Amos Zereoué

Amos L. Zereoué (born October 8, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.

He owned and operated a restaurant in Manhattan, New York, called Zereoué. It has since closed.

Early life Zereoué was raised by a single father in Hempstead, New York; he lived in a group home called "Hope for Youth", in Bellmore, NY, during his high school years, owing to legal trouble in junior high school and the concerns of his father that the drugs and crime of the neighborhood he grew up in were undermining his ambition.

Zereoué attended Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore, New York, and was a letterman in football. He set Long Island records of 5,360 yards and 59 touchdowns at Mepham, earning Street & Smith All-America recognition. He was also the first two-time Thorpe Award winner in high school, which recognizes the best player in Nassau County, an honor that surpassed local icons such as Jim Brown and Matt Snell.

College career Freshman (1996) Zereoué was a late addition to the West Virginia roster in 1996, but made an immediate impact. On his first collegiate carry, he rushed the ball for a 69-yard touchdown against Pitt. Zereoué got good playing time in his five seasons in Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2003. His best season came in 2002, when he rushed for a career-high 762 yards and four touchdowns. Also in 2002, he caught a career-high 42 receptions for 341 yards. In his years in Pittsburgh, he rushed for 1,698 yards and seven touchdowns.

Zereoué also played for New York City amateur soccer club Central Park Rangers FC.