptions for 481 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).
He led the nation with an average of 222.3 all-purpose yards per game and finished fourth in the NCAA Division I-A ranks with an average of 133.85 rushing yards per game. He set the Pac-10 record for all-purpose yards in a game, with 513 (294 rushing, 68 receiving, 151 return) against the Fresno State Bulldogs on November 19, 2005. Bush also became known for the "Bush Push," which occurred on a game-winning score against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
By the end of the season, Bush was a unanimous first-team All-American. He was also named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, the Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. Offensive Player of the Year, and the Touchdown Club of Columbus (Ohio) Player of the Year. In addition to the Walter Camp Award, Bush also won the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nation's best running back.
He was awarded the Heisman Trophy on December 10, 2005. He had 784 first-place votes while University of Texas Longhorns quarterback Vince Young finished second with 79 first-place votes, an overall edge in voting points of 2,541 to Young's 1,608. Teammate Matt Leinart came in third with 18 first-place votes. Bush had the second most first-place votes and the second-highest total points in the history of Heisman voting at that time, behind only O. J. Simpson's 855 in 1968. Bush became the 71st winner of the Heisman Trophy, and the seventh USC player to receive the award.
On January 4, 2006, Bush and Leinart became the first pair of Heisman Trophy winners to play together for the same team in a single game, against the Longhorns in the Rose Bowl. Bush amassed a total of 279 all-purpose yards (82 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards, 102 kickoff return yards) and one touchdown, but he was overshadowed in a losing effort by Heisman runner-up Vince Young and Bush's teammate LenDale White, who led USC in rushing with 123 yards and three touchdowns. Bush also attempted to lateral when he was tackled after a long run in the second quarter, but the lateral fell to the ground and was recovered by the Longhorns.
Legacy Bush started only 15 times in 39 games at USC. However, he finished tenth in NCAA Division I-A history with 6,541 all-purpose yards, racking up 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns on 433 carries (7.3 avg) and 1,301 yards with 13 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 pass attempts for a 52-yard touchdown.
In celebration of their stellar college football 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. Bush was featured on the cover of NCAA Football 2007, released on July 18, 2006. He would later be ranked No. 24 on ESPN's 25 Greatest Players in College Football list.
USC athletics scandal
NCAA investigation and sanctions (2006–2010) In 2006, reports surfaced raising questions about whether Bush's family received gifts in violation of NCAA policies. The school requested that the conference investigate the matter, and Bush denied any impropriety.
Sports agent Lloyd Lake sued Bush and his family in November 2007 in an effort to recoup $291,600 in cash and gifts. Lake also agreed to cooperate with the NCAA. In April 2009, the Los Angeles Times reported that the NCAA had merged its investigations of Bush and former USC basketball player O. J. Mayo into a single probe of the Trojans athletic programs. On December 28, 2009, it was announced that Bush had lost his bid for confidential arbitration in this matter and that the case would proceed to trial. The case was settled in April 2010.
On June 10, 2010, the NCAA announced major sanctions against USC. The NCAA found that Bush had received lavish gifts from Lake and his partner, Michael Michaels, from at least December 2004 onward, including a limousine ride to the 2005 Heisman Trophy presentation. As a result, USC was given four years of probation and forced to vacate its last two wins of the 2004 season – including the 2005 Orange Bowl – as well as all of its wins in the 2005 season. The Trojans were also banned from bowl games in 2010 and 2011 and lost 30 scholarships over three years. Running backs coach Todd McNair was banned from off-campus recruiting for one year after the NCAA determined he had known about Bush's dealings with the agents. McNair sued the NCAA for damages related to his dismissal and the NCAA lost. The judge in the case found the NCAA conducted the USC investigation and that of McNair with "malice". The NCAA also forced USC to disassociate itself from Bush for 10 years.
The NCAA determined that, given Bush's high-profile status, USC should have invested more effort in monitoring Bush's relationships. In announcing the penalties, NCAA infractions committee chairman Paul Dee said, "High-profile players merit high-profile enforcement."Mandel, Stewart. With harsh USC penalties, NCAA sends warning to all elite programs . Sports Illustrated, June 10, 2010.
Bush begins ten-year USC dissociation, vacates Heisman Trophy (2010–2020) On July 20, 2010, incoming USC president Max Nikias said the school would remove from its facilities all jerseys and murals displayed in Bush's honor, and would return the school's copy of Bush's Heisman Trophy. On August 12, USA Today reported that Bush had called USC's new athletic director, Pat Haden, and apologized for making poor decisions that led to the NCAA sanctions. However, in a subsequent report in the Los Angeles Times, Haden said the characterization of Bush's call as an "apology" was incorrect; Haden described it as "a conversation of him being contrite, but not an apology", and he also noted that Bush had not admitted to any specific wrongful acts.
Amidst reports that the Heisman Trophy Trust would strip his award, Bush in September voluntarily forfeited his title as the 2005 winner. The Heisman Trust decided to leave the award vacated with no new winner to be announced, although it is speculated by Bush and others that the NCAA offered the award to both Vince Young and Matt Leinart, something that Bush said Vince Young confirmed to him. The San Diego Hall of Champions sports museum returned the copy of the award it possessed back to Bush's parents in 2011. Bush eventually returned his trophy to the Heisman Trust in 2012.
USC would unsuccessfully attempt to prematurely end their disassociation with Bush on several occasions. On September 20, 2019, Bush would make his first appearance in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since sanctions began, as part of the Big Noon Kickoff crew to cover USC's game against the Utah Utes. Because his appearance in the stadium was for work-related purposes, the NCAA deemed it not in violation with the terms of the sanctions. Appearing alongside his old college teammate Leinart, Bush received a warm welcome by the USC fans, with the stadium chanting his name at several points throughout the game. In a May 2020 interview with The Athletic, Bush said the sanctions against USC due to his conduct was "one of the worst feelings in the world" and that the sanctions "felt like I died when I had to hear that there weren't gonna be scholarships for kids because of me or because of something connected to me... I'm still not over that. It's just something you learn to live with."
Heisman reinstatement campaign and success (2020–2024)