Career Summary
Harvey Unga became BYU's career leader with 3,455 rushing yards in three seasons, averaging 4.96 yards per carry while totaling 36 rushing touchdowns. He also added 1,085 yards as a receiver, averaging 10.64 yards per catch with nine receiving TDs. After redshirting the 2006 season due to injury, Unga became the first BYU freshman running back to surpass 1,000 rushing yards and set the Mountain West Conference freshman record with 1,227 rushing yards to earn 2007 Freshman All-America accolades. He recorded three-straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2007-2009 to become the second Cougar to reach the 3,000 yard career mark before rising to No. 1 on the all-time rushing rankings at BYU on Nov. 21, 2009 against Air Force in LaVell Edwards Stadium. In his 40 career games, the Doak Walker Award nominee recorded 45 touchdowns and received both conference and national recognition as one of BYU's most decorated running backs. He came to BYU after helping Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, to the 2004 State Championship. See the year summary, recognition and stats tabs for more details.
Professional
Selected as a seventh round pick of the supplemental draft by the Chicago Bears in 2010. After spending time with the Bears over several seasons, Unga later signed with the Carolina Panthers in preseason 2014 before concluding his playing career.
Personal
- Parents are Jackson and Theresa
- Father, Jackson, played running back for the Cougars in the early 80's
- Married to former BYU women's basketball player Keilani Moeki
- Son Jackson
- Recruited by Oregon, California, Boise State, UNLV, Utah, Colorado, Utah State, Arizona State, Air Force and Stanford
Before BYU
- Consensus all-state running back as a senior
- Helped lead Timpview HS to the 2004 State Championship
- Team offensive MVP as a junior and senior
- Rushed for over 1,300 yards as a senior
- Deseret News All-Region performer as a junior
Stats
| YEAR | GP | ATT | YDS | AVG/R | TD | LONG | AVG/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 1 | - | 3.0 |
| 2007 | 13 | 244 | 1,227 | 5.0 | 13 | 44 | 94.4 |
| 2008 | 13 | 240 | 1,132 | 4.7 | 11 | 40 | 87.1 |
| 2009 | 12 | 208 | 1,087 | 5.2 | 11 | 52 | 90.6 |
| TOTAL | 41 | 696 | 3,455 | 5.0 | 36 | 52 | 84.3 |
CAREER RUSHING HIGHS
CARRIES: 26 (AT SDSU; OCT. 17, 2009)
YARDS: 177 (AT UNLV; OCT. 13, 2007)
TD: 3 (THREE TIMES)
LONG: 52 (AT UNLV; OCT. 10, 2009)
| YEAR | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 44 | 655 | 14.9 | 4 | 53 |
| 2008 | 42 | 309 | 7.4 | 4 | 19 |
| 2009 | 16 | 121 | 7.6 | 1 | 28 |
| TOTAL | 102 | 1,085 | 10.6 | 9 | 53 |
BYU SEASON & CAREER RECORDS
Career rushing yards: 3,455 (2007-09)
Career rush attempts: 696 (2007-09)