Cris Carter

Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

Carter played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft. While in Philadelphia, head coach Buddy Ryan helped to coin one of ESPN's Chris Berman's famous quotes about Carter: "All he does is catch touchdowns." He was let go by Ryan in 1989, however, due to off-the-field issues. Carter was signed by the Vikings and turned his life and career around, becoming a two-time first-team and one-time second-team All-Pro and playing in eight consecutive Pro Bowls. When he left the Vikings after 2001, he held most of the team career receiving records. He briefly played for the Dolphins in 2002 before retiring.

Since retiring from the NFL, Carter has worked on HBO's Inside the NFL, ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, and online at Yahoo Sports. He also works as an assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where his son played wide receiver. In 2017, Carter began co-hosting First Things First with Nick Wright on FS1. He was terminated from the show following a suspension and investigation in 2019. Carter resides in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the brother of former NBA player and coach Butch Carter.

After six years, and five finalist selections, Carter was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2013.

Carter was born in Troy, Ohio. For elementary school he went to Heywood Elementary in Troy, Ohio. He spent his early childhood there before moving to Middletown, Ohio, with his mother, three brothers, and two sisters. They lived in a small four-bedroom apartment. He attended Middletown High School and starred in both football and basketball.

Named after his grandfather, Graduel, Carter dropped his birth name and unofficially changed his name to Cris after wide receiver Cris Collinsworth (whom he idolized), stating that he would never be famous with the name Graduel. According to Carter on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" (on September 15, 2014), he dropped the name during 7th grade, and his name is still listed as Christopher on official documents, including his driver's license.

Carter was heavily recruited out of high school for both basketball and football. He accepted the offer to attend Ohio State University from Buckeyes head coach Earle Bruce. Carter became a consensus All-American selection after his junior season, Ohio State's first All American at wide receiver.

Carter had intended to play both football and basketball at Ohio State, but decided to focus on football after making an immediate impact his freshman year. That year, he set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions for 172 yards. In his junior season, he caught 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.