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 freshman 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.
Read more about this topic: Cris Carter
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