Plaxico Burress facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Plaxico Burress

Burress with the New York Jets in 2011
No. 80, 17
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1977-08-12) August 12, 1977 (age 48) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:	Green Run (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
College:	Michigan State (1996–1999)
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Career history
As player:
Pittsburgh Steelers (2000) New York Giants (2005) New York Jets (2011) Pittsburgh Steelers (2012)
As coach:
Arizona Cardinals (2017) Coaching intern
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XLII) First-team All-Big Ten (1999) Second-team All-Big Ten (1998)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 553 Receiving yards: 8,499 Receiving touchdowns: 64
Player stats at PFR

Plaxico Antonio Burress (born August 12, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans.

The Pittsburgh Steelers chose him as the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Plaxico also played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. He caught the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII. In that game, the Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots.

About Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Burress was born in Norfolk, Virginia. His mother's name is Vicki Burress. He has two brothers. In July 2005, he married Tiffany Glenn. They have a son named Elijah and a daughter named Giovanna.

Plaxico finished Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1996. He then spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy. Today, he lives in Totowa, New Jersey. His son, Elijah, is also a talented football player. He plays at Notre Dame.

College Football Career

Plaxico Burress was a star player at Michigan State University. In his first season, he caught 65 passes. This set a new record for the Big Ten Conference. He was also good at blocking kicks on special teams.

He ranks fifth in career touchdown catches with 20. He is also eighth in receiving yards with 2,155. He achieved these numbers in just two seasons. In 1999, he was chosen for the All-Big Ten Conference first-team.

In 1999, Burress broke his own school record with 66 catches. He gained 1,142 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He also set a school record with 255 receiving yards in one game against the University of Michigan. He ended his college career with 13 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns. This was against the University of Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.

Playing in the NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers Years

Burress during an interview

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Plaxico Burress in 2000. He played for them for five years. During this time, he caught 261 passes for 4,164 yards. He also scored 22 touchdowns.

In his second season, 2001, he gained over 1,000 yards. His best season with the Steelers was in 2002. He caught 78 passes for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2002, he set a Steelers' record with 253 receiving yards in one game. This was against the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2004, the Steelers made it to the playoffs. Burress scored a touchdown in the AFC Championship game. However, the Steelers lost to the New England Patriots.

New York Giants Years

Burress at the Giants' Super Bowl champions parade in NYC

In 2005, Plaxico signed with the New York Giants. In his first season, he caught 76 passes for 1,214 yards. This helped the Giants win their division. In 2006, he scored a career-high ten touchdowns.

In 2007, Burress was the Giants' main receiver. He had 70 catches for 1,025 yards. He played a huge role in the Giants reaching Super Bowl XLII. In the NFC Championship game, he set a team playoff record. He had 11 catches for 154 yards.

Super Bowl XLII Victory

In Super Bowl XLII, Plaxico Burress caught the winning touchdown pass. This made the score 17–14. The Giants beat the New England Patriots, who had not lost a game all season. Before the game, Burress had even predicted the Giants would win!

Team Challenges

After the Super Bowl win, Burress had some issues with his contract. He felt he was not paid enough compared to other top receivers. He also missed some team practices. In September 2008, he was suspended for breaking team rules. He was also fined for other actions during games.

Burress with the Giants in 2008

In April 2009, the Giants released Burress. This happened because a legal issue was taking a long time to resolve.

New York Jets Years

Buress (17) with the Jets in 2011

On July 31, 2011, Burress signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets. In his first game back, he caught a touchdown pass. On October 23, 2011, he caught three touchdown passes in one game. This tied his career high.

Return to the Steelers

Burress rejoined the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 20, 2012. He helped the team after some other players got injured. On December 30, 2012, he caught a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger. This was his first touchdown from Roethlisberger since 2004.

He signed another one-year deal with the Steelers in March 2013. However, he suffered a shoulder injury in August. This injury kept him from playing in the 2013 season.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Postseason Stats

Coaching and Other Work

Coaching Career

In 2017, Plaxico Burress joined the Arizona Cardinals. He worked as a coaching intern for the team.

Other Ventures

Plaxico also co-wrote a book called Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl. It was published in 2008. The book is about his experience winning the Super Bowl.

He also appeared on the TV show Celebrity Wife Swap in 2014. Later that year, he started working as an NFL analyst for SportsNet New York's SportsNite.