tailback

[teyl-bak]

noun

Football.

1. the offensive back who lines up farthest behind the line of scrimmage, as in a single wingback or double wingback formation.

2. the position played by this back.

tailback

/ ˈteɪlˌbæk /

noun

1. a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction

Word History and Origins

Origin of tailback¹

First recorded in 1935–40; tail ¹ + back ¹

Example Sentences

With 72 of his rushing yards against the Dolphins coming before impact, the 5-foot-8 tailback had four carries for 10 yards or more.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Interim coach Terrence Whitehead, a former City player of the year for Crenshaw in 2001 and former Oregon Ducks tailback, took the reins of the offense and day-to-day operations of the program.

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Having won UCLA’s starting tailback job before the end of his freshman season and scoring a touchdown on his first preseason NFL carry, Foster said he also expects early success as a head coach.

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Our view of the Bears’ situation does not require much context or many sentences: Simply put, they managed to retain the one player they could not lose: tailback Jaydn Ott.

Read more on Seattle Times

From our corner of the college football galaxy, Ott stands as the best tailback on his side of the Rockies.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• fullback 
• halfback