Cris Carter

Cris Carter

Cris Carter is a notable African-American sports figure as he formerly played football in the National Football League. The football teams he used to play for include Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. His most successful career years were with the Minnesota Vikings which made him a sports star.

Born on November 25, 1965, Graduel Christopher Darin Carter was raised in Troy, Ohio. He received his elementary education from Heywood Elementary and afterwards moved to Middletown, Ohio with his mother and siblings. There he attended Middletown High School, where he first began to play football and basketball. He was advised by a professional player that he would not make it as a famous player unless he changes his name. Following the advice, Graduel unofficially adopted the name Cris. Upon graduation, Carter received numerous offers from colleges for his remarkable athletic performance playing football and basketball. Eventually, he accepted the offer from Ohio State University. He became Ohio State’s first All-American at wide receiver after his junior season.

At first, Carter intended to play both football and basketball but later he shifted his focus to football solely. The decision was made in light of his recent spectacular performance when he set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions. Cris Carter possessed athletic grace and quickness that other players lacked. In the 1985 season he caught a ball that a quarterback intended to throw, at the Citrus Bowl. A fellow player commented on his quick move as being one of the greatest catch in the history of college football. Subsequently, it was found out that Carter had signed a contract with a shady sports agent, which resulted in his dismissal from the team. His absence, created a great void and his college lost several games.

After leaving college, he went on to play as a professional player for the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1988, he became more involved in offense, catching 39 passes for 761 yards. A year later he became the teams’ primary red zone receiver. However, he again made mistakes and had a falling out with the coach, thus he was kicked out of the team. Later Carter confessed that the reason that he was fired was his habit of substance abuse. He used to take ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana, but his former coach helped him turn over a new leaf and whom he felt immensely indebted to. Then he joined Minnesota Vikings as a wide receiver. In the first season he didn’t get as many passes coming his way but he made sure to exact revenge against his former team with catching six passes for 151 yards.

In 1991, he was declared one of the top catchers of Vikings and led the team with 72 receptions, 962 yards, and 5 touchdown catches. The following year, the team gained stellar reputation with an 11–5 record and capturing their first NFC Central Division. Cris Carter remained the team’s primary aerial weapon. Unfortunately, the final four games of the season were lost to Washington Redskins and Carter ended up with a broken collar bone. While playing with Vikings, Carter became a two-time First-team, one-time Second-team All-Pro. He left the team in 2001 and retired a year later after briefly playing for Miami Dolphins. After his retirement, he worked for television shows, such as Inside the NFL, Monday Night Countdown and Sunday NFL Countdown as an analyst.


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