Shane Vereen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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Shane Vereen went to his second Super Bowl with the Patriots and won his first ring. But he’s more than just one of the top running backs in the league.

The former-second round pick graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and comes from an athletic family. On October 26, 2014, he and brother Brock played against each other for the first time in the pros. It’s easy to see where their athleticism came from, with both parents being student athletes at the University Nevada, Las Vegas.

Here’s what you need to know about him:

1. Shane’s Brother, Brock, Plays for the Bears

Shane’s younger brother, Brock, is in his rookie season with the Bears as a safety. In Week 8 of the 2014 season, they played each other for the first time in the NFL. In the above video, Shane addresses playing against his brother for the first time. The Patriots took the game, 51-23.

In the video, Shane says he and Brock have never been on the field at the same time because of their age difference. Shane is three years older than Brock. In high school, when Shane was a senior and Brock a junior, they played on the same team, according to the Boston Globe. But, since Shane is on offense and Brock defense, they were never on the field together.

Their father, Henry, told the Globe he didn’t know what to expect.

It’s going to be double nervousness. This will be the first time they’ll both be out there, so I don’t know what my gut is going to be like. I’ll have to experience it. My wife is already asking for oxygen.

Shane is a graduate of California, and Brock graduated from Minnesota.

2. Vereen Graduated High School With a 4.0 GPA

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Vereen is from Valencia, California, and attended Valencia High School. According to his Patriots bio, he graduated from the school with a 4.0 GPA.

While at the school, he was on the varsity football team for three years, played basketball and ran track. He finished his football career with the team with over 6,000 yards and 89 touchdowns. In track, he was a top sprinter in his region, running the 60 meter in 6.94 seconds and the 100 meter in 10.66.

3. Vereen is Sixth on California’s Single Season, All-Purpose Yards List

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In 2009, Vereen had a total of 1,757, ranking sixth in Cal history for a single season, according to his Pats bio. Over his career, he started 19 of 38 games and had 556 carries for 2,834 yards (5.10 avg.) and 29 touchdowns. He also had 674 yards and six touchdowns on 74 receptions (9.11 avg.). In total, he had 4,069 all-purpose yards on 656 plays, averaging 107.08 yards per game.

4. Vereen’s Stats and Contract

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In four seasons with the Patriots, Vereen has 14 touchdowns — seven rushing and seven receiving — from 1,996 all-purpose yards.

In 2011, Vereen was signed to a four-year contract worth almost $4.5 million, according to RotoWorld. He will be a free agent in 2015.

5. Both of Vereen’s Parents Were Student-Athletes

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Both of Vereen’s parents attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where they were athletes. His mother, Venita Taylor-Vereen, played tennis, and father Henry was a wide receiver. In 1979, Henry was taken by the Buccaneers in the ninth round of the draft. While he didn’t play in the NFL, he had a successful career in the Canadian Football League, according to CBS Boston.