Staley attended Brigham Young University, and played for the BYU Cougars football team from 1999 to 2001. In three years at BYU, Staley established himself as one of the best running backs in school history, and posted the best single season of any BYU back in history. In his first game as a Cougar, Staley scored three touchdowns to lead BYU to a 34−13 victory over Colorado State in the first-ever Mountain West Conference football game. Despite some nagging injuries that limited his playing time, he continued his impressive play, finishing the season with 92 rushes for 432 yards and 10 touchdowns, and added 26 receptions for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns. He led the MWC in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. For his efforts, Staley was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, and Sporting News third-team Freshman All-American. As a sophomore in 2000, Staley started 10 games and led the team with 479 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He added 28 receptions for 327 yards. In BYU's 10−7 victory over UNLV, Staley rushed for 167 yards and was named MWC Offensive Player of the Week. He also received awards from BYU's coaching staff for games against Air Force, UNLV, and Colorado State. In 2001, under new head coach Gary Crowton, the Cougars started the season with a 12-0 record and led the NCAA in scoring and total offense. In 11 games, Staley rushed for 1,582 yards and 24 touchdowns. His rushing average led the NCAA, and his 143.8 rushing yards per game ranked third nationally. Staley added 32 receptions for 334 yards and four touchdowns; he led the nation in total touchdowns and scoring. In recognition of his accomplishments, Staley received the Doak Walker Award, and the Jim Brown Award, both given annually to college football's top running back. He was also a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, CNN/SI, Football News, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Walter Camp Foundation.
Professional career
Staley decided to forgo his senior season at BYU and entered the 2002 NFL Draft. However, because of his injury-prone past, Staley was not selected until the seventh round by the Detroit Lions. He participated in Lions' training camp as a rookie, but suffered a knee injury that required a season-ending surgery. He attended training camp the following season but was waived on August 25, 2003.
Personal life
Staley lives in Draper, Utah with his wife Heather, and they have 2 sons. As of 2016, he has undergone 23 separate surgeries, as a result of the injuries he suffered playing football. In 2017, Staley's number #6 jersey was retired by BYU.
