Ki-Jana Carter
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter (kiːˈdʒɑːnə; 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. After never fully recovering, Carter compiled 1,144 rushing yards in ten seasons.
Carter is now an entrepreneur
and sports blog
ger at OPENSports.com. He founded Byoglobe, a sanitation technology company specializing in disinfection of MRSA
-prone facilities, in 2008. He serves as the Sunrise, Florida
-based company's chief executive officer
.
, Carter starred in football
, basketball
, and track. In football, he was a 1991 Parade All-America
n selection.
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 the 1994 Penn State team to a 12-0 undefeated season. At Penn State Carter wore the number 32, which previously was worn by running back Blair Thomas
. Despite playing only three seasons, he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs, having compiled 2,829 yards rushing on 395 attempts and scoring 34 touchdowns. His best single game came against Michigan State
in 1994, when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored five 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, rushing for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries. He ran for an 83 yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, which is the third longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history. Carter also added touchdown runs of 17 and 3 yards in the 3rd quarter. This would be Carter's final game as a Nittany Lion, as he was encouraged by head coach Joe Paterno
to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. "This is the first time I have told anybody who has not graduated that I felt they ought to leave," Paterno said. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy
voting for 1994.
selected Carter with the first overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft
. They acquired the pick in a trade with the expansion Carolina Panthers. He signed a 7 year, $19.2 million dollar deal which included a $7.125 million dollar signing bonus, which at the time was an NFL record contract for a rookie.
Carter tore a ligament in his knee on his third carry of his first preseason game of his rookie year, and never fully 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.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who played for the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and later the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. His nickname, "Ki-Jana", is from a character in the movie Shaft in Africa
Shaft in Africa
Shaft in Africa, released in 1973, is the third film in the blaxploitation trilogy of films that starred actor Richard Roundtree as John Shaft. John Guillermin directed and Stirling Silliphant did the screenplay. The cost went up to $2,142, 000, but the gross fell to $1,458,000...
and Carter has gone by that name since his birth. After being selected as the number one overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
on his third carry of his first preseason NFL game of his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
year. After never fully recovering, Carter compiled 1,144 rushing yards in ten seasons.
Carter is now an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and sports blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger at OPENSports.com. He founded Byoglobe, a sanitation technology company specializing in disinfection of MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is also called multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus...
-prone facilities, in 2008. He serves as the Sunrise, Florida
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
-based company's chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
.
Early years
At Westerville South High School in Westerville, OhioWesterville, Ohio
Westerville, once known as "The Dry Capital of the World", is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 35,318 at the 2000 census.-Early history:...
, Carter starred in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track. In football, he was a 1991 Parade All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n selection.
College career
Carter was a standout player at Penn StatePenn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
along with a strong group of offensive
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
players including future NFL starters
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
Jeff Hartings
Jeff Hartings
Jeffrey Alan Hartings is a former professional American football center who is best known for his six-season tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers.-High School Years:...
, Joe Jurevicius
Joe Jurevicius
Joseph Michael Jurevicius is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
, Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
, OJ McDuffie, Bobby Engram
Bobby Engram
Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and Kyle Brady
Kyle Brady
Kyle James Brady is a former professional American football player. He played tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. He was the Jets' first round draft choice in the 1995 NFL Draft...
. Together this explosive offense propelled the 1994 Penn State team to a 12-0 undefeated season. At Penn State Carter wore the number 32, which previously was worn by running back Blair Thomas
Blair Thomas
Blair Lamar Thomas is a former professional American football player and coach. He played running back for six seasons in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.-High school:Thomas was an all-state football player at Frankford High School...
. Despite playing only three seasons, he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs, having compiled 2,829 yards rushing on 395 attempts and scoring 34 touchdowns. His best single game came against Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
in 1994, when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored five touchdowns. Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State football team to an undefeated record and a berth in the Rose Bowl
1995 Rose Bowl
The 1995 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Monday January 2, 1995 because New Year's Day was on a Sunday. It was the 81st Rose Bowl Game. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Oregon Ducks 38–20. Ki-Jana Carter of Penn State and Danny O'Neil of Oregon both were named...
. He earned co-MVP honors during the Rose Bowl game, rushing for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries. He ran for an 83 yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, which is the third longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history. Carter also added touchdown runs of 17 and 3 yards in the 3rd quarter. This would be Carter's final game as a Nittany Lion, as he was encouraged by head coach Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. "This is the first time I have told anybody who has not graduated that I felt they ought to leave," Paterno said. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
voting for 1994.
Professional career
The Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
selected Carter with the first overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
. They acquired the pick in a trade with the expansion Carolina Panthers. He signed a 7 year, $19.2 million dollar deal which included a $7.125 million dollar signing bonus, which at the time was an NFL record contract for a rookie.
Carter tore a ligament in his knee on his third carry of his first preseason game of his rookie year, and never fully recovered. He played on the Washington Redskins from 2001–2002 and the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
from 2003-2004 contributing as a part-timer. He only had 464 yards in a single season as his career best.
External links
- "Carter won't wallow" Bengals.com, April 27, 2007
- Ki-Jana Carter blog entries, OPEN Sports Network
- Byoglobe website