Ki-Jana Carter

Infobox NFLretired


|width=
caption=
position=Running back
number=32, 23
birthdate=birth date and age|1973|9|12
Westerville, Ohio
deathdate=
debutyear=1995
finalyear=2004
draftyear=1995
draftround=1
draftpick=1
college=Penn State
teams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (1995-1999)
* Washington Redskins (2001)
* Green Bay Packers (2002) *
* New Orleans Saints (2003-2004):*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
stat1label=Rushing yards
stat1value=1,144
stat2label=Average
stat2value=3.6
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=20
nfl=CAR682168
highlights=
* 1995 Rose Bowl MVP

Kenneth Leonard Carter, also known as Ki-Jana, (pronEng|kee-JOHN-uh) (born September 12, 1973) is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played for the Cincinnati Bengals and later the Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints. His nickname, "Ki-Jana", is from a character in the movie "Shaft in Africa" and Carter has gone by that name since his birth. After being selected as the number one overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament on his third carry of his first preseason NFL game of his rookie year. Carter never fully recovered from the injury, which robbed him of his speed. Carter compiled 1,144 rushing yards in 10 seasons.

High school career

At Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio, Carter starred in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was an All-American selection.

College career

Carter was a standout player at Penn State along with a strong group of offensive players including future NFL starters Jeff Hartings, Joe Jurevicius, Kerry Collins, OJ McDuffie, Bobby Engram and Kyle Brady. Together this explosive offense propelled Penn State to a 12-0 undefeated season. At Penn State Carter wore the number 32, which previously was worn by running backs Curt Warner and Blair Thomas. Although he left Penn State after his junior year, he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs, having compiled 2,829 yards rushing on 341 attempts and scoring 38 touchdowns. His best single game came against Michigan State in 1994, when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored 5 touchdowns. Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State football team to an undefeated record and a berth in the Rose Bowl. He earned co-MVP honors during the Rose Bowl game, and his highlight from that game was an 83 yard touchdown run on the first offensive play of the game. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting for 1994.

Pro career

Carter tore a ligament in his knee on his third carry of his first preseason game of his rookie year, and never really recovered. He played on the Washington Redskins from 2001-2002 and the New Orleans Saints from 2003-2004 contributing as a part-timer. He only had 464 yards in a single season as his career best, becoming one of several standout running backs from Penn State (including Curtis Enis and Blair Thomas) to have subpar careers in the NFL.

Carter is generally considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. For example, in 2007 Yahoo! Sports named him the worst number-one pick since the AFL-NFL merger. [Robinson, Charles. [http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-worstfirstroundpicks042407 Worst all-time first-round picks] . Yahoo! Sports, 2007-04-24.]

Quotes

*"They [Oregon] had him -- "had him" -- they thought -- and then he was gone" --Keith Jackson after Ki-Jana Carter's 83 yard touchdown in the Rose Bowl vs. Oregon. "Source: [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1089 NFL.com-Ki-Jana Carter] "
*"He reminds me of Emmitt Smith, Penn State is the Dallas Cowboys and he is running past the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl"--Broadcaster Dan Fouts on Ki-Jana Carter during the Rose Bowl.

References

External links

* [http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6010 "Carter won't wallow"] Bengals.com, April 27, 2007