Santana Moss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Santana Moss

Moss in 2018
No. 83, 89
Position:	Wide receiver Punt returner
Personal information
Born:	(1979-06-01) June 1, 1979 (age 46) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Miami Carol City (Miami Gardens, Florida)
College:	Miami (FL) (1997–2000)
NFL Draft:	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16
Career history
New York Jets (2001–2004) Washington Redskins (2005–2014)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Pro (2005) Pro Bowl (2005) Washington Commanders 90 Greatest Paul Warfield Trophy (2000) Consensus All-American (2000) Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2000) Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2000) First-team All-Big East (2000)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 732 Receiving yards: 10,283 Receiving touchdowns: 66 Return yards: 1,451 Return touchdowns: 3
Player stats at PFR

Santana Terrell Moss (born June 1, 1979) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Santana Moss played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was recognized as an All-American during his college career.

Moss was chosen by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played with the Jets for four seasons. After that, he joined the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders) and played there for 10 seasons. In 2005, Moss was named an All-Pro, which means he was one of the best players in his position that year.

Early Life and High School Football

Santana Moss was born in Miami, Florida. He went to Miami Carol City Senior High School. There, he played high school football for the Carol City Chiefs team.

In his final year of high school, he caught 25 passes for 600 yards. He also scored 12 touchdowns. He was very good at returning kickoffs, gaining 450 yards and scoring one touchdown. Because of his great performance, Moss earned third-team all-state honors in football.

College Football Career

Moss attended the University of Miami. He joined the Miami Hurricanes team in 1997. He started as a walk-on player, meaning he wasn't on scholarship at first. However, after just three games, he earned a full scholarship.

He became a star player for the Hurricanes. Santana Moss broke the school record for most receiving yards, which was previously held by Michael Irvin. He finished his senior year in 2000 with 1,604 total yards from different plays. He was named first-team All-Big East Conference. He was also recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Moss was the first player to win both the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year awards in the same season.

Santana Moss is considered one of the best wide receivers in the University of Miami's history. He holds school records for receiving yards (2,546), punt return yards (1,196), and total yards (4,394). He was featured in the documentary The U, which was about the Miami Hurricanes football program. In 2011, he was honored by being inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.

College Track and Field Achievements

Besides football, Santana Moss was also an excellent track athlete in high school. He was a two-time state champion in the triple jump. He also won a state title in the long jump during his junior year. He set a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 14.81 meters.

He continued his track career at the University of Miami. He was named the "Most Outstanding Field Performer" at the 2000 Big East Outdoor Track and Field championships. He won the triple jump event at the 2000 Big East Championships with his best jump of 15.50 meters.

Professional Football Career

Santana Moss was a top pick in the 2001 NFL draft. The New York Jets selected him as the 16th player overall.

Playing for the New York Jets (2001–2004)

Moss made his NFL debut in 2001. He played his first game in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins. His first career catch happened in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.

In the 2002 season, Moss started his first NFL game in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. During his time with the New York Jets, he played in 51 games. He gained 2,416 receiving yards and scored 19 touchdowns. He also had 127 rushing yards and 1,799 return yards.

Playing for the Washington Redskins (2005–2014)

After the 2004 season, Santana Moss was traded to the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders). He signed a six-year contract with the team in May 2005.

Moss with the Washington Redskins in 2006

Moss was known for making big plays. In his first season with the Redskins in 2005, he had an amazing start. In Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, he caught two touchdown passes in the final five minutes. These catches helped the Redskins win the game 14–13.

The 2005 season was his best professional year. He caught 84 passes for 1,483 yards, which was the second-highest in the NFL that year. He also scored nine touchdowns. This set a new record for the most receiving yards in a single season for the Redskins. In 2005, Moss was also chosen for his first and only NFL Pro Bowl, an all-star game for the best players.

In the 2006 season, Moss continued to make big plays. In one game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he caught two touchdowns and a 68-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime. He finished the 2006 season with 790 yards and 6 touchdowns.

For the 2007 season, Moss played in 14 games. He had 61 catches for 808 receiving yards and three touchdowns. In the 2008 season, he gained over 1,000 receiving yards for the third time in his career.

In 2009, Moss played in all 16 games. He had 70 catches for 902 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The 2010 season was the last year of his original contract with the Redskins. He had another great year, gaining 1,115 receiving yards. This was his fourth time reaching over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He also set a new personal best with 93 catches and scored six touchdowns.

In 2011, Moss signed a new three-year contract with the Redskins. He was named an offensive co-captain for the team. He played in 12 games, catching 46 passes for 584 yards and four touchdowns.

For the 2012 season, Moss's role changed a bit. He became more of a third-down slot receiver. He still made exciting plays, like a 77-yard touchdown catch against the Atlanta Falcons. He also caught a 61-yard touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles while being covered by two defenders.

In 2013, Moss reached a big milestone. After a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had over 10,000 career receiving yards. At that time, he was one of only seven active players to reach this achievement.

Moss re-signed with the Redskins for one more year in 2014. During a game against the Giants, he had a disagreement with officials after a play was overturned. He was removed from the game.

Retirement and Legacy

Santana Moss retired from professional football after the 2014 season. On September 1, 2022, he was honored by being included in Washington's Greatest Players list. This was part of the franchise's 90th anniversary celebration.

Throughout his NFL career, Santana Moss had a total of 10,283 receiving yards. He caught 732 passes and scored 66 touchdowns.

Santana Moss's NFL Career Statistics

Personal Life and Other Activities

Santana Moss has a family of athletes. His younger brother, Sinorice Moss, also played wide receiver in the NFL. Sinorice played for the New York Giants and won Super Bowl XLII with them. Santana is also the older cousin of former NFL cornerback Patrick Peterson. Another cousin, Zack Moss, is a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Santana Moss married Latosha Moss in 2008. They have four children together.

After his football career, Moss continued his education. In 2016, he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Miami Business School.

In March 2017, it was announced that Moss would become a color commentator for the Washington Valor. This is a team in the Arena Football League. He also announced a draft pick for the Commanders in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Images for kids

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  Moss making a catch in a 2006 game.