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Amani Toomer
Date of birth: 8 September 1974
Birth Place: Berkeley, California, USA
NFL: One of the most consistent receivers in the NFL today and the best wide receiver in Giants history.Toomer holds franchise records with 7,113 receiving yards, 21 100-yard receiving games (plus 1 in the postseason) and at least 1 reception in 98 consecutive games in which he's played.He is 2nd on the Giants' career receptions list with 469, just 5 behind teammate Tiki Barber.His 37 touchdown catches are 4th in team history, behind Kyle Rote (48), Joe Morrison (47) and Frank Gifford (43).He has caught at least 50 passes and gained at least 700 yards receiving in 6 consecutive seasons, including 5 with at least 1,000 yards. No other Giant in history has more than three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons...From 1999-2002, he became the first receiver in team history to catch at least 70 passes in 4 consecutive seasons.Has the 3 highest single-season reception totals in team history: 82 in 2002, 79 in 1999 and 78 in 2000.Toomer missed the season finale with a pulled hamstring, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 127, dating back to the beginning of the 1997 season...Used primarily as a punt returner and 3rd and 4th wide receiver in his 1st 3 NFL seasons...Is 5th on the franchise's career list with 1,060 punt return yards on 109 returns.Has 3 career punt return touchdowns.Rookie season was cut short by a knee injury, but not before he returned 2 punts for touchdowns, including a team-record 87-yarder vs. Buffalo in the season-opener.
2004: Played in 15 games with 14 starts at split end.Led the team's wide receivers with 51 catches for 747 yards, the 6th consecutive season Toomer had more than 50 receptions and 700 yards...Finished the season with 7,113 receiving yards, extending his franchise record and becoming the first Giant in history with at least 7,000 yards. No one else in team history has as many as 6,000.Caught a pass in every game he played, extending his team record to 98 consecutive games with a reception.Did not catch a touchdown pass for the 1st time since his rookie year in 1996...Missed the season finale vs. Dallas (1/2) due to a hamstring injury, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 127...Had 2 receptions for 53 yards at Baltimore (12/12), including a 41-yarder in the 4th quarter that helped set up Tiki Barber's 1-yard touchdown run...Finished with 2 receptions for 59 yards at Washington (12/5), including a season-long 48-yarder in the 4th quarter...Finished with a season-high 8 catches for 100 yards at Arizona (11/14). It was his 21st 100-yard game of his career, extending his own team record...Did not start vs. Detroit (10/24) when Giants opened game in two-tight end alignment. Posted 2 catches for 50 yards.Had team-high 6 receptions for 66 yards at Dallas (10/10)...Recorded team-high 5 catches for season-high 126 yards vs. Cleveland (9/26). His 47-yard reception in the 1st quarter set up Barber's 8-yard touchdown run...Finished with team-high 6 receptions for 54 yards vs. Washington (9/19).
2003: Started all 16 games at split end and led the team with 1,057 receiving yards, the 5th consecutive season he set the pace in that category. He was 9th in the NFC in receiving yards.Finished 2nd on the team in receptions with 63 (Barber had 69) and touchdown catches with 5 (Ike Hilliard had 6).Became the Giants career receiving yardage leader with 6,366 and finished the season with 418 career catches, second in team history to Tiki Barber (422).Caught a pass in every game, extending his team record to 83 consecutive games with a reception.Finished with 5 receptions for 66 yards, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth consecutive season, at Dallas (12/21)...Recorded 3 receptions and finished with team-high 110 receiving yards and scored the Giants' only touchdown of the game on a season-long 77-yard reception vs. Buffalo (11/30)...Caught 6 passes for season-high 127 yards and a touchdown and surpassed Homer Jones with his team-record 18th career 100-yard receiving game, at Jets (11/2)...Finished with 4 receptions for a team-high 81 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown at Washington (9/21)...Recorded 7 pass receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown and set two team records and tied another vs. Dallas (9/15). His 1st catch gave him a reception in 69 consecutive games, a new franchise mark. He had shared the record with Hilliard. Toomer's game-long 40-yard catch late in the 2nd period boosted his career-receiving yardage total to 5,459, which surpassed Frank Gifford's former standard of 5,434 yards, which had stood since the end of the 1964 season. The 100-yard game was the 17th of his career, tying Jones' for the team record. Jones played for the Giants from 1964-69.
2002: Had the finest season by a wide receiver in Giants history.Set franchise records with 82 receptions for 1,343 yards and established a career-high with 8 touchdown catches.Broke his own record of 79 receptions, set in 1999, and Homer Jones' record of 1,209 yards, set in 1967.Toomer's 82 receptions placed him 6th in the NFC and his 1,343 yards placed him 2nd in the NFC and 3rd in the NFL.Had 5 100-yard games and 9 games with more than 90 yards.Played in all 16 games for the 6th consecutive season, starting all 16.Most prolific performance was at Indianapolis (12/22), where he had 10 catches for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns.Became the 1st Giants wide receiver to catch at least 10 passes in a regular season game since Del Shofner caught 11 against Washington on Oct. 28, 1962. Tight end Jeremy Shockey had 11 catches vs. the Redskins (11/17); Hilliard had 10 receptions in the 2000 NFC Championship Game. Toomer's 204 receiving yards vs. the Colts was the 3rd highest single-game total by any player in 2002 (Pittsburgh's Plaxico Burress had 253 yards against Atlanta and Denver's Shannon Sharpe had 214 yards at Kansas City - both of those games went into overtime). It was the 3rd-highest single-game receiving yardage total in Giants history, surpassed only by Shofner's 269 on Oct. 28, 1962 and Gene Roberts' 212 on Nov. 13, 1949. Toomer's 82-yard touchdown reception at Indianapolis was the longest play of his career and the 7th-longest play from scrimmage - and the 6th-longest pass - in Giants history.Had a team-high 8 receptions for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns in NFC Wild Card game at San Francisco (1/5).Led team with 6 catches for 99 yards vs. Dallas (12/15). Became the 2nd player in franchise history with 5,000 receiving yards; Frank Gifford was 1st with 5,434.Finished with 5 receptions for a team-high 104 yards vs. Tennessee (12/1)...Had 4 receptions for 100 yards, including a 49-yarder, vs. Seattle (9/22).Opened season with game-high totals of 9 receptions for 134 yards vs. San Francisco (9/5).
2001: Played in all 16 games for the 5th consecutive season, with 14 starts.Did not start vs. Dallas (11/4) and vs. Green Bay (1/6).Caught 72 passes, tying Tiki Barber for the team lead.Became the 1st Giants player to catch 70 passes in 3 consecutive seasons.Led the team with 1,054 receiving yards.Caught 5 touchdown passes, 1 behind team-leader Ike Hilliard.Had 2 100-yard games.Returned 8 punts for 41 yards.Caught 5 passes for 79 yards vs. Green Bay (1/6) before leaving the game in the 3rd quarter with a concussion. Game-long reception of 27 yards came in the 1st quarter and helped set up Kerry Collins-to-Hilliard 8-yard touchdown pass. The reception brought Toomer to two milestones. The catch was his 70th of the season, making him the 1st Giants receiver to reach that plateau in three consecutive seasons. The reception also put him over 1,000 yards for the 3rd consecutive season.Had 8 receptions for season-high 124 yards vs. Seattle (12/23). Toomer's game-long, 28-yard reception began the Giants 96-yard game-winning touchdown drive. Toomer (124) and Hilliard (105) each caught passes for more than 100 yards. It was the 3rd time Toomer and Hilliard exceeded the century mark in the same game.Caught the game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds remaining on a 4-yard pass from Collins vs. Arizona (12/15). .Had a season-high 9 receptions for 109 yards at Washington (10/28).
2000: Played in 16 regular season games with 14 starts and started all 3 postseason games.Caught 78 passes - 1 shy of the team record he set in 1999 - for 1,094 yards (a 14.0-yard average) and 7 touchdowns.Caught 1 touchdown pass in each of the last 3 regular season games.Twice matched his career high with 9 receptions in a game (vs. Philadelphia, 10/29 and vs. Pittsburgh, 12/10).Finished with 5 100-yard performances.Established then career-best with 193 receiving yards vs. Jacksonville (12/23).Had 5 rushing attempts for 91 yards, an 18.2-yard average, and 1 touchdown on the ground.Added 10 catches for 135 yards and a score in the playoffs.Caught 2 passes for 24 yards, including a 19-yarder, in Super Bowl XXXV vs. Baltimore (1/28).Caught 6 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in NFC Championship Game vs. Minnesota (1/14). Recorded his 1st career playoff touchdown when he caught a 7-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to give the Giants a 41-0 lead early in the 3rd quarter.Had 2 receptions for 23 yards in NFC Divisional Playoff vs. Philadelphia (1/7) before being forced to leave the game in the 4th quarter with a knee and ankle sprain. Due to injury to Tiki Barber he returned 5 punts for 34 yards.Finished with then career-high 193 receiving yards on 8 receptions vs. Jacksonville (12/23). His 193 yards were the most by a Giants receiver since Homer Jones had 196 on Oct. 1, 1967. Had 8 catches for 108 yards vs. Detroit (11/19), the 3rd time in 4 games he exceeded 100 yards.Had 6 catches for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns at Cleveland (11/5).Finished with 9 catches for 108 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown, vs. Philadelphia (10/29), the 1st 100-yard effort by a Giants receiver in 2000.
1999: Started all 16 games for the 1st time.His 79 receptions broke Earnest Gray's Giants single-season record of 78, set in 1983.Had 1,183 receiving yards to become the 1st Giants receiver to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Lionel Manual had 1,029 in 1988.The 1,183 yards was the 2nd-highest total in team history; Homer Jones had 1,209 receiving yards in 1967...Had a career-high 9 receptions twice: at St. Louis (12/19) and vs. Minnesota on (12/26).Caught a team-high 6 touchdown passes.Combined with Ike Hilliard to gain 2,179 receiving yards as they became the 1st Giants receiving duo to combine for over 2,100 yards in a season...Enjoyed huge game against the Jets (12/5) when he caught 6 passes for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. Had touchdown receptions of 9, 61, and 80 yards. Toomer's 181 receiving yards were the most by a Giants receiver since Jones caught 4 passes for 196 yards at Washington on Oct. 1, 1967. It was the 1st 3-touchdown game by a Giants receiver since Gray had 3 vs. Green Bay on Nov. 16, 1980. Toomer's 80-yard reception from Kerry Collins was the team's longest of the season and the Giants longest since Dec. 9, 1998 when Tiki Barber caught an 87-yard touchdown from Kent Graham. Toomer's other touchdown receptions were a 61-yarder in the 1st quarter and a 9-yard reception in the 3rd quarter. It was the 1st time the Giants had 2 touchdown passes of more than 60 yards in the same game by the same quarterback to receiver combination since Sept. 11, 1966 at Pittsburgh, where Earl Morrall and Homer Jones connected for scores of 98 and 75 yards. For the 2nd time in the season, Toomer was 1 of 2 Giants receivers to finish a game with over 100 receiving yards; Hilliard had 121 yards on 6 catches.Finished with 5 receptions for 105 yards vs. Washington (9/19) as both Giants starting wide receivers were able to surpass the 100-yard mark. Hilliard caught 8 passes for 114 yards. The Giants had last had 2 receivers over 100 yards receiving in a game on Nov. 15, 1987 at Philadelphia when Lionel Manuel had 6 catches for 105 yards and Mark Bavaro had 7 for 102...Had an 8-catch, 123-yard performance vs. Philadelphia (10/3). Three of his receptions were for at least 25 yards (38, 25, 32).
1998: Played in all 16 games as a reserve at wide receiver and as the Giants punt returner...Caught 27 passes for 360 yards and 5 touchdowns...Returned 25 punts for 252 yards...Also returned 4 kickoffs for 66 yards...Made the game-winning touchdown catch in the 3rd quarter in the season-opener vs. Washington (9/6) on a 22-yard reception from Danny Kanell.Had a season-long 39-yard punt return in the 4th quarter at Oakland (9/13)...Caught the game-winning 37-yard touchdown pass from Kent Graham with just 48 seconds left in the victory over previously undefeated Denver (12/13). Made an adjustment to get underneath Broncos cornerback Tito Paul before using his leaping ability to out-jump the defender for the ball.
1997: Played in all 16 regular season games and the postseason game. Returned 47 punts for 455 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown return at Detroit (10/19). Fielded a short punt in the 3rd quarter against the Lions and raced 53 yards in and out of traffic for a 17-10 Giants lead. Awarded a game ball by the coaching staff and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the NFL for his performance.Finished the season with 16 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown.Caught his 1st NFL touchdown pass on a 56-yarder from Danny Kanell in the 2nd quarter vs. Arizona (11/16).
1996: Played in 7 games with 1 start before suffering season-ending knee injury. Finished with 18 punt returns for 298 yards (16.6 avg.) and 2 touchdowns, joining David Meggett (1994) as the only Giants to finish a season with 2 punt returns for touchdowns in a season...Returned 11 kickoffs for 191 yards (17.4 avg.)...Caught 1 pass for 12 yards...In his 1st NFL game, Toomer scored on an 87-yard punt return vs. Buffalo (9/1), the longest punt return in Giants history. The previous team mark was an 83-yard return by Eddie Dove at Philadelphia on Sept. 29, 1963.Started at wide receiver at Dallas (9/8) in place of the injured Thomas Lewis (back). Stumbled on a pass route on the 1st play from scrimmage that ended in an interception by the Cowboys. Had 1 reception for 12 yards...Returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter vs. Philadelphia (10/13) to give the Giants a 10-6 lead....Injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee at the end of the 1st half at Washington (10/20). Played the rest of the game and attempted to go through Wednesday's practice prior to the Detroit game (10/27) before the extent of his injury was diagnosed...Underwent successful reconstructive surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Oct. 28...Placed on injured reserve on Oct. 31.
College: At conclusion of his collegiate career, ranked 2nd on Michigan's career lists with 143 receptions for 2,657 yards, topped only by Anthony Carter (161-3,076, 1979-82)...Caught 18 touchdown passes. All-America Dream Team selection by The Poor Man's Guide to the NFL Draft, All-Big 10 Conference 2nd-team choice following senior season in 1995...2nd on the team with 44 receptions for 758 yards (17.2 avg) and 7 touchdowns and gained 177 yards on 21 punt returns (8.4 avg) with a score and 204 yards on 11 kickoff returns (18.5 avg) as a senior...1st-team All-Big 10 Conference choice after he caught 54 passes for 1,096 yards (20.3 avg) and 6 touchdowns as a junior in 1994...Became only the 3rd receiver in school history to gain over 1,000 yards in a season, joining Jack Clancy (1,079 yards in 1966) and Desmond Howard (1,025 in 1990)...The 1,096 yards was the 3rd-highest single-season total in school history.His 20.3-yard average per catch ranks 7th on the Wolverines' season record list...Finished 2nd on the team with 29 receptions for 565 yards (19.5 avg) and 4 touchdowns as a sophomore in 1993.
Personal: Married (Dr. Yolanda Dabrowski).Was selected as the Giants 2003 Man of the Year for his charitable endeavors.Honored by the United Way of NYC for his community involvement during the 2002 season.In 2001, Toomer and his wife founded the Amani Toomer Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing the awareness of, and providing resources to after-school recreation programs in the New York metropolitan area.The mission of the foundation is to identify established after-school programs in these underserved communities and assist them in furthering their efforts.Through the foundation, they have constructed several new playgrounds in local under-served neighborhoods. For his efforts, Toomer was named by Ameriquest as their "Neighborhood MVP." In February of 2004, Amani and his wife joined the United Nations' World Food Program along with quarterback Kurt Warner, his wife Brenda, and Tony Richardson of the Kansas City Chiefs, traveling to the tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. During the 12-day trip, the group visited the most damaged areas, separating and delivering food rations to the affected people. Prior to departing, Toomer joined several teammates at the AmeriCares warehouse in Connecticut, where they packaged items to send for the tsunami relief effort and created a PSA that ran during the Super Bowl thanking the American public for their efforts towards the cause.Toomer participated in the Giants voter registration initiative by joining several of his teammates to open the Nasdaq Stock Market on Election Day as a national reminder to vote.He is also a regular participant in the Giants Foundation Golf Outing and the annual "Meet the Giants" event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of New York City.Toomer ran with fans in the inaugural Giants Draft Day 5K Race and served as emcee of the Giants 2004 Community Quarterback luncheon, honoring 10 local volunteers for their efforts in the community. Participated in the 2003 NFL Hometown Huddle in New York City, where the Giants, Jets and NFL donated $10,000 to create a computer center for the after-school program at Highbridge Recreation Center in Washington Heights, NYC.In 2003, Amani donated money to a kung fu program that went oversees to participate in a tournament.Amani funded the entire trip, which these children would never have been able to attend.Amani has also used his time in the past to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Newark YMCA, the Autism Coalition, Big BAM! Foundation.For his excellence on the field as well as his dedication to helping others, Amani was honored as the 2003 New York Giants "Walter Payton Man of the Year." He was also honored as the "2004 United Way Hometown Hero" by the United Way of New York City during their annual, "Gridiron Gala." In 2001, visited Stuyvesant High School, which is just a few blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan and spoke to the students about focusing on school and remaining positive after the attacks of September 11th.USA Today, The Sporting News, Parade and Super Prep All-American selection at De LaSalle (Concord, Cal.) High...Named Gatorade California Player of the Year...Western Region Player of the Year...Rated the top prospect in the West by Super Prep...California Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year as he caught 70 passes for 1,204 yards (17.2 avg) and 12 touchdowns while leading the team to a 12-1 record and a berth in the state Class 4-1 championship game as a senior...Returned 3 punts and 1 kickoff for touchdowns that year...Father, Donald, Sr., played football at Ohio State and is presently a Pac-10 Conference official...Brother, Donald, Jr., was a defensive back at Utah State (1990-94)...Born Amani (pronounced ah-MAH-NEE) Toomer on Sept. 8, 1974 in Berkeley, Calif.
Source www.giants.com
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