Randy Moss

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Randy Moss
Date of birth February 13, 1977
Place of birth Rand, West Virginia
Position(s) Wide Receiver
College Marshall
NFL Draft 1998 / Round One / Pick 21
Pro Bowls 5
Awards 1997 Fred Biletnikoff Award
Statistics
Team(s)
1998-2004
2005-		 Minnesota Vikings
Oakland Raiders

Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977 in Rand, West Virginia) is an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders NFL franchise. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, and played the first stage of his career in Minnesota before a trade in 2005 brought him to Oakland.

Contents

[edit] Family

His parents are Maxine Moss and Randy Pratt, although Moss does not have much contact with his father. He has a sister named Lutisia and a brother Eric, who had a short stint in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings. Moss has four children with his girlfriend, Libby Offutt (two daughters-Sydney and Senali, and two sons-Thaddeus and Montigo).

[edit] High school

At Dupont High School, a now-defunct institution in Belle, West Virginia (near Charleston), he lead his school to the state AAA football title (West Virginia's highest class), starred in basketball alongside friend and current Miami Heat point guard Jason Williams, and also won the state title in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. He played center field in baseball, which some argued was his best sport. He played wide receiver, safety, punter, place kicker, kick returner, and punt returner in football. He finished his high school football career with 109 catches, 2,435 receiving yards, and 44 receiving touchdowns, along with rushing the ball 75 times for 843 yards and nine touchdowns. He ended his basketball career at DuPont with 1,713 points scored. He was named the state's Athlete of the Year once in football and twice in basketball.

Along with his State Athlete of the Year awards, Moss was named to USA Today's All-USA high school football team in 1994, and was named to USA Today's 20th anniversary All-USA high school football team. [1]

[edit] College years

Moss' dream was to play for Notre Dame, but he also considered going to Ohio State, where his half-brother, Eric, had played offensive tackle.

According to Lou Holtz, Moss was the greatest high school athlete he had ever seen, boasting that "he was just a bigger Deion Sanders." [citation needed]

After originally signing a letter of intent to play college football with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 1995, Moss took part in a racially-charged fight at his high school that left one person hospitalized. He gave a plea of guilty to battery and received probation along with a 30-day suspended jail sentence. Notre Dame revoked his scholarship, but this setback did not stop another high profile college football program from giving him a chance. Notre Dame officials suggested Florida State due to the reputation of its coach, Bobby Bowden, for handling troubled players. However, because of his signed letter of intent at Notre Dame, the NCAA considered him a transfer student, which made him ineligible to play for the Seminoles in the 1995 football season. He was red-shirted in his freshman season. While at Florida State, it was claimed that Moss ran a 4.25 40-yard dash [2] while only Deion Sanders, with a 4.23 40-yard dash, has achieved higher.

In 1996, while serving his 30-day jail sentence in a work release program from 1995, Moss tested positive for smoking marijuana, violating his probation, and was let go by Florida State. He served 60 extra days in jail for the probation violation.

Ultimately, Moss transferred to Marshall University, about an hour's drive from his home. Because Marshall was then a Division I-AA school, NCAA rules allowed him to transfer there without losing any further eligibility. In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught by a freshman in a season (29), and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1709 on 78 catches), record which still stand. Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 484 total yards and a 34.6 yard average. Marshall went undefeated and won the Division I-AA title in its last season before moving to Division I-A.

In the 1997 season, Marshall's first in Division I-A, Moss and current New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington were the centerpiece of an explosive offense that led the Thundering Herd to the Mid-American Conference title. Moss caught 26 touchdown passes that season, at the time a Division I-A record, and was a first-team All-American. For the season, he had 96 receptions for 1820 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's leading wide receiver, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy (finishing fourth in the balloting, behind Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning, and Charles Woodson, who won the award).

[edit] NFL career

During the 1998 NFL Draft, Moss, who was projected as a high first-round pick, was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick.

[edit] Instant Impact

In 1998, Moss helped the Vikings to become the number one ranked offense that season while they set a record for total points by a team. They finished with a 15-1 winning record and were poised to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. However, the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Vikings by winning the NFC Championship Game 30-27 in overtime. At the end of the 1998 regular season, Moss was named a Pro Bowl starter and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for his rookie record 17 touchdown receptions and the third highest receiving yard (1,313) total of 1998.

In 1999, Moss had another impressive season, catching 80 passes for 1,413 yards and 11 touchdowns. He went on to record 5 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings 27-10 NFC wildcard playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota lost in the divisional round to the St. Louis Rams 49-37, despite Moss catching 9 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss was fined $40,000 during that game due to squirting an NFL referee with a water bottle.

[edit] Controversy

On September 24, 2002 in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Moss was driving and was preparing to do an illegal turn. A traffic control officer, noticing what he was about to do, stood in front of his car, ordering him to stop. Eyewitness accounts of the event differ at this point, but Moss didn't comply the officer's order, and she was bumped by his vehicle and fell to the ground. Moss was arrested, and a search of his vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana. Initially charged with Suspicion of Assault with a Deadly Weapon which is a felony and a misdemeanor marijuana possession, Moss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic violation, and was ordered to pay a $1,200 fine and perform 40-hours of community service.

Randy Moss was quoted in a Sports Illustrated article as saying the 1970 Marshall plane crash "was a tragedy, but it really wasn't nothing big." [3]

[edit] Final Years as a Viking

Moss's fortunes took a better turn on the football field during the 2003 regular season, where he became the first wide receiver in history to play more than 12 games (he played 16) while averaging over 100 yards and one touchdown per contest. He finished with 111 receptions for 1,632 yards and 17 touchdowns. All three of the numbers either tied or became a new personal best.

The Vikings finished the 2004 season with an 8-8 record, barely making the playoffs. During the last game of the regular season against the Washington Redskins, Moss was caught walking off the field and into the locker room with 2 seconds left on the clock. Critics criticized Moss for quitting on his team. [4]

On January 9, 2005, the Minnesota Vikings traveled to Green Bay to take on the heavily favored division rival Green Bay Packers, in an NFC wildcard playoff game. Moss was effective, finished the game with 4 catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdown in the 31-17 win. During his second score, Moss trotted to the middle of the end zone goalpost. Facing away from the crowd, he feigned pulling down his pants, and pretended to moon the Green Bay fans. Days later, the NFL fined him $10,000, finding it unsportsmanlike and offensive during the playoffs. However, Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, the former Vikings defensive coordinator, explained (if not completely defended) Moss' action by pointing out that Green Bay Packers fans are infamous for mooning the buses of departing opponents.[5]

According to ESPN, Moss was later caught on video being asked by a reporter if he had written the check to pay the fine, to which he responded, "When you're rich, you don't write checks!" The reporter followed up by asking Moss how he paid the fine. Moss responded, saying, "Straight cash, homey. What's 10 grand to me? Next time, I might just shake my dick at them!" [6]

Randy Moss made the Pro Bowl 5 times in his 7-year career with the Minnesota Vikings (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003).

[edit] Trade to the Raiders

On March 2, 2005, Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' 1st round (7th overall) and 7th round picks in the NFL draft. Adding a player of Moss's caliber generated a lot of optimism [7], but the Raiders have played poorly since acquiring him. Nagging injuries have limited his production, and Moss's own controversial remarks to the media have drawn more negative attention to himself.

In August 2005, during an interview with Bryant Gumbel, Moss admitted that he has smoked marijuana during his NFL career "every once in a blue moon." [8]

On November 14, 2006, Moss was honored for his success in college as a kick returner by having an award named after him, becoming only one of two black athletes (John Mackey) so honored. During the press conference, Moss responded to questions about his dropped passes and lackluster effort in several games, saying "Maybe because I'm unhappy and I'm not too much excited about what's going on, so, my concentration and focus level tend to go down sometimes when I'm in a bad mood." [9] Moss made similar comments during his tenure with the Vikings, when he infamously proclaimed, "I play when I want to play". [10]

Days later, he reiterated his unhappiness with losing games and being a member of the Raiders on his weekly segment with Fox Sports Radio, saying "I might want to look forward to moving somewhere else next year to have another start and really feel good about going out here and playing football." [11]

[edit] NFL records

  • Rookie record 17 TD catches
  • He is third only to Anquan Boldin and Bill Groman for most rookie receiving yards with 1,313.
  • Moss has caught 101 TD passes through 9 seasons, 5th most in NFL history. He trails Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, all of whom have played more seasons than Moss.
  • Has caught 13 or more TDs in a season 4 times. He trails only Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice in such seasons.
  • Is the only player next to Jerry Rice to catch 17 or more TDs in a season twice (Moss accomplished the feat in 1998 and 2003).
  • Moss has had 3 seasons where he averaged at least one receiving TD a game. 1998 (17 TDs in 16 games), 2003 (17 TDs in 16 games), and 2004 (13 TDs in 13 games). By doing so, he is the only wide receiver in NFL history to accomplish this task.
  • He had back to back 100 catch seasons, first in 2002 and then in 2003. He joined Sterling Sharpe, Jerry Rice, Herman Moore, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, and Rod Smith as the only receivers to do so.
  • At the end of the 2005 season, Moss is averaging approximately 12.25 receiving TDs per season, which is an NFL record.
  • Holds the record for most 1,000 yard seasons in his first seasons of the league. In his first 6 seasons in the NFL, he had 1,000+ yards in each seasons, setting an NFL record.
  • Moss is the only player in NFL history to average 100 yards and 1 TD per game through a 16 NFL game season.

[edit] Career notables

  • Is second on the Minnesota Vikings all time receiving TD list with 90. Cris Carter holds the record with 110 receiving scores.
  • Randy Moss caught his 100th touchdown in 2006 against San Francisco, and he is the 7th receiver to have 100 touchdowns or more.
  • Holds the record for most touchdowns in Minnesota Vikings playoff history(8)
  • 46 career 100 yard games - 5th all-time
  • Has a 16.0 YPC for his career
  • Has completed 4 of 8 passes for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, giving him a 95.8 passer rating.
  • Played on the 1998 Vikings team, which set an NFL record in total points scored with 556
  • Had a career-high 12 receptions for 204 yards against the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field, on November 14, 1999 in a 27-24 overtime win.
  • Holds the Viking record for most 100 yard receiving games with 42
  • Had a Pro Bowl record nine receptions for 212 yards in the 1999 season's Pro Bowl played on February 6, 2000. NFC won in a shootout, 51-31, marking the highest scoring output in Pro Bowl History.
  • Caught three touchdowns in five different games:

at Dallas (Nov. 26, 1998), a 46-36 victory; vs. Chicago (Dec. 6, 1998), a 48-22 victory; at Detroit (Oct. 1, 2000), a 31-24 victory; vs New York (November 19, 2001 ) a 28-16 victory. vs. San Francisco (Sep. 28, 2003), a 35-7 victory.

[edit] Trivia

  • Moss is a big fan of the Miami Heat, and is often present at the team's big playoff games. His favorite player is Shaquille O'Neal. He also went to the same high school (DuPont) as Heat point guard Jason Williams, where the two were teammates in football and basketball.
  • Sega Sports's NFL 2K, 2K1, and 2K2 all featured Moss on their cover.
  • Moss is the Vice President of Marketing for Inta Juice, a fruit smoothie chain of which he owns a franchise in Charleston, West Virginia.
  • Moss had his picture on the side of the #66 Best Buy/Inta Juice Chevrolet in a special paint scheme during the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for the juice company.
  • Randy wore number 18 with the Minnesota Vikings in his rookie season's training camp. Dennis Green, then the head coach of the Vikings, told Moss to switch to number 84. He is currently wearing number 18 with the Oakland Raiders because he says he had always wanted to wear it ever since he came into the league. Also, Jerry Porter had number 84.
  • Of the twenty players drafted ahead of Moss, seven are currently out of the league (as of 2006), including three of the top five picks. Ryan Leaf (2nd overall pick), Andre Wadsworth (3rd overall pick), Curtis Enis (5th overall pick), Kevin Dyson, Terry Fair, Jason Peters, and Anthony Simmons were all picked ahead of Moss and are no longer employed in the NFL.

[edit] NFL year by year statistics

Year Team G GS Rec Yards AVG TD Lg
1998 Min 16 11 69 1313 19.0 17 61
1999 Min 16 16 80 1413 17.7 11 67
2000 Min 16 16 77 1437 18.7 15 78
2001 Min 16 16 82 1233 15.0 10 73
2002 Min 16 16 106 1347 12.7 7 60
2003 Min 16 16 111 1632 14.7 17 72
2004 Min 13 13 49 767 15.7 13 82
2005 Oak 16 15 60 1005 16.8 8 79
2006 Oak 13 13 42 553 13.2 3 51
Total 138 132 676 10700 15.8 101 82

[edit] References

  1. ^ USA TODAY's 20th anniversary All-USA team
  2. ^ Moves, emotions have Moss causin' a commotion
  3. ^ Nate Ruffin became victims' voice
  4. ^ With Fanfare and Motorcycle Escort, Raiders Welcome Moss to Oakland
  5. ^ A mooning Moss is gathering some stones
  6. ^ Star implies he won't stop at pretend moon
  7. ^ Marriage between Moss and Raiders just won't work
  8. ^ Moss admits smoking marijuana since entering NFL
  9. ^ Unhappy returns: Moss in 'bad mood'
  10. ^ Moss just needs cheering up
  11. ^ Moss looking for a trade

[edit] External links

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