O . J . McDuffie Otis James McDuffie ( born December 2 , 1969 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eight seasons . He played college football for Penn State University , and earned All - American honors . A first - round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the NFL ' s Miami Dolphins . Early years . McDuffie was born in Marion , Ohio . He attended Hawken School in Gates Mills , Ohio , excelling in football , basketball , track and field and baseball . He set Hawken ' s record for all - purpose yards with 7 , 302 in his high school career . In 1986 , McDuffie returned an interception 108 yards , an unofficial Ohio state record . During his senior year in 1987 , he was named the A - AA Ohio Player of the year . For the 1987 high school football season , he scored 136 points ( 21 touchdowns ) ahead of future professional football players Desmond Howard and Robert Smith . His number 32 is retired at Hawken School and " The News - Herald " named McDuffie the number 3 player of the 20th century in Northeast Ohio . Memorabilia from McDuffie ' s days playing Marion Midget Football are featured in an exhibit entitled " A Passion to Play " at the Marion County Historical Society . College career . McDuffie attended Pennsylvania State University , and played for coach Joe Paterno ' s Penn State Nittany Lions football team . He wore the number 24 for the Nittany Lions . He set several single - season and career receiving records , as well as all - purpose yards records . His performance in Penn State ' s 1992 Fiesta Bowl victory over Tennessee on January 1 , 1992 garnered him the game ' s offensive MVP . McDuffie also played one season of varsity baseball in 1990 while at Penn State . He still holds the PSU record for stolen bases in a single game with 4 , and is in the top 10 for stolen bases in a single season . McDuffie was drafted by the then California Angels in the 41st round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft but did not sign . He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in labor and industrial relations from Penn State in 1992 . Professional career . The Miami Dolphins selected McDuffie in the first round ( 25th pick overall ) of the 1993 NFL Draft . He returned punts and was a reserve wide receiver before earning the starting spot for the Dolphins . During his formative years with the Dolphins , McDuffie became known as Dan Marino ' s favorite receiver . His 415 career catches are fourth all - time in Dolphins history . In 1998 , McDuffie caught 90 passes , leading the NFL in that category . He is the only Dolphin to achieve this feat . With the exception of Mark Clayton and Mark Duper , McDuffie caught more passes thrown by Dan Marino than any other Miami Dolphin . He played his entire career in Miami , retiring in 2000 because of a nagging toe injury . Nearly ten years later , McDuffie would win a Medical malpractice lawsuit related to that career - ending toe injury . On May 5 , 2010 , Miami - Dade County , Florida jurors ordered a former Dolphins team physician , Dr . John Uribe , to pay McDuffie $ 11 . 5 million in damages . The lawsuit alleged Uribe told McDuffie he was safe to continue playing football , despite MRIs showing damage to the tendons in his toe . On September 30 , 2010 , Judge Michael Genden of Miami - Dade County tossed out that verdict due to the improper use of a medical manual as evidence . The judge also ordered a new trial . Life after football . McDuffie was formerly a radio personality for WAXY , an AM sports radio station in South Florida and is now a sports blog ger at OPENSports . com . He is also the founder and chairman of the Catch 81 Foundation , an organization created to raise money for children ' s charitable causes in the South Florida metropolitan area . He was inducted into the Dolphins Walk of Fame on December 29 , 2013 .