Irving Fryar
| No. 80, 86 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | September 28, 1962 |
| Place of birth: | Mount Holly Township, New Jersey |
| Career information | |
| College: | Nebraska |
| NFL draft: | 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 |
Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Career NFL statistics | |
| Receptions: | 851 |
| Receiving yards: | 12,785 |
| Touchdowns: | 84 |
|
Stats at NFL.com | |
Irving Dale Fryar, Sr. (born September 28, 1962) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. Fryar played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected with the first overall pick of the 1984 NFL Draft, becoming the first wide receiver to be taken number one overall, and played professionally for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins of the NFL.
Early years
Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School.[1]
College career
An All-American for the University of Nebraska in 1983, Fryar played alongside Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier (running back) and Heisman finalist Turner Gill (quarterback).
Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| 1981 | 3 | 70 | 23.1 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 4.3 | 1 |
| 1982 | 24 | 346 | 17.3 | 2 | 20 | 253 | 12.7 | 2 |
| 1983 | 40 | 780 | 19.5 | 8 | 23 | 318 | 13.8 | 2 |
| Totals | 67 | 1,196 | 17.9 | 11 | 52 | 615 | 11.8 | 5 |
Professional career
Fryar was the first wide receiver to be drafted first overall in the NFL Draft when the New England Patriots made him the top selection of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Fryar played in Super Bowl XX with the Patriots and scored their only touchdown in their 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. He played a total of 255 games in his career and made the Pro Bowl five times (1985, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997). He was one of the few marquee players on the dreadful 1990 team.
Fryar's career is particularly noteworthy for being more productive in the later stages then early on. Fryar had his first 1,000-yard season at age 29. He went on to achieve that mark four more times and was selected to four pro bowls after the age of 30.
Fryar retired from the NFL in 2001 after completing 17 NFL seasons. During that time, he caught 851 passes for 12,785 yards and 84 touchdowns, along with one rushing and three punt return touchdowns. He also gained 242 rushing yards, 2,055 yards returning punts, 505 yards on kickoff returns, and 7 fumble return yards, giving him 15,594 all-purpose yards.
Fryar's 255 played games are the most ever for a New Jersey born player.[2]
Personal
Off-field issues plagued Fryar throughout the early years of his NFL career. He was investigated by the NFL for gambling on his own games, but never charged. He also dealt with numerous criminal charges and civil suits on allegations of domestic violence, at one time pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault against his college girlfriend, Martha Florence. In 1990, he was arrested for unlawfully carrying a concealed handgun, though the charges were eventually dropped.[3]
Fryar's son, Londen Fryar, played cornerback for the New York Giants after a collegiate career at Western Michigan University.
In 2003, Fryar founded New Jerusalem House of God and serves as their pastor. They held their first service on Sunday, June 8, 2003 at The Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton, NJ where they held services for 1 year. From there, they moved to Joey's Catering in Burlington, NJ and held services there for 2 years. In April 2006, under the leadership of Pastor Fryar, New Jerusalem House of God acquired and moved into their own building located at 400 Washington Street in Mt. Holly, NJ where they continue to worship and serve the surrounding community.
Irving Fryar used his church to perpetrate a $690,000 mortgage fraud scheme. Irving Fryar falsified his mothers income on mortgage applications ,stating that she made thousands of dollars a month as an event coordinator for the church.[4]
On Oct. 16, 2013 Fryar was indicted, along with his mother, by New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman on charges they engaged in a sophisticated mortgage loan scheme to defraud five banks of $690,000 in home equity loans. If convicted, Fryar faces 5 to 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.[5]
On Oct. 14, 2014 Fryar rejected a plea deal, choosing rather to go to trial. Trial has been set for a later date.
NFL records
- Touchdown receptions from 19 different passers
- 1st player to record a touchdown reception in 17 consecutive seasons (1984–2000) - (broken by Jerry Rice who ended up with 20 consecutive seasons with a TD reception)
- Oldest player to score 4 touchdowns (all receptions) in a single game (10/20/1996) - 34 years, 22 days
- 2nd most receiving yards in a half - 211 (2nd half, Sept. 4, 1994) (Steve Largent had 224 in the 1st half against replacement players in 1987)
References
- ↑ Weinberg, David. "New Jersey native Fryar agrees to pact with Eagles", The Press of Atlantic City, March 20, 1996. Accessed February 28, 2011. "Fryar, who grew up in Mount Holly and starred at Rancocas Valley High School, became the second area native to sign with the Eagles during the offseason, joining Trenton's Troy Vincent."
- ↑ "The Newark Star Ledger". April 22, 2012.
- ↑ http://mmqb.si.com/2014/10/14/a-twist-in-irving-fryars-redemption-story/
- ↑ http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11330965/irving-fryar-mother-face-deadline-mortgage-fraud-case
- ↑ "Former NFL Star Irving Fryar Indicted in Home Equity Loan Scheme"
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • ESPN • Yahoo! Sports • SI.com • Pro-Football-Reference
- Irving Fryar at databasefootball.com
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