Victor Cruz (American football)

Victor Cruz

refer to caption

Cruz in 2012
No. 80 New York Giants
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1986-11-11) November 11, 1986
Place of birth: Paterson, New Jersey
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school: Paterson (NJ) Catholic
College: Massachusetts
Undrafted: 2010
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2016
Receptions: 280
Receiving yards: 4,208
Touchdowns: 25
Player stats at NFL.com

Victor Michael Cruz (born November 11, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Massachusetts, and signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010.[1]

Early years

Cruz was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on November 11, 1986 to Blanca Cruz and Michael Walker, a firefighter. His mother is Puerto Rican, and his father was African-American. Cruz's father committed suicide in 2007.[2] Cruz attended Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson.[1] He completed a post-graduate semester at Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine. Cruz put up 47 catches for 883 yards and eight touchdowns in his single season at Bridgton Academy. At Paterson Catholic, Victor played wide receiver and defensive back for coach Andrew Slome, who he credits for his success.[3] He earned All-State honors as a senior in 2003, when the team went undefeated at 11–0 and captured the New Jersey Parochial Group I championship. That season Victor caught 42 passes and scored 19 touchdowns—15 on receptions.

College career

Cruz initially struggled to successfully combine his college studies with his football career, and was twice sent home from the University of Massachusetts for academic reasons. He only became eligible to play for the University of Massachusetts in 2007, but went on to have both a solid college football career and to complete a college degree.[4][5]

Cruz finished his career at University of Massachusetts with 131 catches ranking him fourth on the all-time UMass receptions list, despite the fact that he didn't start a game until his junior season.[1][6] He scored 11 touchdowns in his career and had just under 2,000 receiving yards. Cruz was named a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver for the years 2008 and 2009.

Professional career

2010 Massachusetts Pro Day

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
5 ft 11.5 in 206.0 lb31 in9.5 in 4.46 s 1.56 s 2.60 s 4.17 s 6.96 s 41.5 in 10 ft 5 in 16 reps
All values from Boston College's Pro Day.[7]

Cruz went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft and was signed the day after the draft by the New York Giants.

2010 season

In a preseason game against the New York Jets on August 16, 2010, Cruz helped the Giants win 31-16 by catching 6 passes for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns. He would finish the preseason leading the NFL with 297 receiving yards, tied for the preseason lead with 4 touchdown catches, and was selected to the Giants' 53-man regular season roster. Cruz was praised and highlighted by critics for his performance throughout the preseason. Cruz played in three games at the start of the season, before a hamstring injury placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the year.

2011 season

After the Giants lost Steve Smith to free agency, Cruz began the season as the team's fourth wide receiver, before injury to Domenik Hixon led to him receiving a larger role in the Giants win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Against a heavily favored Eagles team composed of monstrous free agency signings, Cruz made a huge impact. Most highlighted was a Cruz reception made between two defenders in which he took to the end zone for a touchdown. Cruz finished that game with 3 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, the first and second of his career.

On October 2, 2011 with the Giants trailing 27-24 to the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth quarter with under three minutes left to play, Cruz made a reception and went down without being touched at the Cardinals 29-yard line and released the ball as he got up. Believing that Cruz had fumbled since he was never touched, a Cardinal picked up the ball as if it was still alive. The play was whistled dead, but further replay after the game showed Cruz did appear to fumble. On the next play, Eli Manning threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks.

In a Week 5 36-25 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Cruz caught a one-handed 68-yard touchdown reception off a tipped pass. Later in the game, Cruz also lost a fumble, allowing Seattle to tie the game at 22 and with the Giants down 29-25 inside the 20, Cruz slipped on his route with the ball in the air and in an attempt to catch the ball, tipped it into the arms of Brandon Browner, who returned it 94 yards for the game clinching touchdown.

In Week 16, he tied the NFL record with an explosive 99-yard touchdown catch against the New York Jets. His 89 yards after the catch on the play is the most by a receiver on a 99-yard reception. This catch has constantly been highlighted as the turning point of the Giants 2011 season. In the same game Cruz also surpassed Amani Toomer as the record holder for the most single-season receiving yards by a Giant.

In Week 17, in a do-or-die game against the Dallas Cowboys for the final playoff slot in the NFC, Cruz had 6 receptions for 178 yards, including the game's first score with a 74-yard touchdown catch, as well as a 4th-quarter, 44-yard catch on third and 7 that put the Giants in position to make a field goal that put the Giants up by two scores. The Giants added another touchdown, a 4-yard pass from Eli Manning to Hakeem Nicks, setting a record of 15 4th-quarter TD passes in one season for Eli Manning and beat the Cowboys 31-14. Cruz was praised for terrific route running and decimating the Cowboys defense. Cruz finished the season with a single season franchise record 1,536 receiving yards on 82 receptions and 9 touchdowns. Cruz was named a Second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.[8]

Against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game, Cruz had 10 catches for 142 yards—all in the first half—as the Giants edged the 49ers, 20-17, in overtime to advance to Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants then advanced to winning the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots for another Super Bowl title.

Cruz has been popularly known for celebrating nearly every touchdown with a salsa dance. He has stated that it was in honor of his deceased grandmother who taught him how to dance salsa and loved touchdown dances.[9] The New York Daily News even had a dance instructor write about his technique.[10] Cruz's touchdown dance led to him receiving an offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars, which he turned down.[11]

2013 season

On June 14, 2013, Cruz signed his one-year, $2.879 million restricted free agent tender.[12] On July 8, 2013, Cruz signed a five-year, $45.879 million total, contract extension. This makes the total a 6-year deal, including the free agent tender.[13] Cruz suffered a heel bruise in August 18 preseason game. Unlike Center David Baas's injury, Victor Cruz's heel bruise was deemed minimal in nature.[14]

2014 season

On October 12, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cruz suffered a torn patellar tendon, prematurely ending his 2014 season.[15] In 6 games of 2014, Cruz produced 337 receiving yards and a touchdown.

2015 season

After a long rehab, Cruz gave an update informing the media he wasn't yet fully recovered but mostly there. Cruz returned to training camp in the summer of 2015, but unfortunately aggravated his calf. The aggravation of his calf further pushed back his return to originally week 5. From week 5 Cruz's return was pushed to play in Week 10 against the Patriots, but it was later announced that Cruz would undergo surgery on his left calf, and would miss the entire 2015 season.[16][17] On November 17, 2015, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve.[18] Since restructuring his contract, as of June 14, 2016 Cruz has begun mini camp with New York in preparation to his long awaited return.

2016 season

After two years of rehab, Cruz returned to NFL play on September 11, 2016, in the Giants opener against Dallas. That afternoon, he scored a game winning touchdown and celebrated with a salsa dance, his first in 2 years.[19] Despite his return, Cruz ended up getting fined $12,154 on September 17 for excessive celebration regarding dancing in the endzone with fellow wideout Odell Beckham, Jr. who also followed with the fine for the same reason.[20]

Career statistics

Season Team Games ReceivingRushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
Regular season
2010 New York Giants 3 0 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2011 New York Giants 16 7 82 1,536 18.7 99T 9 1 3 3.0 3 0 1 1
2012 New York Giants 16 16 86 1,092 12.7 80T 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2013 New York Giants 14 13 73 998 13.7 70T 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1
2014 New York Giants 6 6 23 337 14.6 61 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Total 55 41 264 3,963 15.0 99 24 1 3 3.0 3 0 2 2
Post season
2011 New York Giants 4 4 21 269 12.8 36 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 4 21 269 12.8 36 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

Cruz has a daughter, Kennedy, with Elaina Watley; they became engaged on the day of their daughter's baptism.[21] In the summer of 2010, Cruz founded the "Young Whales" clothing line with former teammate Nate Collins. Cruz and former teammate Osi Umenyiora were among the brand's original models.[22]

Following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, Cruz honored one of the victims, Jack Pinto, age 6. Pinto was a fan of Cruz, who wore a tribute on his shoes in the game against the Atlanta Falcons two days after the massacre. In permanent marker, one shoe read "R.I.P. Jack Pinto" and the other "Jack Pinto My Hero." [23][24] On December 19, 2012, he visited the Pinto family in Newtown, saying, "I felt like it was only right that I pay my respects to him and be as comforting to that family as much as I can." Cruz gave the cleats and gloves he wore in the Falcons' game to Pinto's brother, Ben.[25]

Cruz has been a resident of Lyndhurst, New Jersey.[26]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Idec, Keith (25 April 2010). "Paterson's Victor Cruz gets a chance with the Giants". The Record. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  2. ↑ Barker, Barbara (February 1, 2012). "Cruz will never forget his late father". Newsday. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ Idec, Keith. "Hackensack expected to name Benjie Wimberly", The Record (Bergen County), February 22, 2012. Accessed November 6, 2013.
  4. ↑ "UMass receiver Victor Cruz now runs the right patterns academically, as well as on the field". masslive.com. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Super Bowl 2012: The evolution of New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz". National Post. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Chase, Chris (17 August 2010). "Video: Undrafted rookie steals MNF show with one-handed catch". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "Victor Cruz - Massachusetts, WR : 2010 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "espn.go.com". ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Victor Cruz of New York Giants says salsa dance imitation would be an insult - ESPN New York". ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  10. ↑ victor Cruz Salsa New York Daily News January 2012
  11. ↑ Dyer, Kristian (Jan 8, 2012). "Victor Cruz won't dance with the stars; it's all for the Giants". Yahoo! Sports.
  12. ↑ Vacchiano, Ralph (June 14, 2013). "Victor Cruz signs his one-year, $2.879M tender with the NY giants, according to sources". New York Daily News.
  13. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (July 8, 2013). "Victor Cruz, New York Giants agree to $45.879M deal". NFL.com.
  14. ↑ "New York Giants' Victor Cruz Suffers Heel Bruise; Tom Coughlin Expresses Concern".
  15. ↑ Samuel, Ebenezer (October 12, 2014). "NY Giants WR Victor Cruz can recover from knee injury, but will likely never be the same, doctor says". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Victor Cruz to have season-ending surgery on calf". ESPN. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Victor Cruz announces his season is over". New York Post. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  18. ↑ Eisen, Michael (November 17, 2015). "Giants sign WR Hakeem Nicks". Giants.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Giants' Victor Cruz serves as star in his first game in 700 days". September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  20. ↑ Smith, Michael. "Cruz, Beckham fined for TD dancing". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Giants' Victor Cruz sees another highlight: becoming a new dad". NJ.com. January 11, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Victor Cruz Has Hot Clothing Line On His Hands". Yahoo Sports. February 1, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Some statement Week 15 wins, but playoff chase still a tangled mess". Sports Illustrated. December 17, 2012.
  24. ↑ Monkovic, Toni (December 17, 2012). "Victor Cruz Comforts Family of Shooting Victim". New York Times.
  25. ↑ "Victor Cruz, New York Giants wide receiver, recounts meeting family of Jack Pinto, shooting victim in Newton, Conn. - ESPN New York". ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Araton, Harvey. "United in Giants Lore and Shaped by Jersey Roots", The New York Times, January 7, 2012. Accessed May 16, 2016. "Whereas Tyree lives in suburban Wayne with his wife and six children, Cruz has moved to Lyndhurst, a short ride from work, to keep life and impending fatherhood in focus."
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