Matthew Ladell Betts (born August 27, 1979 in Kansas
City, Kansas) is a American football running back in
the National Football League currently with the
Washington Redskins. He was picked in the second
round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of the University of
Iowa.
Ladell Betts grew up as an only child with a single
mother who worked two and three jobs to make ends
meet. He and his mother moved from Kansas City,
Kansas, to the suburb of Blue Springs when Betts was
a child, but he remained very close to his father
who has always been an active influence on Ladell
over the years. He attended Blue Springs High
School, where he would become a football star.
Betts, who was also a sprinter in high school,
gained 1,813 yards and had 34 touchdowns as a high
school junior. As a senior, he rushed for 2,183
yards and 32 touchdowns while playing most of the
season with a broken right hand. Betts, who led his
team to a 10-1 record, was named USA Today's
Missouri Player of the Year after earning first team
all-state and all-metro honors. He also earned the
Thomas Simone Award, which goes to the best high
school player in the Kansas City area, and was named
a Parade and SuperPrep All-American.
