Following his promising 2013 rookie campaign with the St. Louis Rams, former Vanderbilt star running back Zac Stacy was never able to recapture the magic from his first season in the NFL. After sitting out the 2016 season altogether, Stacy has announced his playing career is over.

In his NFL career, Stacy racked up 1,355 rushing yards to go along with nine scores on the ground. While Stacy’s mark on the pro ranks may have been short lived, he proved to be one of the best Commodores in recent school history. In his four years in Nashville, Stacy rushed for 3,143 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for an additional 415 receiving yards.

In this Instagram post, Stacy thanked every organization that helped him along the way during his college and professional career.

Would like to take this time to show appreciation to all those who have supported & were involved throughout my career. The game of football was more than a game to me. It was a life changer. Talk about a sport that teaches you the important values of faith, dedication, commitment, perseverance, work ethic , discipline and leadership which not only shaped me into a talented football player throughout the years but into a man. I am forever blessed & grateful for my many former coaches & teammates throughout the years, the resources & relationships that I’ve built playing this game, the platform & network that I’ve established playing this game & the numerous opportunities that I received on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays ( and the occasional Monday night) to do what I love to do.. and that’s to play the game of football. But in reality , as much as we want to as players, we can’t play this game forever. Father Time may have caught up to some. Some may have had a bad hand dealt in the business. Some had career ending injuries, like myself. Some simply felt like it was time. All different factors can play into why we leave this game but regardless of the reason, regardless of the circumstance, the game of football will always have my heart. Thanks Bibb County for playing me. Thanks Vanderbilt University for recruiting me. And last but not least I want to thank the National Football League, the former St Louis now Los Angeles Rams organization, the New York Jets organization for making my dream come true. It was an honor to represent both organizations on and off the field. When my mother asked me what what I wanted to do when I grow up, I told her I wanted to score a touchdown in the NFL. Think it’s safe to say that she along with the rest of my family are very proud of me. As I journey off into the next chapter in life , Whatever the Lord has in store for me, I’m very positive that I won’t have any problem succeeding in whatever I partake because of you FOOTBALL. For what you’ve taught me & what you’ve instilled in me. And for that, I am forever grateful. Much Love & Blessings Z Stacy 30

A post shared by Zac Stacy (@zstacy_) on