Rueben Mayes
COLLEGE: Washington State
POSITION: Running Back
BORN: June 6, 1963 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada
JOINED SAINTS: NFL draft: 1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 57
YEARS WITH SAINTS: 1986-1991
Rueben Mayes' Career Background
RB Rueben Mayes was enshrined in the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2004 after spending the majority of his six-year career with the Black and Gold. He is the first and only Canadian in the Hall.
After being selected in the third round (57th overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints out of Washington State, Mayes spent four seasons in New Orleans, appearing in 59 games with 41 starts and rushing 837 times for 3,484 yards with 23 touchdowns while adding on 57 receptions for 401 yards. His rookie campaign was electric, as he played in all 16 games and rushed 286 times for 1353 yards with eight touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 96 yards. His performance that year earned Mayes Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and PFWA All-Rookie honors, as well as his first selection to the Pro-Bowl. He was also selected to the Pro-Bowl the following season, where he managed to rush 243 times for 917 yards and five touchdowns while adding on 15 receptions for 68 yards despite missing four games due to injury. After the 1987 season, Mayes played two more years for the Saints before he was traded to the Seahawks, where he would spend two more years before retiring from professional football.
Mayes is the most successful Canadian born skilled player to play in the NFL and one of the only six Saskatchewan natives to make it to the NFL
Since retiring from professional football, Mayes has dedicated his time to helping at-risk youth. He has also returned to Washington State University as an administrator and fundraiser in the educational and medical fields after earning his MBA. Currently, Mayes serves as the Executive Director for Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Ore. He and his wife Marie, have two sons, Logan and Kellen.
Rueben Mayes' College Career
Prior to being drafted by the Saints, the North Battleford, Saskatchewan native attended Washington State, where he set single-season (1,632) and career (3,519) rushing records, and also established an NCAA record for single-game rushing yards with 257. As a testament to his elite college career, Mayes was a consensus All-American and finished tenth in Heisman Trophy Voting as a junior in 1984. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Rueben Mayes' Career Honors
Pro-Bowl – 1986, 1987
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year – 1986
PFWA All-Rookie Team – 1986
