SPRINGDALE — By his own admission, Darren McFadden isn't a very good public speaker.
Still, the former Arkansas all-American and current Dallas Cowboys running back gave it a shot Friday during Springdale High School's colors day assembly, sharing his childhood story of growing up in Little Rock.
The crowd of 2,000 students and teachers was much smaller than what he plays in front of on Sundays, but McFadden's heart rate soared while talking about being the 10th of 12 children, having older brothers involved in gangs and a mother that used drugs.
"I tell people every day, I can play in front of 70, 80 thousand people and not even blink an eye, but going out there and being in front of all those kids is just nerve-wracking," McFadden said afterward.
He encouraged the students to make good decisions and to look at him as someone who overcame many external distractions to have a successful career.
While his first seven seasons in the NFL fell short of the expectations that came with being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, McFadden's 2015 season exceeded those that came when he signed with the Cowboys during the offseason.
He appeared in all 16 games - just the second time he's played a full season - and rushed for 1,089 yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 239 carries, despite not becoming the starter until Week 8. He also caught 40 passes for 328 yards.
"It felt like a resurgence for me, just being able to go out there and run the way I did," McFadden said. "I know everything didn't go like we planned for it to go at the beginning of the season, but I was glad to be able to get out there and run the way I know I can and stay injury free."
It was only his second career 1,000-yard season, as he struggled to stay on the field during his time the Oakland Raiders. In his first six seasons, he missed 29 games with various injuries.
McFadden has avoided those setbacks the last two seasons, an accomplishment he said just comes with age.
"For me, I think it's the older you get, you learn how to take care of your body," McFadden said. "Whether it's eating right, doing the extra stretching, you just learn how to take care of your body."
When he signed with the Cowboys, many experts viewed the two-year contract full of incentives as a good deal. Dallas was essentially taking a flier on the former first-round pick.
It turned out to be a good investment and McFadden met one of the milestones: Be eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, he earned a $300,000 bonus.
Perhaps the only person that wasn't surprised with the performance was McFadden himself.
"Going into the season, my goal was to rush for 1,200 yards at least," McFadden said. "I didn't reach that goal, but going into the season, I was kind of down on the depth chart and I worked my way up. I was able to get the starting job and I ended up having a pretty good season."
McFadden said he also enjoyed watching Alex Collins put up big numbers at his alma mater this year.
The junior rushed for 1,577 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2015, finishing his career second behind McFadden in many of Arkansas' school records.
Although he has never met Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, McFadden said he believes the coach has the program heading in a positive direction, especially with his offensive style.
"As a running back, seeing that big of an offensive line in front of the backs they've had the last few years, I love the direction they're going," McFadden said. "I'm very excited about it."