Darnell Autry played running back for the Northwestern Wildcats from 1994 to 1996. During the 1995 season, Autry led Northwestern to a Big Ten Conference Championship and a berth in the 1996 Rose Bowl, where the Wildcats were defeated by USC. Darnell finished the 1995 season with 1,386 yards and 15 touchdowns, was named an All-American, and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Autry decided to leave Northwestern after his junior season to pursue a career in the NFL. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, but was released after the season. Autry spent some time out of the game and was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000. After just five games, Autry quit the Eagles and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.After his unsuccessful attempt of becoming an actor, Autry decided to move back to Evanston and completed his degree at Northwestern in August 2006. He now works in the athletic advisor's office and is planning on earning his Masters degree in communications. Autry's plans now include getting his license in commercial real estate and would eventually like to own and operate his own production company. Darnell is also working on a book detailing the ups and downs of his life experiences. He hopes to get his book published within the next couple of years.