Tai Streets - College Career

College Career

Streets played college football and basketball at the University of Michigan. As a true freshman in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season, Streets only caught five passes for the 1995 Michigan Wolverines football team: he caught three in the 52–17 October 28 Little Brown Jug rivalry game victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and two in the 31–23 November 25 Michigan – Ohio State rivalry game with the Ohio State Buckeyes. All five athletes who had more receptions than him that season went on to play professional football (Mercury Hayes − 48, Amani Toomer – 44, Jay Riemersma – 41, Chris Howard – 14 and Jerame Tuman – 9). Hayes, Toomer and Riemersma, who accounted for 75 percent of the team's yardage, were all selected in the 1996 NFL Draft, leaving Streets as the leading returning wide receiver (Howard was a running back and Tuman was a tight end).

In 1996, Michigan dealt with a starting quarterback returning from a season-ending injury and a depleted receiving group: Scott Dreisbach had missed the final two-thirds of the season, leaving Brian Griese as the starter and freshman Tom Brady served as an understudy. Streets earned the starting wide receiver job and started in all twelve games. He led the 1996 Michigan Wolverines football team in receptions and reception yardage with 44 receptions for 730 yards. In the first game of the season against Illinois, Streets made the key block on Dreisbach's 72-yard touchdown run. Two weeks later he made key catches on both the game-tying and game-winning scoring drives against the Colorado Buffaloes. His best statistical performance came at home in Cook County, Illinois in front of a large gathering of friends and family against Northwestern when he recorded 12 receptions for 150 yards in an October 5 17–16 loss. This first appearance in the Chicago area would be his collegiate career-best in terms of single-game receptions. The 12 receptions was a school record, but it was overshadowed by a fumble that changed the momentum of the game. Streets caught two touchdown passes both in rivalry games: the opening score from Dreisbach in the 44–10 victory against Minnesota and the only touchdown in a 13–9 victory over Ohio State from Griese. In his sophomore year, after the football season ended with the January 1, 1997 Outback Bowl game, he joined the Michigan Wolverines basketball team in the last week of January and made his debut in a February 1, 1997 game against Michigan State. The team went on to win the 1997 National Invitation Tournament on March 27 that season, and Streets played a few minutes in four of the five games. However, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal the championship has been vacated. After the basketball season ended, Streets rejoined the football team for Spring practice, and he led all receivers with four receptions for 125 yards in the annual spring game on April 12.

According to his mother, during the summer prior to his 1997 junior year, Streets dedicated himself to weight training like he never had before in an effort to end a Rose Bowl draught that made the 1997 Wolverines the first since the 1969 team to have no Rose Bowl veterans. Although Streets and Russell Shaw were the starting receivers, it was understood that Charles Woodson, who was regarded as one of the most versatile athletes in college football, was expected to play on offense that season. However, it was not clear whether Dreisbach, Brady or Griese would quarterback the team. Griese was named starter shortly before the season opener. It was believed that a solid season by any of the quarterbacks could lead to a productive season by Streets and the receivers. Streets' first touchdown of the season was a 41-yard game-tying catch from Griese in a 21–14 September 27 victory in the rivalry game against Notre Dame. During the season, Streets dislocated both thumbs, with the second injury occurring in the November 1 Little Brown Jug game against Minnesota. Streets caught no passes against either Minnesota or Penn State the following week. His production drought was notable and he recovered on November 15 with five catches for 108 yards including a 38-yard touchdown from Griese on November 15 against Wisconsin. Although the injury-hampered Streets went without a catch in three of the last four regular season tames he caught touchdown passes of 53 and 58 yards and drew a key pass interference penalty in the 1998 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl performance was Streets' season-high with 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It helped solidify Michigan's case as the Bowl Alliance national champion.

In 1998, Streets' returned for his senior season with several experienced receivers including 1997 All-American tight end Tuman. The 1998 Michigan Wolverines football team entered the season with a quarterback battle between Brady, Driesbach and Drew Henson and wide receiver battle between David Terrell and Marquise Walker. In the season September 5 opening game loss against Notre Dame, Streets caught 8 passes for 101 yards in the first half and Marcus Knight accounted for 126 of Michigan's 322 passing yards from Brady and Henson. Streets had back-to-back 100 yard games in October: He posted 117 yards on eight receptions in the October 24 homecoming game against Indiana, and he had a career-high 192 yards against Minnesota on October 31. Against Ohio State, he caught Michigan's only touchdown in a 31–16 November 21 loss as part of a 9 catch and 118 yard effort. In the game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of the 1999 Florida Citrus Bowl victory over Arkansas, Streets caught a 15-yard completion on third-and-11 and the 8-yarder on fourth-and-2 on his way to a career-ending 7-catch 129-yard effort. Streets caught a fourth quarter touchdown pass and two-point conversion in the January 23, 1999 Senior Bowl, and he was on the January 24, 1999 Hula Bowl roster.

As a senior, Streets totalled 1035 yards and 11 touchdowns on 76 receptions, and he was named team Most Valuable Player for the 1998 season. Streets was voted to the All-Big Ten Second Team in 1998. Streets remains second to Jack Clancy on the all-time Michigan single game receptions yardage list with 192. Streets led the Michigan receivers statistically for three consecutive years from 1996 – 1998 (Yards 1996–1998, Receptions 1996 & 1998, Receiving touchdowns 1997–1998). Streets finished his career at Michigan with 2284 yards and 19 touchdowns on 144 receptions.

At the March NFL Combine, Streets ran the third fastest 40-yard dash in a time of 4.42 seconds. Streets was regarded as between the 6th and 8th best wide receiver in the 1999 NFL Draft according to most expert analyses in April. However, he ruptured his right achilles tendon in a pickup basketball game prior to the draft and was expected to be sidelined for six to eight months. As a result, he was the twentieth wide receiver selected. Streets, who was on crutches at the time of the draft, was relieved to have been drafted.