Amani Toomer facts for kids
Toomer in February 2005
|
|||||||||||
| No. 89, 81 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | September 8, 1974 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | De La Salle (Concord, California) | ||||||||||
| College: | Michigan (1992–1995) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1996 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Amani Askari Toomer (born September 8, 1974) is a former professional football player. He played his entire career as a wide receiver and punt returner for the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL).
Amani Toomer was a key player for the Giants. He gained over 1,000 receiving yards in five straight seasons from 1999 to 2003. He was also part of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XLII in 2008. Toomer holds several Giants team records. These include 9,497 receiving yards, 668 receptions, and 54 receiving touchdowns.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Amani Toomer was born in Berkeley, California, in 1974. His first name, "Amani," means "peace" in Swahili. His middle name, "Askari," means "soldier."
His father, Donald Toomer, played college football for Ohio State. Amani started playing Pee-Wee Football as a lineman. He also played receiver, kicker, punter, linebacker, and running back.
Toomer attended De La Salle High School in Concord, California. As a high school football player, he was recognized as a Parade All-American. He was also named a USA Today All-USA player.
College Football Career
Toomer played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1992 to 1995. In his first two years, he was mostly a backup receiver. He caught 16 passes in 1992 and 29 passes in 1993.
Breaking Records at Michigan
In 1994, Toomer had an amazing junior year. He set a new school record with 1,096 receiving yards. He was the leading receiver for the 1994 Wolverines. He averaged 20.3 yards per catch.
Toomer also returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown against Illinois. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. This award goes to the best wide receiver in college football. He was also named a first-team All-Big Ten player.
Senior Year and College Overview
In 1995, Toomer became a starter for the 1995 Michigan team. He finished his senior season with 44 catches for 758 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a career-long 75-yard touchdown catch against Minnesota.
Overall, in his four years at Michigan, Toomer had 124 catches for 2,144 yards. He also scored 12 receiving touchdowns. He finished his college career ranked second in Michigan history for receiving yards at the time. He also returned punts and kickoffs for Michigan.
Professional Football Journey
The New York Giants drafted Amani Toomer in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. He was the 34th player chosen overall.
Early Years as a Return Specialist
In his first three seasons (1996-1998) with the Giants, Toomer was mainly a punt and kickoff returner. In his very first NFL game in 1996, he set a Giants record. He returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.
He returned another punt for a touchdown that season. However, he then injured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and missed the rest of the year. Despite the injury, Toomer led the NFL in 1996 with an average of 16.1 yards per punt return.
In 1997, he played in all 16 games and returned 47 punts. He also caught his first touchdown pass. By 1998, he started getting more playing time as a receiver. He caught a game-winning touchdown pass against the undefeated Denver Broncos. Toomer later shared that he had been dealing with asthma, which affected his early performance. After getting treatment, his receiving career really took off.
Prime Years as a Wide Receiver (1999–2003)
From 1999 to 2003, Amani Toomer became a star wide receiver for the Giants.
- In 1999, he became a full-time starter. He broke the team record for catches in a season with 79. His 1,183 receiving yards were the second-highest in team history.
- In 2000, he had 78 catches for 1,094 yards and seven touchdowns. The Giants team reached Super Bowl XXXV.
- In 2001, he had his third straight year with over 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards.
- The 2002 season was his best. He set Giants single-season records with 82 catches and 1,343 receiving yards. He also scored a career-high eight touchdowns.
- In 2003, he had his fifth straight season with over 1,000 receiving yards. He broke Frank Gifford's club record for career receiving yards.
Later Seasons and Super Bowl Victory
In 2004, Toomer continued to be a reliable receiver. In 2005, with Eli Manning as the new quarterback, Toomer still started all 16 games. He had 60 catches and seven touchdowns. He made several important late-game touchdown catches that season.
The 2006 season started strong for Toomer. He had a career-high 12 catches in one game. However, his season ended after eight games due to a partially torn ACL in his left knee. The Giants' performance suffered without him.
Toomer returned from his injury for the 2007 season. He played in all 16 games. He broke Kyle Rote's club record for career touchdown catches. He also broke Tiki Barber's team record for career receptions.
The 2007 Giants made an incredible run through the playoffs. They won Super Bowl XLII against the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Toomer started all four playoff games. He had 21 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs. He had two touchdown catches in the upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. He also led the Giants with six catches in the Super Bowl.
Final Season and Career Achievements
The 2008 season was Toomer's last in the NFL. He played in all 16 games. He finished his NFL career having played in 190 games. He had 668 receptions for 9,497 yards and 54 touchdown catches.
Amani Toomer holds several Giants team records:
- Most Career Receptions: 668
- Most Career Receiving Yards: 9,497
- Most Career Receiving Touchdowns: 54
- Most Consecutive Games with a Reception: 94
- Most 100+ Yard Receiving Games: 23
- Most 1000+ Receiving Yard Seasons: 5
In 2010, Toomer was honored by being inducted into the New York Giants Ring of Honor.
Short Stint with Kansas City Chiefs
Toomer signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in August 2009. However, he was released before the regular season began.
Life After Football
After retiring from football, Amani Toomer has worked in media. In 2011, he joined MSG Varsity's coverage of "Friday Night Football." In 2012, he became a co-host for a talk show on NBC Sports Radio.
In 2020, Toomer, his wife, and their three children moved to Ebeltoft, Denmark. This move happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020 NFL season, he worked as a football expert for TV3 Sport in Denmark.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are Amani Toomer's statistics from his time in the NFL.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Returning | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1996 | NYG | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | 29 | 489 | 16.9 | 87 | 2 |
| 1997 | NYG | 16 | 0 | 16 | 263 | 16.4 | 56 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 47 | 455 | 9.7 | 53 | 1 |
| 1998 | NYG | 16 | 0 | 27 | 360 | 13.3 | 37 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 39 | 318 | 8.1 | 39 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 79 | 1,183 | 15.0 | 80 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYG | 16 | 14 | 78 | 1,094 | 14.0 | 54 | 7 | 5 | 91 | 18.2 | 28 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2001 | NYG | 16 | 14 | 72 | 1,054 | 14.6 | 60 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 41 | 5.1 | 15 | 0 |
| 2002 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 82 | 1,343 | 16.4 | 82 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2003 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 63 | 1,057 | 16.8 | 77 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2004 | NYG | 15 | 14 | 51 | 747 | 14.6 | 48 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | NYG | 16 | 15 | 60 | 684 | 11.4 | 37 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006 | NYG | 8 | 8 | 32 | 360 | 11.3 | 44 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | NYG | 16 | 15 | 59 | 760 | 12.9 | 40 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008 | NYG | 16 | 12 | 48 | 580 | 12.1 | 40 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Career | 190 | 141 | 668 | 9,497 | 14.2 | 82 | 54 | 12 | 110 | 9.2 | 28 | 1 | 124 | 1,317 | 10.6 | 87 | 3 | |
Postseason Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Returning | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1997 | NYG | 1 | 0 | Did not record any stats | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2000 | NYG | 3 | 3 | 10 | 135 | 13.5 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 17 | 0 |
| 2002 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 8 | 136 | 17.0 | 46 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | − | − | – | – |
| 2005 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 13 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | NYG | 4 | 4 | 21 | 280 | 13.3 | 52 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008 | NYG | 1 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 20 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Career | 11 | 9 | 44 | 608 | 13.8 | 52 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 45 | 5.6 | 17 | 0 | |
