Cris Carter’s Career
Wide Receiver
Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins
- Born: November 25, 1965 in Troy, Ohio
- 6’3”, 208 lbs
- College: Ohio State
- Wore number 80 & 88
- Philadelphia Eagles: 1987-1989
- Minnesota Vikings: 1990-2001
- Miami Dolphins: 2002
- Played in 234 games during 16 seasons (1987-2002)
Cris Carter’s Philadelphia Eagles Career – 1987-1989
- Coach: Buddy Ryan
- Quarterbacks: Randall Cunningham
- Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan: “All he does is catch touchdown passes.”
- Drafted in the fourth round (3rd overall) of the 1987 supplemental by the Philadelphia Eagles.
- His first professional catch was a 22 yard touchdown vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.
- In 1989, Carter led the Eagles with 11 touchdown receptions
- Cut by Buddy Ryan after the 1990 pre-season for off-the-field issues, which Carter later admitted to be drug use. Carter credited Ryan with helping to turn his life around.
Carter ends his stint with the Eagles with 89 receptions for 1,450 yards for a 16.3 yard average and scored 19 touchdowns.
$100 – The amount the Minnesota Vikings paid to claim Carter off waivers.
Cris Carter’s Minnesota Vikings Career – 1990-2001
- Coach: Jerry Burns: 1990-1991
- Quarterbacks: Rich Gannon and Wade Wilson
1990: Carter joins a receiving corps of Anthony Carter and Hassan Jones, and ends his first season in Minnesota with 27 receptions for 413 yards and 3 TDs.
1991: Carter becomes the Vikings leading receiver with 72 receptions, 962 yards for a 13.4 yard average and 5 touchdown catches.
- Coach: Dennis Green: 1992-2001
- Quarterbacks:
- Rich Gannon
- Sean Salisbury
- Jim McMahon
- Warren Moon
- Brad Johnson
- Randall Cunningham
- Jeff George
- Daunte Culpepper
- Todd Bouman
- Spergon Wynn
1992: Dennis Green is hired as head coach of the Vikings after Jerry Burns retires. Green releases quarterback Wade Wilson, brings in Sean Salisbury, who rotates with Rich Gannon. Despite this unstable quarterback situation and missing four games with a broken collarbone, Carter leads the Vikings receivers with 53 receptions, 681 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
1993: Carter makes his first Pro Bowl after posting career and team highs in receptions, 86, and yards, 1,071, while catching 9 touchdowns from his primary signal caller, former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.
1994: Carter set the NFL single season record for receptions with 122 catches from new Vikings quarterback Warren Moon. Carter leads the team with 1,256 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning First-team All Pro honors, another Pro Bowl berth, and the Bart Starr Man of the Year award.
1995: Carter and Moon team again to produce the best statistics of the receiver’s career, with 122 receptions for 1,371 yards and leads the NFL with 17 touchdown catches. Carter recorded four 12+ reception games. He earned Second-team All Pro honors and his third Pro Bowl selection.
1996: Warren Moon and Brad Johnson split duties at quarterback and Carter still hauls in 96 passes for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns on his way to his fourth Pro Bowl.
1997: Brad Johnson starts the first 13 games for the Vikings before an injury clears the path for backup and Carter’s former Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham to team again with Carter to finish the season and advance a round in the playoffs. Carter leads the team again with 89 catches for 1,069 yards and 13 touchdowns. Carter is selected for his 5th Pro Bowl.
1998: Dynamic rookie receiver Randy Moss joins Carter and Jake Reed to form the feared Three Deep receiving trio that powered an offense helmed by Cunningham that scored a then-league record 556 points on their way to a 15-1 record before losing the NFC Championship Game. Carter finished the ‘98 campaign with 78 receptions for 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning his sixth Pro Bowl berth and the “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year award,
1999: Quarterback Jeff George will replace Randall Cunningham after six games and Carter will go on to catch 90 balls between them for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns. Carter’s performance earns him another First-team All Pro selection, his seventh Pro Bowl selection, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Carter is named to the NFL All-Decade Team with with 835 receptions in the 1990s.
2000: Having been drafted in the first round the year before, Daunte Culpepper takes the reigns as the Vikings starting quarterback. Culpepper and Carter lead the Vikings to a Central Division title while Carter finishes with 96 receptions for 1,274 yards and 9 touchdowns on his way to his eighth Pro Bowl. Carter also wins the NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year award.
Carter becomes the second player in NFL history to catch 1,000 receptions on a 4-yard touchdown pass against Detroit on November 30.
2001: Daunte Culpepper lasts only 11 games in Dennis Green’s final season as head coach of the Vikings. Culpepper is relieved by Todd Bouman and then Spergon Wynn at quarterback, leading to Carter’s lowest production since 1992, with 73 catches for 871 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Carter ends his Vikings career as the team’s all-time leader in all-time leader in receptions with 1,004, receiving yards with 12,383 (12.3 yards per catch) and touchdowns with 110.
Cris Carter’s Miami Dolphins Career – 2002
- Coach: Dave Wannstedt
- Quarterbacks:
- Jay Fiedler
- Ray Lucas
2002: Carter finishes his career with the Miami Dolphins, joining the team at the bye week in October and catching eight passes for 66 yards and one touchdown.
Cris Carter’s Pro Football Career
Cris Carter finished his career as the second most prolific receiver behind Jerry Rice.
For his career, Carter had 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards (for a 12.6 yard average) and 130 touchdowns.
- Retired as second most prolific receiver behind Jerry Rice
- Most 1-yard touchdown receptions in NFL history with nine
- Recorded eight straight 1,000-yard seasons
- Caught 70-plus passes in 10 seasons
- Had 100-yard receiving games 42 times
- Played full 16-game seasons in 13 of his 16 years in the NFL
- Carter had 10 or more touchdowns in a season six times
- Led the NFL in receiving touchdowns three times (1995, 1997 & 1999)
- Led the Vikings in receptions for 10 straight seasons (1991-2000)
Sources
PHOTOS: Vikings.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cris_Carter
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CartCr00.htm
http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?playerId=271