Ki - Jana Carter Kenneth Leonard " Ki - Jana " Carter ( ; born September 12 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for seven seasons . He played college football for Penn State University , and earned All - American honors . He was the No . 1 draft pick in the 1995 NFL Draft , and he played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals , Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints , but his career was cut short by an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) . Early years . Carter was born in Westerville , Ohio . His nickname , " Ki - Jana " , is from a character in the movie " Shaft in Africa " and he has gone by that name since his birth . At Westerville South High School , he starred in football , basketball , and track . In football , he was a 1991 " Parade " magazine high school All - American . College career . Carter attended Pennsylvania State University , where he was a standout player for coach Joe Paterno ' s Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1992 to 1994 , along with a strong group of offensive players including future NFL starters Jeff Hartings , Joe Jurevicius , Kerry Collins , OJ McDuffie , Bobby Engram and Kyle Brady . Together , this explosive offense propelled the 1994 Penn State team to a 12 - 0 undefeated season . At Penn State Carter wore the number 32 , which previously was worn by running back Blair Thomas . Despite playing only three seasons , he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs , having compiled 2 , 829 yards rushing on 395 attempts and scoring 34 touchdowns . His best single game came against the Michigan State Spartans in 1994 , when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored five touchdowns . Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State football team to an undefeated record and a berth in the Rose Bowl , was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American , and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting . He earned co - MVP honors in the Rose Bowl , rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries . He ran for an 83 - yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game , which is the third - longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history . Carter also added touchdown runs of 17 and three yards in the third quarter . The Rose Bowl was Carter ' s final game as a Nittany Lion , as he was encouraged by Paterno to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft . " This is the first time I have told anybody who has not graduated that I felt they ought to leave , " Paterno said . Professional career . The Cincinnati Bengals selected Carter with the first overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft , and he played for the Bengals from to . They acquired the first pick in a trade with the expansion Carolina Panthers . Carter signed a seven - year , $ 19 . 2 million deal which included a $ 7 . 125 million signing bonus , which at the time was an NFL record contract for a rookie . There were also incentive clauses such as making an extra $ 100 , 000 if he scored 12 touchdowns in a season . He played on the Washington Redskins from 2001 to 2002 , and the New Orleans Saints from 2003 to 2004 , contributing as a part - timer . In seven NFL seasons , he played in 59 games , started 14 of them , and compiled 1 , 144 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 319 attempts , and 66 receptions for 469 yards and a touchdown . In 2002 , Carter was cut by the Green Bay Packers when they trimmed their roster down to 65 players . Injuries . Often considered a " bust " by media given where he was drafted , Carter was seemingly beset with injuries from his rookie season on . Carter tore a ligament in his knee on his third carry of his first preseason game of his rookie year , and never fully recovered . He would miss the entire 1995 Season . In 1997 , he suffered a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder with fears that he would miss the entire season . In 1998 , he would again miss the entire season after breaking his left wrist in a game against the Tennessee Titans . In 1999 , yet again he would miss the entire season after dislocating his right kneecap in a game against the Carolina Panthers . Life after football . Carter is now an entrepreneur and sports blog ger at OPENSports . com . He founded Byoglobe , a sanitation technology company specializing in disinfection of MRSA - prone facilities , in 2008 . He serves as the Sunrise , Florida - based company ' s chief executive officer .