Ki-Jana Carter facts for kids
| No. 32, 23 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 12, 1973 Westerville, Ohio, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Westerville South | ||||||||||||
| College: | Penn State (1992–1994) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter (born September 12, 1973) is an American former professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons.
He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. There, he was recognized as an All-American. He was also named the MVP of the 1995 Rose Bowl.
The Cincinnati Bengals picked Carter first overall in the 1995 NFL draft. However, he tore a ligament in his knee during his first preseason game. This injury, and others, affected the rest of his career. He played for the Bengals for five seasons, but injuries limited his time on the field. He then played in a smaller role for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints.
Contents
Early Life and Nickname
Ki-Jana Carter was born in Westerville, Ohio. His nickname, "Ki-Jana," comes from a character in the movie Shaft in Africa. He has been called by this name since he was born.
At Westerville South High School, he was a star athlete. He played football, basketball, and ran track. In football, he was named a high school All-American by Parade magazine in 1991.
College Football Career
Carter went to Pennsylvania State University. He was a top player for coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions football teams from 1992 to 1994. He played with many talented offensive players. These included future NFL stars like Jeff Hartings, Kerry Collins, and Kyle Brady.
This strong offense helped the 1994 Penn State team have a perfect 12–0 season. At Penn State, Carter wore the number 32. This number was also worn by famous running back Blair Thomas.
Even though he played only three seasons, Carter is still among the top ten Penn State running backs. He gained 2,829 rushing yards and scored 34 touchdowns. His best game was against the Michigan State Spartans in 1994. He rushed for 227 yards and scored five touchdowns in that game.
Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State team to an undefeated record. They earned a spot in the Rose Bowl. He was named a first-team All-American. He also finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
In the Rose Bowl, he shared the MVP award. He rushed for 156 yards and scored three touchdowns. He had an amazing 83-yard touchdown run on the very first play of the game. This is one of the longest runs in Rose Bowl history. It is also the longest run in Penn State bowl history.
The Rose Bowl was Carter's last game for Penn State. Coach Paterno encouraged him to leave college early for the NFL draft. Carter was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2014.
| Regular Season | Rushing | Receiving | Kickoff Returns | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | No | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 1992 | Penn State | 42 | 264 | 6.3 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 19.0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | Penn State | 155 | 1,026 | 6.6 | 63 | 7 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 71 | 23.7 | 0 | |
| 1994 | Penn State | 198 | 1,539 | 7.8 | 80 | 23 | 14 | 123 | 8.8 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 81 | 20.3 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 seasons | 395 | 2,829 | 7.2 | 80 | 34 | 20 | 172 | 8.6 | 32 | 0 | 11 | 228 | 20.7 | 0 | |
| Post Season | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowl Game | Opponent | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 1993 Blockbuster Bowl | Stanford | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 0 | |
| 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl | Tennessee | 19 | 93 | 4.9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 0 | |
| 1995 Rose Bowl | Oregon | 21 | 156 | 7.8 | 83t | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 3 Bowl Games | 43 | 256 | 6.0 | 83t | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
|||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
The Cincinnati Bengals chose Ki-Jana Carter as the first player picked in the 1995 NFL draft. His running style was compared to famous player Emmitt Smith. The Bengals got this top pick by trading with the new team, the Carolina Panthers.
Carter signed a seven-year contract worth $19.2 million. This included a $7.125 million signing bonus. At the time, this was a record contract for a rookie in the NFL.
He played for the Bengals from 1995 to 1999. In 2001, he played for the Washington Redskins. In 2002, the Green Bay Packers signed him, but he did not make their final team. He spent his last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 2003 to 2004.
In his seven NFL seasons, he played in 59 games. He started 14 of them. He gained 1,144 rushing yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He also had 66 catches for 469 yards and one touchdown.
Injuries During His Career
Ki-Jana Carter faced many injuries during his NFL career. In his very first preseason game as a rookie, he tore a ligament in his knee. This happened on only his third carry. He missed the entire 1995 season because of this injury.
In 1997, he hurt his left shoulder. In 1998, he missed the whole season after breaking his left wrist. In 1999, he again missed the entire season. This was because he dislocated his right kneecap during a game. These injuries made it hard for him to play consistently.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1996 | CIN | 16 | 4 | 91 | 264 | 2.9 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 169 | 7.7 | 20 | 1 |
| 1997 | CIN | 15 | 10 | 128 | 464 | 3.6 | 79 | 7 | 21 | 157 | 7.5 | 35 | 0 |
| 1998 | CIN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 4.2 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | CIN | 3 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 2.5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2001 | WAS | 14 | 0 | 63 | 308 | 4.9 | 30 | 3 | 13 | 83 | 6.4 | 15 | 0 |
| 2003 | NO | 8 | 0 | 19 | 72 | 3.8 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2004 | NO | 2 | 0 | 10 | 17 | 1.7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 59 | 14 | 319 | 1,144 | 3.6 | 79 | 20 | 66 | 469 | 7.1 | 35 | 1 | |
Life After Football
After his football career, Ki-Jana Carter became an entrepreneur. He also writes a sports blog at OPENSports.com. In 2008, he started his own company called Byoglobe. This company deals with print and promotional marketing materials. He is the chief executive officer of this company, which is based in Sunrise, Florida.
