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Irving Fryar
refer to caption
Fryar in 2023
No. 80, 86
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1962-09-28) September 28, 1962 (age 62)
Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school: Rancocas Valley Regional (Mount Holly, New Jersey)
College: Nebraska (1981–1983)
NFL Draft: 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 851
Receiving yards: 12,785
Receiving touchdowns: 84
Player stats at PFR

Irving Dale Fryar Sr. (born September 28, 1962) is a former professional football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fryar played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was recognized as a unanimous All-American for his amazing skills.

He was the very first player chosen in the 1984 NFL draft. This made him only the second wide receiver ever to be picked first overall. Fryar played for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins. He was known for playing for a very long time. His best seasons happened when he was in his 30s, which is unusual for a wide receiver. He retired at age 39, holding several NFL records for receivers.

Early Life and High School Football

Irving Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. He played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School.

College Football Career

Fryar was a unanimous All-American at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1983. He played alongside other famous college players. These included Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier and Heisman finalist Turner Gill.

College Statistics: Catching and Running

Season Receiving Rushing
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 Football Journey

Irving Fryar was the second wide receiver ever picked first overall in the NFL draft. The New England Patriots chose him as their top pick in the 1984 NFL draft.

Playing for the Patriots

With the Patriots, Fryar was a successful receiver. He played alongside other great players like Stephen Starring and Stanley Morgan. He also returned punts for the team. After the 1985 season, Fryar was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. He then played in Super Bowl XX, where he scored the Patriots' only touchdown. The Patriots lost that game 46–10 to the Chicago Bears.

In 1991, Fryar had his first season with over 1,000 receiving yards.

Moving to Other Teams

In 1993, Fryar was traded to the Miami Dolphins. He quickly made a big impact there. He had two more seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards in 1993 and 1994. He also made the Pro Bowl both of those years.

After the 1995 season, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Eagles, he played in two more Pro Bowls in 1996 and 1997. After a short break from football in 1998, he signed with the Washington Redskins. He played his final two seasons there.

Fryar retired from the NFL in 2001. He played for 17 seasons in total. During his career, he caught 851 passes for 12,785 yards. He also scored 84 touchdowns from catches. He also scored one rushing touchdown and three punt return touchdowns. He gained a total of 15,594 all-purpose yards. Fryar played 255 games, which is the most for any player born in New Jersey.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular Season Performance

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1984 NWE 14 3 11 164 14.9 26 1
1985 NWE 16 14 39 670 17.2 56 7
1986 NWE 14 13 43 737 17.1 69 6
1987 NWE 12 12 31 467 15.1 40 5
1988 NWE 15 14 33 490 14.8 80 5
1989 NWE 11 5 29 537 18.5 52 3
1990 NWE 16 15 54 856 15.9 56 4
1991 NWE 16 15 68 1,014 14.9 56 3
1992 NWE 15 14 55 791 14.4 54 4
1993 MIA 16 16 64 1,010 15.8 65 5
1994 MIA 16 16 73 1,270 17.4 54 7
1995 MIA 16 16 62 910 14.7 67 8
1996 PHI 16 16 88 1,195 13.6 42 11
1997 PHI 16 16 86 1,316 15.3 72 6
1998 PHI 16 16 48 556 11.6 61 2
1999 WAS 16 1 26 254 9.8 30 2
2000 WAS 14 6 41 548 13.4 34 5
255 208 851 12,785 15.0 80 84

Playoff Game Statistics

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1985 NWE 3 2 4 71 17.8 39 1
1986 NWE 1 1 2 11 5.5 7 0
1994 MIA 2 2 11 141 12.8 24 1
1995 MIA 1 1 3 29 9.7 15 0
1996 PHI 1 1 5 62 12.4 20 0
1999 WAS 2 0 5 47 9.4 17 0
10 7 30 361 12.0 39 2

Family Life

Irving Fryar has four children. His son, Londen Fryar, also played football. Londen was signed by the New York Giants in 2009. He played college football at Western Michigan University.

NFL Records and Achievements

Irving Fryar holds several impressive NFL records:

  • He caught touchdowns from 19 different quarterbacks during his career.
  • He was the first player to score a touchdown in 17 straight seasons (1984–2000). This record was later broken by Jerry Rice.
  • He is the oldest player to score 4 touchdowns in a single game. He achieved this on October 20, 1996, when he was 34 years and 22 days old.
  • He has the third most receiving yards in one half of a game, with 211 yards in the second half on September 4, 1994.
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