Cris Carter Graduel Christopher Darin " Cris " Carter ( born November 25 , 1965 ) is a former American football and Hall of Fame player in the National Football League . He played wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles ( 1987 – 89 ) , the Minnesota Vikings ( 1990 – 2001 ) and the Miami Dolphins ( 2002 ) . After starting for the Ohio State University Buckeyes , Carter was drafted by the Eagles in the 4th round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft . While in Philadelphia , head coach Buddy Ryan helped to coin one of ESPN ' s Chris Berman ' s famous quotes about Carter : " All he does is catch touchdown passes . " He was let go by Ryan in 1989 , however , due to off - the - field issues . Carter was signed by the Vikings and turned his life and career around , becoming a two - time First - team , one - time Second - team All - Pro and playing in 8 straight Pro Bowls . When he left the Vikings after 2001 , he held most of the team career receiving records . He briefly played for the Dolphins in 2002 before retiring . Since retiring from the NFL , Carter has worked as an analyst on HBO ' s " Inside the NFL , " ESPN ' s " Sunday NFL Countdown " and " Monday Night Countdown " , and online at Yahoo Sports . He also works as an assistant coach at St . Thomas Aquinas High School , where his son played wide receiver . Carter resides in Boca Raton , Florida . He is the brother of former NBA player and coach Butch Carter . After six years , and five finalist selections , Carter was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2 , 2013 . Early years . Carter was born in Troy , Ohio . He spent his early childhood there before moving to Middletown , Ohio with his mother , 3 brothers , and two sisters . They lived in a small four - bedroom apartment . He attended Middletown High School and starred in both football and basketball . College career . Carter was heavily recruited out of high school for both basketball and football . He accepted the offer from Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce . Carter became a consensus All - America selection after his junior season , Ohio State ' s first All American at wide receiver . Carter had intended to play both football and basketball at Ohio State , but decided to focus on football after making an immediate impact his sophomore year . That year he set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions for 172 yards . Carter was known for great hands , running precise routes , and for acrobatic leaps . He had remarkable body control and footwork when making catches near the sidelines . At the Citrus Bowl at the end of the 1985 season , Carter caught a ball that quarterback Jim Karsatos was intending to throw away out of bounds as he was being tackled . Karsatos has claimed that catch by Carter was the greatest in the history of college football : " When I finally saw it on film , he was tiptoeing the sidelines and he jumped up and caught the ball left - handed by the point of the football at least a yard out of bounds . Then he somehow levitated back in bounds to get both his feet in bounds . I swear to this day he actually levitated to get back in bounds . When I saw it on film , it just blew me away . " Prior to Carter ' s senior season , he secretly signed with notorious sports agent Norby Walters . When the contract was discovered , Carter was ruled ineligible . The absence of Carter in the 1987 offense contributed to a disappointing 6 – 4 – 1 season and the firing of Coach Bruce . Despite losing his senior year , Carter left Ohio State holding the school record for receptions ( 168 ) . In 2000 , he was selected as a member of the Ohio State Football All - Century Team . In 2003 , he was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame . Professional career . Philadelphia Eagles . A 4th round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 supplemental draft , Carter saw limited action during his rookie season catching just 5 passes for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns . His first professional catch was a 22 - yard touchdown vs . the St . Louis Cardinals . Carter got more involved in the Eagles offense in 1988 catching 39 passes for 761 yards and tying for the team lead with 6 scoring receptions . In 1989 , he became the teams ' primary red zone receiver , leading the Eagles with 11 TD catches ( 3rd in the NFC ) while hauling in 45 passes for 605 yards . Shortly after , Carter had a falling out with coach Buddy Ryan and was a surprise cut following the pre - season . Carter later admitted that Ryan released him because of alcohol and drug abuse , including large amounts of ecstasy , cocaine and marijuana , and credits his former coach with helping him turn his life around as a result . Minnesota Vikings . The Minnesota Vikings claimed the troubled wide receiver off waivers on September 4 , 1990 . Stuck behind Hassan Jones and resident star receiver , Anthony Carter ( no relation ) , Carter didn ' t see very many passes come his way during his first season in Minnesota . He did gain a measure of revenge against his former team , however , catching six passes for 151 yards , including a 78 yard TD , in a " Monday Night " contest at Philadelphia on October 15 . Carter finished the 1990 campaign with 27 receptions for 413 yards and 3 TDs . In 1991 , Carter stepped forward as Minnesota ' s top pass catcher . He led the team with 72 receptions , 962 yards , and 5 TD catches . The winds of change were blowing in Minnesota ; after a second straight disappointing season head coach Jerry Burns retired . Stanford head coach Dennis Green was named as his replacement on January 10 , 1992 and began a house cleaning process . " The New Sheriff in Town " released stalwarts like RB Herschel Walker and QB Wade Wilson and traded DT Keith Millard to the Seattle Seahawks . The Vikings returned to NFL prominence in 1992 , posting an 11 – 5 record and capturing their first NFC Central Division title since 1989 . With Rich Gannon and Sean Salisbury playing musical chairs at QB , Carter remained the team ' s primary aerial weapon — leading the team with 53 receptions , 681 yards , and 6 TDs despite missing the final four games of the season with a broken collar bone . The Vikings season ended in disappointment , however , as the defending world champion Washington Redskins upended them 24 – 7 in the Wild Card round . In 1993 , veteran QB Jim McMahon acted as the team ' s primary signal caller and Carter had a breakout season . He posted career highs in receptions , 86 , and yards , 1 , 071 , while catching 9 TDs — all team highs , and appeared in his first Pro Bowl . The Vikings finished the season 9 – 7 , good enough for a playoff berth , but fell 17 – 10 to the New York Giants in the Wild Card round . Veteran quarterback Warren Moon was acquired before the 1994 season and immediately developed a rapport with Carter . The veteran helped Carter set the NFL single season record for receptions with 122 ( the record was broken in 1995 by Detroit ' s Herman Moore and then topped by the Colts ' Marvin Harrison in 2002 ) . Carter also led the team with 1256 yards and 7 receiving TDs , which earned him First - team All Pro honors . Moon and Carter carried the team to a 10 – 6 record and the NFC Central title , but couldn ' t stop the Vikings from a third straight first round playoff exit — a 35 – 18 home loss to the Chicago Bears . Carter teamed up with Moon in 1995 to post his finest statistical season . He caught 122 passes for a career high 1 , 371 yards and led the NFL with 17 TD receptions . Carter received Second - team All Pro honors for his efforts . The Vikings , however , finished 8 – 8 and missed the playoffs for the first time under Green . Midway through the 1996 season Brad Johnson took over at QB for the Vikings . Carter didn ' t miss a beat , catching 96 passes for 1 , 163 yards and 10 TDs . The Vikings returned to the playoffs with a 9 – 7 record , but were routed by the Dallas Cowboys 40 – 15 in the Wild Card round . Carter appeared in his fourth straight Pro Bowl following the season . Carter continued to be the focal point of the Vikings ' offense in 1997 . He was named to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl , leading the NFL with 13 TD receptions while pacing the team with 89 catches and 1069 yards Even though he had more impressive seasons statistically , 1997 may have been Carter ' s finest hour , as week after week he dazzled with one spectacular catch after another . With Randall Cunningham at QB ( he replaced the injured Johnson late in the season ) the Vikings finally broke through in the playoffs , defeating the Giants 23 – 22 in a last minute miracle comeback . The playoff success was fleeting , however , as the team fell to the San Francisco 49ers 38 – 22 the following week . In 1998 the Vikings drafted Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss with 21st pick in the first round . Suddenly , the Vikings possessed the NFL ' s most dangerous weapon . They cruised through the regular season , posting a 15 – 1 record while scoring a then - league record 556 points . Carter , who made the Pro Bowl for the fifth time , caught 78 passes for 1 , 011 yards and 12 TDs . Led by Moss , Carter , and Miller Lite Player of the Year Randall Cunningham , the Vikings entered the playoffs as heavy favorites to reach the Super Bowl . They easily defeated the Arizona Cardinals 41 – 21 in the Divisional Round , advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1987 . The Vikings entered that game as 13 and a half point favorites over the Atlanta Falcons , but lost in overtime 30 – 27 to become the biggest favorite to ever lose a home playoff game . Carter later said losing that game was the lone regret of his time in Minnesota . The following year , Carter had his finest individual season since 1995 — the First - team All Pro caught 90 passes for 1241 yards and an NFL - best 13 TDs . The Vikings easily defeated the Dallas Cowboys 27 – 10 in the Wild Card round and headed to St . Louis to face the NFL ' s new hottest offense . Minnesota led the eventual Super Bowl champions 17 – 14 at the half , but a second - half flurry led to a 49 – 37 Rams win . Carter finished the decade of the ' 90s with 835 receptions , second only to Jerry Rice ' s 860 , and was named to the NFL ' s All Decade team . In 2000 , led by Daunte Culpepper , the Vikings won the NFC Central division , and Carter finished the season with 96 receptions , 1274 yards , 9 TD , and an eighth Pro Bowl . On November 30 , Carter became only the second player in NFL history to reach the 1 , 000 reception plateau when he caught a 4 - yard touchdown pass against Detroit . In 2001 , the Vikings floundered with a record of 5 – 11 , their first losing season since 1990 . Carter ' s production dipped to its lowest point since 1992 ( mostly because of QB Spergon Wynn ' s ineffectiveness in the last three games ) — 73 catches , 871 yards , 6 TD — and his streak of eight straight Pro Bowls came to an end . Following the season , the longest - tenured Viking exercised an out clause in his contract that ended his career in Minnesota . Cris Carter left the Vikings as their all - time leader in , among other things , receptions 1 , 004 and receiving yards 12 , 383 , and touchdowns 110 . Miami Dolphins . Carter spent the spring of 2002 looking for a team . Although he talked with the Rams , Browns , and Dolphins , he was unable to complete a deal and joined HBO ' s Inside the NFL team as an analyst on May 21 . He served in that capacity until October 21 when the Miami Dolphins lured the veteran back onto the playing field to bolster their injury - riddled receiving corps . The Miami resident started in his first game as a Dolphin at Lambeau Field in Week 9 . Carter showed signs of rust , catching just 3 passes for 31 yards and fumbling once . During the week that followed , he checked into the hospital with a kidney ailment and was sidelined for the next four weeks . Carter returned in Week 14 , but struggled to get back into the Dolphins receiver rotation . In Week 15 , however , he caught a touchdown pass as the Dolphins beat the Raiders 23 – 17 . The following week against the Vikings , however , he made a key drop in the end zone that cost Miami a touchdown . The Dolphins wound up losing that game and then lost to the Patriots the following week , missing the playoffs . Following the season , Carter quietly retired . Legacy . At the time of his retirement , Carter ' s 1 , 101 career receptions and 130 touchdowns as a receiver placed him second in NFL history behind Jerry Rice , although his totals have since been surpassed by Marvin Harrison ( receptions ) and by Randy Moss and Terrell Owens ( touchdown receptions ) . He is one of eight players in NFL history with 1 , 000 or more receptions . He was named to the NFL 1990s All - Decade Team . Carter was one of fifteen finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2008 , but was not elected in a surprise to some commentators . Carter was once again excluded in 2009 and again in 2010 as receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown became eligible for the first time , though Brown did not make it . Additionally , Andre Reed was another possible candidate that diminished Carter ' s chance for enshrinement in 2010 . In 2011 , he also did not make it despite not having a single wide receiver in the class . NFL Network ' s " NFL ' s Top 10 " placed him atop the list of wide receivers with the best hands . On February 2 , 2013 Carter was announced as an inductee into the Hall of Fame Class of 2013 along with Bill Parcells , Larry Allen , Jonathan Ogden , Warren Sapp , Curley Culp and Dave Robinson . After football . Carter was one of the hosts of HBO ' s " Inside the NFL " and is an NFL Analyst for Yahoo Sports and ESPN . He is also a faculty member and assistant coach at St . Thomas Aquinas High School , where his son played wide receiver in 2008 . He is the owner of Cris Carter ' s FAST Program , a sports training center in South Florida , and is an ordained minister . He also appeared in the 2005 sports video game NFL Street 2 as a wide receiver for the NFL Gridiron Legends team along with former teammate , safety Joey Browner , and a few other historical NFL legends . He was a speaker at 2008 NFL rookie symposium and again at the 2009 NFL Rookie Symposium . Personal life . His son , Duron , played wide receiver at Ohio State in 2009 . He spent the following season at Coffeyville Community College before attending the University of Alabama in 2011 . Subsequently signed with Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent . However , he was not offered a contract . Now he is currently a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League .