Nick Goings played college ball at both Ohio State (1996-’97) and Pitt (1999-’00).
A seldom used RB for the Buckeyes, Goings saw his best season as a Junior at Pitt, rushing for 469 yards and catching 14 passes.
He’d sign with the Carolina Panthers after the 2001 NFL Draft.
As the only UDFA to make the squad, he bode his time initially as a special teams player and occasional 3rd down back.
The Panthers OL at this time were a bunch of road maulers, and with injuries plaguing the RB corps in 2004- Nick stepped up.
Starting the last 7 contests of the year, he pounded out 821 yards on 217 carries, scoring 6 TDs, and catching 45 passes.
Although oft-seldom used the remainder of his career, Nick suffered a series of at least 4 concussions.
He’d retire after the 2008 campaign.
NOTES:
Nick Goings is partially responsible for one of the most improbable fantasy football championship runs I ever had.
The 2004 season, I was invited by my workplace mates to play fantasy football. I was having a rough season, but I scoured the waiver wire early and signed Nick to replace Chris Brown. He paid off and the rest was history.
At the end of the season I gutted my poor performing roster, after I backed into the playoffs. My league had their playoffs unusually late- so I gambled the best team in the league would have a bunch of stars who’d be sat, and I could gun for the players who’d be playing for next season’s pole positioning. It worked out insanely well for me. I upset the #1 seed and then dethroned the second seed in the championship to secure the win- thanks hugely in part to the contributions of Nick Goings.
I had been interested in writing him for sometime- since there was a duo card of him and Brad Hoover. Nobody had any luck with Nick in the last few years so I threw this up there and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed. He wrote me a very nice note and congratulated me on my victory.
