Background and career
Jonathan Creon Stewart (born March 21, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning All-American honors. Stewart was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft with the 13th overall pick. He played 10 seasons with Carolina, making the 2016 Pro Bowl, before spending one season with the New York Giants. Following the 2018 season, Stewart signed a one-day contract with Carolina and retired as a Panther.
Stewart is the career leading rusher in Washington prep football history. At Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, from 2001 to 2004, he rushed for 7,755 yards and scored 105 touchdowns. In 2001, as a freshman, he rushed for 1,279 yards on 95 carries (13.5 avg.) and scored 15 touchdowns. In 2002, as a sophomore, despite an ankle injury causing him to miss almost half of the season, he rushed for 1,609 yards on 153 carries (10.5 avg.) and scored 14 touchdowns. As a junior, in 2003, he rushed for 2,566 yards on 285 carries (9.0 avg.) and scored 45 touchdowns. As a senior, in 2004, he rushed for 2,301 yards, averaging 11.2 yards per carry and scored 32 touchdowns. Against Centralia High School in 2002, Stewart rushed for 422 yards and scored nine touchdowns. After his senior season in 2004, among several other honors, Stewart was named to the Parade High School All-American team, the USA Today All-USA team, and was the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year.
In addition to football, Stewart was on the school's track & field team, where he competed mainly as a sprinter. He placed third in the 100 meters at the prelims of the 2003 3A District IV Championships, with a season-best time of 10.90 seconds. He ran a career-best time of 10.78 seconds in the 100 meters in 2005, that still stands as the school's fastest time ever. As a University of Oregon collegiate, Stewart competed in the 60-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 6.88 seconds at the 2007 MPSF Championships, where he placed fifth.
In a national recruiting battle, Stewart chose the University of Oregon over USC, Notre Dame, Nebraska, California, Ohio State, and other schools.
Stewart's true freshman season was highlighted by a pair of kickoff return touchdowns against Montana and Oregon State, which made him the program's first player to ever return more than one kickoff for a score. Stewart ended up leading the nation in kickoff return average (33.7 yards-per-return). Stewart finished his freshman campaign with nine total touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving, and two kickoff returns) despite touching the football only 72 times. His 54 points made him the team's third leading scorer. An ankle injury would force him to miss action in two games and render him less than 100% in others. At one point early in the season, Stewart had accounted for five touchdowns in his first 20 touches of the football.
Stewart finished his sophomore season as the team's leading rusher. He finished 19 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing despite missing some time due to lingering ankle injuries. He recorded five 100 yard games in the season and the Ducks were 5–0 in those games. Stewart also caught 20 passes for 144 yards including a touchdown and he again finished near the top nationally in kickoff returning (sixth in the country). In Oregon's controversial win against the Oklahoma, Stewart impressed, rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown. In the final regular season game against rival Oregon State, Stewart rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his sophomore season with 10 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
