Name	POWERade
Type	Nutrient-enhanced sports drink beverage
Manufacturer	The Coca-Cola Company with creative control under Glacéau.
Origin	United States
Introduced	1988 }}

Powerade is sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade. , Powerade has grown to take 21.7 percent of the United States market in its category, compared to Gatorade's 77.2 percent.

History

In 1988, Powerade became the official sports drink of the Olympics, alongside Aquarius, another sports drink made by Coca-Cola. It is a rival of another sports drink, Gatorade. In July 2001, The Coca-Cola Company launched a new formula for Powerade including vitamins B₃, B₆ and B₁₂, which play a role in energy metabolism.

In July 2002, The Coca-Cola Company updated the bottles of the standard Powerade (previous logo styling) to a new sport-grip bottle.

In 2002, The Coca-Cola Company introduced Powerade Option to the United States, in response to Gatorade's popular Propel. Option is a "low Calorie sports drink" that is colorless and sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium, to provide sugar-conscious consumers with another rehydration choice. Powerade Option took 36% of the Fitness Water category behind Propel's 42%.

In June 2007, The Coca-Cola Company bought Glacéau, owner of brands such as VitaminWater and SmartWater, for $4.1 billion, a price tag that signaled the company’s seriousness in pursuing growth of non-carbonated beverages. Since then, the company has also given its Glacéau management team control of its Powerade sports drink brand.

In 2008, Powerade Zero, a zero-calorie sports drink with electrolytes and no carbohydrates was released. Powerade Option was subsequently discontinued.

In 2009, Powerade was relaunched as Powerade ION4, a formulation that contains four key electrolytes in the same ratio that is typically lost in sweat. PepsiCo sued The Coca-Cola Company, after ads were released claiming that Gatorade was an incomplete sports drink, since it only contained two of the four key electrolytes. The presiding judge ruled in favor of Coca-Cola, for a number of reasons: the ads were no longer running, Gatorade had made similar claims about their Endurance line, and Pepsi failed to show any harm or damage caused by the ads, which were only designed to run for sixty days.

Flavors

United States

Currently, there are nine flavors of Powerade available in the United States:

Orange (initially titled Gold Rush)

Mountain Berry Blast (initially titled Mountain Blast)

Fruit Punch (initially titled Berry Ice)

Grape (initially titled Blackcurrant)

Lemon Lime

Sour Melon

White Cherry

Strawberry Lemonade

Mystic Mountain Blueberry

In addition, there are also five flavors of Powerade Zero:

Mixed Berry (calorie-free remake of Mountain Berry Blast)

Grape

Lemon Lime

Orange

Fruit Punch

Strawberry

Discontinued flavors

Flavors that were previously available in the United States, but have been discontinued:

Arctic Shatter

Tidal Burst

Orange Tangerine

Dark Downburst

Jagged Ice

Black Cherry Lime

Infrared Freeze

Green Squall

Mango

Flava 23 Sour Berry (developed in conjunction with LeBron James)

Flava 23 Sour Melon (developed in conjunction with LeBron James)

Gold Medal (released to promote the 2004 Summer Olympics)

Matrix Reloaded (released in conjunction with the movie in 2003, and later re-released as a regular Powerade flavor, Black Cherry Lime)

NHRA

Light Andean Chill (low-calorie)

Light Aleutian Stream (low-calorie)

Option Grape (replaced with zero grape)

Option Lemon (replaced with zero grape)

Option Strawberry (replaced with zero strawberry)

Option Black Cherry (replaced with zero strawberry)

Psych (sports-energy drink hybrid)

Raize (sports-energy drink hybrid)

Advance Berry (sports-energy drink hybrid)

Advance Cherry Lime (sports-energy drink hybrid)

Cherry Apple

Powerade Zero Strawberry

United Kingdom flavours

Berry and Tropical

Cherry

Orange

Aqua/Lime (Flavoured water)

Zero Berry and Tropical

Zero red fruits

Australian flavours

Berry Ice

Lemon & Lime

Mountain Blast

Blackcurrant

Gold Rush

White Cherry

Ingredients

{{infobox nutrition facts | serv size us	8 fl oz | serv_size_met 244 g | #_servifgs 2.5 | calories 50 | cal_from_fat 1 | total_fat_g 0 | sat_fat_g 0 | trans_fat_g | cholesterol_mg 0 | sodium_mg 100 | potassium_mg 24 | carb_g 19 | fiber_g 0 | protein_g 0 | vit_a 0 | vit_c 2 | calcium 0 | iron 3 | sugars_g 14 }}

Ingredients:

Water

High fructose corn syrup

Salt

Potassium citrate

Phenylalanine

Sucralose

Sodium Citrate

Malic Acid

Potassium phosphate

Vitamin B₆

Vitamin B₂

''Note: Standard 8 ounce servings meet the FDA definition of 'low sodium' and have less sodium than a glass of chocolate milk. ''

Substitutions and Differences

Ingredients may vary from flavor to flavor and by country with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) not used in Australasia and other regions where sucrose is substituted.

Competition

Powerade's main competition is Gatorade marketed by the Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo. Gatorade, which was branded at the University of Florida in 1965, was the first commercially available sports drink in the United States. It now holds a commanding share of the market.

All Sport is a competitor marketed by All Sport, Inc and distributed by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. All Sport was marketed by PepsiCo until 2001, when Gatorade's maker, the Quaker Oats Company was acquired by PepsiCo. All Sport was sold to the Monarch Beverage Company soon after. It was subsequently purchased by Gary Smith, the Chairman & CEO of All Sport, Inc. based in Austin, Texas.

Outside the United States the Lucozade energy drink (manufactured since 1927 by the pharmaceutical company now known as GlaxoSmithKline) competes with Gatorade. Lucozade's formulation differs in that it uses primarily glucose and contains caffeine. The more direct competitor to Gatorade and Powerade is Lucozade Sport.

Criticism

Like its main competitor, Gatorade, Powerade is made with sugar syrups and salt. One Powerade ad campaign saying that Powerade ION4 is superior to Gatorade has been accused of being deceptive and false by Pepsi, the parent owner of Gatorade. The courts ruled in favor of Powerade as of Aug 2009.

Sponsorships

Powerade is the official sports drink of the Australian, New Zealand, and Ireland rugby teams, the AFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, NHRA, NCAA, the U.S. Olympic Team (excluding U.S.A. Basketball and U.S. Soccer, which have deals with Gatorade) and many other national Olympic federations, The Football League and many other soccer leagues and teams around the world, FIFA, and the IOC in no small part due to their overall contracts with Coca-Cola. Various other competitions also have sponsorship deals with the brand, although Gatorade historically has secured the lion's share of sponsorships. The drink is also Sponsor of the Honduran Soccer Team C.D. Olimpia.

The brand is also the exclusive beverage sponsor of the Hoops in the Sun basketball summer league, based out at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York. It is the only summer basketball league to be sponsored by the brand.

References

External links

Powerade Official Website

Powerade Australia

Powerade Mexico

Powerade TV Website

Olympians strip down as they prepare to make history in Beijing Photos by award-winning photographer Nadav Kander for Powerade advertising campaign, The Daily Mail

Hoops in the Sun Official Website

Category:Non-alcoholic beverages Category:Sports drinks Category:Coca-Cola brands Category:1988 introductions

bs:Powerade bg:Powerade es:Powerade fr:Powerade ko:파워에이드 it:Powerade hu:Powerade ja:パワーエイド pl:Powerade pt:Powerade fi:Powerade sv:Powerade tr:Powerade

playername	Peter Crouch
fullname	Peter James Crouch
height
position	Striker
dateofbirth	January 30, 1981
cityofbirth	Macclesfield
countryofbirth	England
currentclub	Stoke City
youthyears1	1995–1998| youthclubs1 Tottenham Hotspur
years1	1998–2000| clubs1 Tottenham Hotspur | caps1 0 | goals1 0
years2	2000 | clubs2 → Dulwich Hamlet (loan) | caps2 6 | goals2 1
years3	2000 | clubs3 → IFK Hässleholm (loan) | caps3 8 | goals3 3
years4	2000–2001 | clubs4 Queens Park Rangers | caps4 42 | goals4 10
years5	2001–2002 | clubs5 Portsmouth | caps5 37 | goals5 18
years6	2002–2004 | clubs6 Aston Villa | caps6 37 | goals6 6
years7	2003 | clubs7 → Norwich City (loan) | caps7 15 | goals7 4
years8	2004–2005 | clubs8 Southampton | caps8 27 | goals8 12
years9	2005–2008 | clubs9 Liverpool | caps9 85 | goals9 22
years10	2008–2009 | clubs10 Portsmouth | caps10 38 | goals10 11
years11	2009–2011 | clubs11 Tottenham Hotspur | caps11 73 | goals11 12
years12	2011– | clubs12 Stoke City | caps12 0 | goals12 0
nationalyears1	2002–2003 | nationalteam1 England U21
nationalcaps1	6 | nationalgoals1 1
nationalyears2	2006 | nationalteam2 England B
nationalcaps2	1 | nationalgoals2 0
nationalyears3	2005– | nationalteam3 England
nationalcaps3	42 | nationalgoals3 22
club-update	29 August 2011
nationalteam-update	26 February 2011 }}

Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981 in Macclesfield, England) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Stoke City and the England national team.

Crouch started his career as a trainee with Tottenham Hotspur. However he failed to make a first team appearance for the club, leaving it in 2000 and playing for several teams including four Premier League clubs – Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton and Liverpool – before returning and finally making his senior Tottenham debut in 2009. He was the second top-scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League season, behind AC Milan's Kaká.

Early life

Crouch was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, but his family moved to Singapore when he was one year old, where they stayed for three years before returning to Great Britain and settling in London. A keen footballer from an early age, he became a ball boy at the age of ten. As a child, he attended some Chelsea games. Later, he told the Liverpool official website that despite this, he and his friends at the time were fans of Queens Park Rangers. He attended North Ealing Primary School and Drayton Manor High School in Hanwell.

Club career

Crouch signed a professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur on 2 July 1998, after having played for their youth side. However, he did not make any appearances for their first team and was loaned out to other clubs, having brief spells at Dulwich Hamlet in the Isthmian League and, in the summer of 2000, IFK Hässleholm in Sweden.

QPR and Portsmouth

On 28 July 2000, Tottenham sold Crouch to Queens Park Rangers (QPR) for £60,000. He made an immediate impression with QPR, scoring ten league goals in the 2000–01 season, but it was not enough to prevent the team's relegation to the Second Division.

Relegation meant that QPR had to sell many of their best players to support their diminished finances, and Portsmouth bought Crouch from them for £1.25 million. Crouch scored 18 league goals in 37 starts for Portsmouth – benefiting from the crossing of Robert Prosinečki – and that in a side that for much of the season looked destined for mid-table mediocrity.

Aston Villa

In March 2002, FA Premier League side Aston Villa made a successful £5 million bid for Crouch. He scored on his home debut for Villa, the equalising goal against Newcastle United, and managed to net twice in seven games. However, Crouch failed to hold down a regular place in the Aston Villa side in the following 2002–03 season.

Looking for first team football, he was loaned to Norwich City from September to December 2003. Although he scored only four times in 15 appearances, he was highly impressive and remains popular with Norwich City supporters. So popular, in fact, he had a song made up about him ("He's tall, he's lean, he's a freaky goal machine"). Crouch was sent off for retaliation during Norwich's 3–1 win at Walsall, but nonetheless his spell at Norwich renewed interest in his abilities from other clubs. At the end of the three-month loan he returned to Aston Villa, and scored a brace against Leicester City, a late winner at Middlesbrough and the opener at Bolton. Norwich City recognised his contribution to the 2003–04 season that saw them win the First Division Championship by awarding him a championship medal. He was presented with the medal on the pitch prior to City's match against his new club Southampton at Carrow Road in November 2004. When he came on as substitute for Southampton later that afternoon, he received a very good reception from the home crowd.

Villa sold Crouch in July 2004 to Southampton for a fee of £2.5 million. Crouch signed a four-year deal with Southampton. He scored just six goals in 37 Premiership games for Aston Villa.

Southampton

Despite initially being back-up to first choice strikers James Beattie and Kevin Phillips, Harry Redknapp's arrival and the sale of Beattie saw Crouch become the main attacking focus of the Southampton team. He scored many key goals in Southampton's relegation battle, including memorable goals against Liverpool in a 2–0 home win, Arsenal in a 1–1 home draw and 2 away to Middlesbrough in a 3–1 victory. He also scored a late winning penalty to knock former club and Saints' arch-rival Portsmouth out of the FA Cup. His form for the Saints eventually resulted in him receiving his first England call up. After scoring 16 goals in 33 appearances during the 2004–05 season, his future was cast into doubt when Southampton were relegated from the English Premiership. On 19 July 2005, Southampton agreed to sell Crouch for £7 million to Liverpool, on a four-year contract.

Liverpool

Crouch underwent intense media scrutiny due to a goal drought during his first months at Liverpool. For 19 games, spanning four months, he was unable to score. Crouch was praised for other facets of his game, such as his touch on the ball, but his first goal for the club evaded him. The fact that Crouch possessed "good touch for a big man" in fact became something of a media cliché during this time. Early in his Liverpool career the supporters composed a new chant; "He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed, Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch."

The drought finally ended on 3 December 2005 when he scored against Wigan Athletic. Although this first goal was originally given as an own goal, it was later awarded to Crouch on appeal; he went on to score a second goal in the same game. Prior to these goals, Crouch had played over 24 hours of football for Liverpool without scoring. In addition to this, he also had to deal with unpleasant taunts from crowds at matches, as he had throughout his footballing career, who often chanted "freak" at him due to his unusual height.

He went on to score several goals that season, including the only goal in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Manchester United, Liverpool's first victory over them in the FA Cup post-World War II. On 13 May, he helped Liverpool to win the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham, providing a crucial assist for Steven Gerrard to score the second Liverpool goal.

Three months later, in the curtain-raiser to the 2006–07 season, he headed the winning goal for Liverpool in the club's 2–1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Community Shield. In their 2006–07 UEFA Champions League campaign he scored his first goals in European club competition. On 13 January 2007, he scored two goals in an away game against Watford, the first time he had scored twice in an away league game for Liverpool. Crouch sustained a broken nose when playing against Sheffield United in February 2007. Although he played in some subsequent games, on 9 March 2007 it was announced that he would undergo surgery on the injury which would keep him out of football for a month. On 31 March, he returned to action after the operation and scored the first hat-trick of his club career, against Arsenal in a 4–1 Liverpool victory. This was also a so-called "perfect hat-trick", consisting of goals scored from his right foot, left foot and head.

He later participated in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, coming on as a substitute for Javier Mascherano. He ended the 2006–07 season as Liverpool's top goalscorer in all competitions, with eighteen goals. At the start of the 2007–08 season he had restricted opportunities to play for Liverpool due to the arrival of other strikers, but scored against Toulouse in a Champions League qualifying win in August, his eighth goal in his past ten appearances in that competition, and then also scoring the first and last goals of an 8–0 win over Beşiktaş in the first round of the Champions League in November. This match is now the highest margin by which a team has won in the Champions League. In April, he scored a vital goal in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal, helping Liverpool maintain fourth spot against rivals Everton.

Return to Portsmouth

On 7 July 2008, it was announced that Crouch had verbally agreed to join former club and FA Cup holders Portsmouth in a deal worth up to £11 million. Crouch passed his medical the following day, and, on 11 July, Crouch's transfer was officially unveiled at a Portsmouth news conference. Portsmouth paid £9 million up front, with up to £2m to be added dependent on various targets being reached. He was given the number 9 shirt by manager Harry Redknapp, which he had previously worn during his first spell at the club. On 30 August 2008 Crouch scored his first goal since his return to Portsmouth in his third Premiership appearance, against Everton at Goodison Park. As with his first score for Liverpool there was a degree of uncertainty as to whether he would be credited with the goal as it appeared Jermain Defoe's chip had crossed the goal-line before Crouch scored from the follow-up. On 3 September it was confirmed that the goal would be officially credited to Crouch and not Defoe. Crouch then went on to net his first goal at Portsmouth's Fratton Park home ground in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur on 28 September.

On 2 October 2008 Crouch scored twice in extra time in a UEFA Cup match away to Vitória Guimarães to help Portsmouth reach the group stages of the competition. He went on to score twice against SC Heerenveen in a 3–0 victory at Fratton Park.

Return to Tottenham Hotspur

On 27 July 2009, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Crouch from Portsmouth for a fee of £10 million, on a five-year contract. Crouch made his debut for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Olympiakos, and came on as a substitute in Tottenham's season opening win over Liverpool, making his full Premier League debut for the club in the process. He scored his first goal for Spurs in the Carling Cup tie against Doncaster in a 5–1 win on 26 August 2009. He scored again in his next game, opening his league account with Spurs with a goal in a 2–1 home win against Birmingham City. On 23 September, Crouch scored his first hat-trick for Spurs in a 5–1 win over Preston in the Carling Cup. In May, his late goal against Manchester City in what was being dubbed as the "£15 million pound game" put Spurs in a position to claim their first-ever UEFA Champions League berth. After having hit the post and missed an Assou-Ekotto cross, Crouch scored a header after Márton Fülöp could only parry the ball into his path.

On 25 August 2010, he scored a hat-trick at White Hart Lane against Young Boys to help Tottenham to reach the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League. On 15 February 2011, Crouch scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League second round, first leg match against Italian team A.C. Milan at the San Siro, sweeping home Aaron Lennon's cut-back after a counter-attack. Three weeks later, Spurs progressed to the quarter-finals after the reverse game at White Hart Lane ended 0–0. On 5 April, he was sent off in the 14th minute after receiving two yellow cards in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid. He scored an own goal against Manchester City, which consequently confirmed Manchester City into the Champions League for the 2011–12 season with Tottenham missing out.

Stoke City

On 31 August 2011, Stoke City announced the signing of Crouch from Tottenham for a fee of £10 million (which could rise to £12m dependent on the fulfilment of various clauses) on a four-year contract. Speaking after sealing his move to the Britannia Stadium, Crouch revealed that his former Tottenham Hotspur colleague Jonathan Woodgate was a major influence upon his decision to join Stoke.

International career

Youth international

Crouch was capped for the England Under-20 team at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, with team-mates including Stuart Taylor, Ashley Cole, Andrew Johnson and Matthew Etherington. However, the team finished bottom at the group stage, with three losses and having scored no goals. He was later a part of David Platt's England Under-21 team, which went to the finals of the European Under–21 Championship in Switzerland in May 2002, where he scored once.

Breakthrough into senior team

In May 2005 he was handed his first call-up to the England senior squad by manager Sven-Göran Eriksson for the team's tour of the United States, making his debut against Colombia. He went on to make two appearances during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign for England: starting against Austria in a 1–0 victory and coming on as a substitute against Poland in a 2–1 win. In the latter appearance, Crouch's introduction as a second-half substitute was booed by England's own supporters.

On 1 March 2006 he scored his first goal for England, the equaliser in a 2–1 friendly win over Uruguay. He did this whilst bizarrely wearing two different squad numbers on his shirt – No. 21 on the front (his designated squad number for the match), and the incorrect No. 12 on the back.

In May 2006 Crouch was included in the 23-man England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and was expected to be a significant figure in the team due to Wayne Rooney's foot injury. On 30 May he played in a pre-World Cup friendly against Hungary, scoring the third goal in England's 3–1 win. He followed his goal with an unusual robotic dancing-style goal celebration – see below. On 3 June he again played for England in a pre-World Cup friendly against Jamaica, scoring a hat-trick. Between his second and third goals he took a penalty kick hoping to gain a hat-trick, but he put the ball over the bar. England went on to win 6–0, Crouch securing his hat-trick in the 89th minute with a fine finish – his fifth goal in three England games.

2006 World Cup

After his displays in England's friendlies, Crouch partnered Michael Owen in attack for England's opening 2006 World Cup game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006. England won the game 1–0 and Crouch kept his place in the starting line-up for the following match against Trinidad and Tobago, against whom he scored his first competitive international goal. The goal provoked some controversy as replays showed Crouch to be pulling on Brent Sancho's long hair, holding the defender down, to gain an advantage.

Crouch was rested for England's third group game against Sweden as Rooney returned from injury to join the starting line-up. However, Owen suffered a serious knee injury in the opening minute of the game and Crouch replaced him, playing the remainder of the match.

In England's 1–0 second round victory against Ecuador, Crouch remained an unused substitute as Eriksson switched the team to a new formation with Wayne Rooney as a lone striker. However, after Rooney's dismissal for a foul in England's quarter-final against Portugal, Crouch came on as a substitute for Joe Cole.

On 5 September 2007, retired English referee Graham Poll claimed that FIFA had specifically warned referees at the event to pay close attention to Crouch, claiming that "he's a real pain and he's getting away with too much."

Euro 2008 qualifying

Crouch remained a part of the England set-up under Eriksson's successor as manager, Steve McClaren, and started McClaren's first game in charge, a friendly against Greece in August 2006. He scored twice in England's 4–0 victory. Two further goals followed in England's next match, a 5–0 win over Andorra in their opening qualifying match for the 2008 European Championships on 2 September 2006. Contemporary reports suggested that Crouch was the first player ever to reach ten goals for England within a single calendar year. In fact, this had happened several times pre-World War II, most recently by Dixie Dean (12 goals in 1927) and George Camsell (11 goals in 1929). He added a further goal to his tally with the winner in England's 1–0 qualifying victory away to Macedonia on 6 September. An operation needed for a nose injury he sustained playing for Liverpool prevented him from playing in England's two qualifying matches in March 2007. He returned to the England squad for their games against Brazil and Estonia in late May and early June 2007, scoring in the qualifying game against the latter.

Crouch was England's top scorer in the qualifying campaign with five goals, but this did not prevent England finishing only third in their group and failing to progress to the finals of the competition.

Capello era

On 1 April 2009, Crouch made his first start under McClaren's successor, Fabio Capello, in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. He scored England's first goal in their 2–1 victory.

Crouch was re-called to the England squad for the friendly against Slovenia and the World Cup qualifier versus Croatia, following his fine form for Tottenham.

Crouch also got an early first half goal against Belarus in the final 2010 World Cup qualifier, which he then followed up with a second goal in the 74th minute. This took Crouch's tally for England up to 18 goals in just 17 starts. Crouch scored a brace after coming on as a substitute against Egypt in a friendly on 3 March 2010 to take his overall international goal tally to 20. He also scored the second goal for England against Mexico at Wembley on 24 May 2010.

2010 World Cup

Crouch was named in Capello's final 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup and was given the number 9 shirt. He came on as a substitute for Emile Heskey in England's opening match against the United States and also came off the bench for Gareth Barry in the following match against Algeria. Crouch did not take part in the final group stage game with Slovenia or the 4–1 loss to Germany in the last-16.

Crouch came on as a substitute in the home friendly against France for the injured Steven Gerrard on 17 November. He immediately scored from an Ashley Young corner to make the score 1–2 with an angled side-footed volley. It was his second touch of the ball.

International goals

''Scores and results list England's goal tally first.'' Anfield 30 May 2006 rowspan="3" 15 June 2006 rowspan="2" rowspan="2" 6 September 2006 6 June 2007 16 November 2007 21 November 2007 1 April 2009 10 June 2009 rowspan="2" rowspan="2" 24 May 2010 17 November 2010

Crouch – goals for England
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
align=center	1	1 March 2006	Liverpool, England ||		1–1	2–1	Friendly match
align=center	2	|	Old Trafford>Manchester, England		3–1	3–1	Friendly match
align=center	3	3 June 2006 || rowspan="3"|Manchester, England ||		3–0	6–0	Friendly match
align=center	4	5–0
align=center	5	6–0
align=center	6	|	Frankenstadion>Nuremberg, Germany		1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
align=center	7	16 August 2006 || rowspan="2"|Manchester, England ||		3–0	4–0	Friendly match
align=center	8	4–0
align=center	9	2 September 2006 || rowspan="2"|Manchester, England ||		1–0	5–0	rowspan="2"
align=center	10	5–0
align=center	11	|	Skopje, Republic of Macedonia>Macedonia		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual
align=center	12	|	Tallinn, Estonia		2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
align=center	13	|	Vienna, Austria		1–0	1–0	Friendly match
align=center	14	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		2–2	2–3	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
align=center	15	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		1–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification>World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	16	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		6–0	6–0	World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	17	14 October 2009 || rowspan="2"|Wembley, England ||		1–0	3–0	World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	18	3–0
align=center	19	3 March 2010 || rowspan="2"|Wembley, England ||		1–1	3–1	Friendly match
align=center	20	3–1
align=center	21	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		2–0	3–1	Friendly Match
align=center	22	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		1–2	1–2	Friendly Match

Personality as a footballer

Nicknames

Although generally known as "Crouchy", other nicknames he has been given by fans and the media in England have included "RoboCrouch" and "Crouchinho" (a parody of Ronaldinho), despite "Crouchinho" translating from Portuguese as "little Crouch". He has been also referred to as "Mr. Roboto" by Univision's commentators and as "Pantera Rosa" ("Pink Panther") by Fox Sports en Español commentators. Mark Lawrenson announced on ''Match of the Day'' that his nickname was "coathanger, apparently".

Robotic dancing

In the summer of 2006, Crouch adopted a robotic dancing goal celebration. A parody of a dance he had been seen performing on a television programme covering a party held at England team-mate David Beckham's house, he first performed it after his goal for England against Hungary on 30 May. He again performed the dance after both of his first two goals against Jamaica on 3 June. The ''Daily Mirror'' newspaper claimed that the dance was inspired by the lyrics to the Arctic Monkeys' hit single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".

On 12 June, Crouch announced he would only perform his robotic dance again if England were to win the World Cup, saying "It's not about robotic dancing. It is about scoring goals and winning matches. It's an important time for everyone now." In September 2006, he was quoted in ''The Observer'' newspaper as saying that: "It was funny at the time, but I didn't want to carry on doing it until it became unfunny. I've stopped doing it for the time being, but if I ever score a really big goal you never know."

On 6 August 2007, Crouch insisted that he would never use the Robot dance again unless he scored in the UEFA Champions League Final. On 1 April 2009, however, Crouch partially reprised the celebration after scoring during England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine after a Comic Relief sketch.

Personal life

Crouch had dated Abigail Clancy for a period before Crouch announced in 2007 that the two were not a couple. Subsequently, Clancy and Crouch announced their engagement on 15 July 2009. Abbey Clancy gave birth to a baby girl named Sophia Ruby on 14 March 2011.

Crouch and Clancy were married on Thursday, 30 June 2011.

Career statistics

Club

0 0 1 3 10 18 2 0 4 4 12 8 9 5 11 8 4 0 0

Club	Season	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="3" valign="center"	Tottenham Hotspur		0	|	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
1999–2000 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	1999–00	0	|	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
!Total	!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Dulwich Hamlet (loan)		6	|	0	0	–		–		6	1
!Total	!6!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!6!!1
rowspan="2" valign="center"	IFK Hässleholm (loan)		8	|	0	0	–		–		8	3
!Total	!8!!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!8!!3
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Queens Park Rangers		42	|	3	2	2	0	–		47	12
!Total	!42!!10!!3!!2!!2!!0!!0!!0!!47!!12
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Portsmouth		37	|	1	0	1	1	–		39	19
!Total	!37!!18!!1!!0!!1!!1!!0!!0!!39!!19
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Aston Villa		7	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2
2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season	2002–03	14	|	0	0	0	0	4	0	18	0
2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season	2003–04	16	|	0	0	2	0	0	0	18	4
!Total	!37!!6!!0!!0!!2!!0!!4!!0!!43!!6
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Norwich City (loan)		15	|	0	0	0	0	–		15	4
!Total	!15!!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!15!!4
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Southampton		27	|	5	4	1	0	–		33	16
!Total	!27!!12!!5!!4!!1!!0!!0!!0!!33!!16
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Liverpool		32	|	6	3	1	0	10	2	49	13
2006–07 Liverpool F.C. season	2006–07	32	|	1	0	1	1	15	8	49	18
2007–08 Liverpool F.C. season	2007–08	21	|	4	2	3	0	8	4	36	11
!Total	!85!!22!!11!!5!!5!!1!!33!!14!!134!!42
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Portsmouth		38	|	3	1	1	0	7	4	49	16
!Total	!38!!11!!3!!1!!1!!0!!7!!4!!49!!16
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Tottenham Hotspur		38	|	1	1	3	4	–		42	13
2010–11 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	2010–11	34	|	1	0	0	0	10	7	45	11
2011–12 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	2011–12	1	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
!Total	!73!!12!!2!!1!!3!!4!!10!!7!!88!!24
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Stoke City		0	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
!Total	!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0
Career Total	!368!!99!!25!!13!!15!!6!!54!!25!!462!!143

International

''As of September 2011''

|- |2005||4||0 |- |2006||12||11 |- |2007||8||3 |- |2008||6||0 |- |2009||6||4 |- |2010||6||4 |- !Total||42||22 |}

Honours

;Norwich City

Football League First Division champions: 2003–04

;Liverpool

FA Cup winners: 2006

Community Shield winners: 2006

References and notes

External links

Official Tottenham Hotspur profile

Peter Crouch Profile & Statistics from Yahoo Eurosport UK

Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk

Category:1981 births Category:People from Macclesfield Category:Living people Category:Association football forwards Category:English footballers Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:England B international footballers Category:England international footballers Category:English expatriate footballers Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Category:Dulwich Hamlet F.C. players Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Category:Portsmouth F.C. players Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:Norwich City F.C. players Category:Southampton F.C. players Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:England youth international footballers Category:Stoke City F.C. players

ar:بيتر كراوتش bn:পিটার ক্রাউচ bg:Питър Крауч ca:Peter Crouch cs:Peter Crouch da:Peter Crouch de:Peter Crouch et:Peter Crouch es:Peter Crouch fa:پیتر کراوچ fr:Peter Crouch ga:Peter Crouch ko:피터 크라우치 hr:Peter Crouch id:Peter Crouch it:Peter Crouch he:פיטר קראוץ' jv:Péter Crouch sw:Peter Crouch la:Petrus Crouch lt:Peter Crouch hu:Peter Crouch mr:पीटर क्राऊच ms:Peter Crouch mn:Питер Крауч nl:Peter Crouch ja:ピーター・クラウチ no:Peter Crouch nn:Peter Crouch pl:Peter Crouch pt:Peter Crouch ro:Peter Crouch ru:Крауч, Питер simple:Peter Crouch sk:Peter Crouch fi:Peter Crouch sv:Peter Crouch th:ปีเตอร์ เคราช์ tr:Peter Crouch uk:Пітер Крауч vi:Peter Crouch zh:彼得·克劳奇

Name	Michael Vick
Width	160px
Currentteam	Philadelphia Eagles
Currentnumber	7
Currentpositionplain	Quarterback
Birth date	June 26, 1980
Birth place	Newport News, Virginia
Heightft	6
Heightin	0
Weight	215
College	Virginia Tech
Draftyear	2001
Draftround	1
Draftpick	1
Debutyear	2001
Debutteam	Atlanta Falcons
Pastteams	Atlanta Falcons (–) Philadelphia Eagles (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	Archie Griffin Award Winner (1999) 3rd in Heisman voting (1999) 6th in Heisman voting (2000) Best NFL Player ESPY Award (2003) 4× Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2004, 2005, 2010) Galloping Gobbler Award (2005) Eagles Ed Block Courage Award recipient (2009) NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2010) Other Awards
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	TD-INT
Statvalue1	93–58
Statlabel2	Passing yards
Statvalue2	14,609
Statlabel3	QB Rating
Statvalue3	80.2
Statlabel4	Rushing yards
Statvalue4	4,640
Statlabel5	Rushing touchdowns
Statvalue5	32
Nfl	VIC311467 }}

Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He played for the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons before serving time in prison for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring.

Vick played college football at Virginia Tech, where as a freshman he placed third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. He left after his sophomore year to enter the NFL and was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft. He became the first African-American quarterback to be selected first overall in an NFL Draft. In six seasons with the Falcons, he gained wide popularity for his performance on the field, and led the Falcons to the playoffs twice. Vick ranks second among quarterbacks in career rushing yards.

In April 2007, Vick was implicated in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring that had operated over five years. In August 2007, he pleaded guilty to federal felony charges and served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement. With the loss of his NFL salary and product endorsement deals, combined with previous financial mismanagement, Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008. Falcons owner Arthur Blank did not want Vick on the Falcons, and after attempts to trade him failed, Vick was released. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and was reinstated in Week 3 of the 2009 season.

Childhood

Vick was born in Newport News, Virginia as the second of four children to Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie, then unmarried teenagers. His mother worked two jobs, obtained some public financial assistance, and had help from her parents, while his father worked long hours in the shipyards as a sandblaster and spray-painter. They were married when Michael was about five years old, but the children elected to continue to use their "Vick" surname. The family lived in the Ridley Circle Homes, a public housing project in a financially depressed and crime-ridden neighborhood located in the East End section of the port city. A 2007 newspaper article published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted "not much changed" by observations of local people almost ten years after Michael Vick left. One resident said that there was drug dealing, drive-by shootings and other killings in the neighborhood, then suggested that sports were a way out and a dream for many.

In a 2001 interview, Vick told the Newport News ''Daily Press'' that when he was 10 or 11, "I would go fishing even if the fish weren't biting, just to get away from the violence and stress of daily life in the projects."

Early athletic career

During the early years of his family, Michael Boddie's employment required a lot of travel, but he taught football skills to his two sons at an early age. Vick was only three years old when his father, nicknamed "Bullet" for his blinding speed during his own playing days, began teaching him the fundamentals. He taught younger brother Marcus Vick.

As he grew up, Vick, who as a child went by the nickname "Ookie", learned about football from a second cousin four years older, Aaron Brooks. Vick and Brooks both spent a lot of time as youths at the local Boys and Girls Club. As a 10-year-old throwing three touchdown passes in a Boys Club league, his apparent football talents led coaches and his parents to keep special watch.

Vick told ''Sporting News'' magazine in an interview published April 9, 2001: "Sports kept me off the streets...It kept me from getting into what was going on, the bad stuff. Lots of guys I knew have had bad problems."

High school

Vick first came to prominence while at Homer L. Ferguson High School in Newport News. As a freshman, he impressed many with his athletic ability, throwing for over 400 yards in a game that year. Ferguson High School was closed in 1996 as part of a Newport News Public Schools building modernization program. Vick, as a sophomore, and Tommy Reamon both moved to Warwick High School.

At Warwick High School, under Reamon's tutelage, Vick was a three-year starter for the Raiders, passing for 4,846 yards with 43 touchdowns. He ran for six touchdowns and threw for three touchdowns in a single game. He added 1,048 yards and 18 scores on the ground. As a senior, he passed for 1,668 yards, accounting for ten passing and ten rushing touchdowns.

Reamon, who had helped guide Brooks from Newport News to the University of Virginia, helped Michael with his SATs and helped him and his family choose between Syracuse University and Virginia Tech. Reamon favored Virginia Tech, where he felt better guidance was available under Frank Beamer, who promised to redshirt him and provide the freshman needed time to develop. Reamon sold Michael on the school's proximity to family and friends, and Vick chose to attend Virginia Tech.

As he left the Newport News public housing projects in 1998, "on the wings of a college football scholarship," Vick was seen in the Newport News community as a "success story." In a story published in September 2000, while Vick was at Virginia Tech, Michael Boddie told the university's ''Collegiate Times'': "Ever since he learned to throw a football, he's always liked throwing a ball...It's just in his blood."

College career

In his first collegiate game as a redshirt freshman against James Madison in 1999, Vick scored three rushing touchdowns in just over one quarter of play. His last touchdown was a spectacular flip in which he landed awkwardly on his ankle, forcing him to miss the remainder of the game in addition to the following game. During the season, Vick led a last-minute game-winning drive against in the annual Black Diamond Trophy game. He led the Hokies to an 11–0 season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21 point deficit to take a brief lead. During the season, Vick appeared on the cover of an ''ESPN The Magazine'' issue. Vick led the NCAA in passing efficiency that year, setting a record for a freshman (180.4), which was good enough for the third-highest all-time mark. Vick was awarded an ESPY Award as the nation's top college player and won the first-ever Archie Griffin Award as college football's most valuable player. He was invited to the 1999 Heisman Trophy presentation and finished third in the voting behind Ron Dayne and Joe Hamilton. Vick's third place finish matched the highest finish ever by a freshman up to that point, first set by Herschel Walker in 1980. thumb|Lane Stadium, where Vick played his college games Vick's 2000 season had highlights, such as his career rushing high of 210 yards against the Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Against West Virginia University in the Black Diamond Trophy game, Vick accounted for 288 total yards of offense and two touchdowns in a 48–20 win. The following week, Vick led the Hokies from a 14–0 deficit against at the Carrier Dome, where the Hokies had not won since 1986. Vick put the game away with a 55-yard run with 1:34 left.

The following game against Pittsburgh, Vick was injured and had to miss the rest of the game as well as the entire game against , and was unable to start against the , the Hokies' lone loss of the season. Vick's final game at Virginia Tech came against the Clemson Tigers in the Toyota Gator Bowl, where he was named MVP of the game.

Vick left Virginia Tech after his redshirt sophomore season. Aware that the rest of his family was still living in their 3 bedroom apartment in the Ridley Circle Homes, Vick stated that he was going to buy his mother "a home and a car." ESPN later reported that Vick used some of his NFL and endorsement earnings to buy his mother a brand-new house in an upscale section of Suffolk, Virginia.

Statistics

{|class="wikitable" |- !| ! colspan="6" style="background:#e7e3e7;"| Passing ! colspan="3" style="background:#e7e3e7;"| Rushing |- !|YEAR !|CMP !|ATT !|CMP% !|YDS !|TD !|INT !|ATT !|YDS !|TD |- |1999||90||153||58.8||1840||12||5||110||580||8 |- |2000||97||179||54.2||1439||9||7||113||636||9 |}

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

NFL Draft

Vick was selected first in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The San Diego Chargers had the number one selection but traded the rights to the first overall choice to the Atlanta Falcons a day before the draft, for which they received the Falcons' first round pick (5th overall) and third round pick in 2001. Vick was drafted in the 30th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies, despite not playing baseball at Virginia Tech.

Vick and teammate RB Warrick Dunn (1,140) became the first quarterback/running back duo to each surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.

Early NFL career

Vick made his NFL debut at San Francisco on September 9, 2001 and saw limited action. He completed his first NFL pass to WR Tony Martin in the second quarter vs. Carolina on September 23 and first NFL touchdown on a two-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons to a 24–16 victory. Vick made his first start at Dallas on November 11 and threw his first touchdown pass to TE Alge Crumpler in a 20–13 victory. In his two starts of the eight games played that season, Vick completed 50 of 113 passes for 785 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, accounting for 234 of the team's 255 yards at the team's season finale at St. Louis on January 6, 2002. He rushed 29 times for 289 yards (9.9 avg.) and one touchdown. In 2002, Vick was named to the Pro Bowl after starting 15 games, missing a game to the New York Giants on October 13 with a sprained shoulder. He completed 231 of 421 passes for 2,936 yards (both career-highs) and 16 touchdowns with 113 carries for 777 yards and eight touchdowns. Vick established numerous single-game career highs, including passes completed with 24 and pass attempts with 46 at Pittsburgh on November 10, as well as passing yards with 337 vs. Detroit on December 22. He completed 74 yards for a touchdown to WR Trevor Gaylor vs. New Orleans on November 17. Vick registered an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single a game with 173 at Minnesota on December 1. Vick tied for third in team history for the lowest interception percentage in a season at 1.90 and continued a streak of consecutive passes without an interception that began at St. Louis on January 6, 2002 in the season finale of the 2001 season and extended to the first quarter vs. Baltimore on November 3, 2002. His streak covered 25 straight quarters and 177 passes without an interception. On January 1, 2003, Vick led the Atlanta Falcons to an upset victory over the heavily favored Green Bay 27–7 in the NFC playoffs, ending the Packers' undefeated playoff record at Lambeau Field. The Falcons would later lose 20–6 to the Donovan McNabb-led Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoff game.

2003–2006 seasons

During a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on August 16, Vick suffered a fractured right fibula and missed the first 11 games of the regular season. In Week 13, Vick made his season debut in relief of QB Doug Johnson in the third quarter at Houston on November 30, completing 8 of 11 passes for 60 yards and recording 16 rushing yards on three carries. He posted his first start of the season vs. Carolina on December 7 and amassed the third-highest rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history with 141 yards on 14 carries and one score to lead the Falcons to a 21–14 victory. He completed 16 of 33 passes for 179 yards and accounted for 320 of the team's 380 offensive yards. Vick closed out the season with a 21–14 victory vs. Jacksonville on December 28, where he completed 12 of 22 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

In 2004, Vick was named to his second Pro Bowl after starting 15 games, completing 181 of 321 passes for 2,313 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He rushed 120 times for 902 yards and three scores. His 902 rushing yards ranked third all-time by NFL QBs. His 7.5 yards per carry rank first among all NFL players.

Suspension

In August 2007, hours after Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges in the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation, the NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating the NFL player conduct policy. In a letter to Vick, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Vick had admitted to conduct that was "not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible." While Vick is technically a first-time offender under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, Goodell handed down a harsher suspension because Vick admitted that he provided most of the money for the gambling side of the operation. Goodell left open the possibility of reinstating Vick depending on how he cooperated with federal and state authorities.

Goodell had barred Vick from reporting to training camp while the league conducted its own investigation into the matter. At his July 26 arraignment, the terms of his bail barred him from leaving Virginia before the trial.

On August 27, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a press conference that the Falcons would seek to recover a portion of Vick's signing bonus. He said the team had no immediate plans to cut ties with Vick, citing salary-cap issues. It initially appeared that Goodell had cleared the way for the Falcons to release Vick, since he ruled that Vick's involvement in gambling activity breached his contract. On August 29, the Falcons sent a letter to Vick demanding that he reimburse them for $20 million of the $37 million bonus. The case was sent to arbitration, and on October 10, an arbitrator ruled that Vick had to reimburse the Falcons for $19.97 million. The arbitrator agreed with the Falcons' contentions that Vick knew he was engaging in illegal activity when he signed his new contract in 2004, and that he had used the bonus money to pay for the operation.

Future in football and conditional reinstatement

The prospects of Vick returning to play professional football were the subject of conjecture. After his suspension, the most serious obstacles were the length of imprisonment and possible impact of probationary restrictions afterward. Vick's federal prison sentence was set to expire July 20, 2009, although he completed his sentence under house arrest at his home in Hampton, Virginia. The Virginia charges he faced were resolved and dropped in late 2008 with a suspended sentence.

During incarceration, Vick's financial condition rapidly deteriorated due to virtually having no income and substantial ongoing expenses for attorneys, maintaining at least six luxury homes in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, and providing living expenses and about ten vehicles for friends and relatives. With debts millions of dollars in excess of assets, and facing judgments and collection efforts by some of the creditors, his attorneys filed for federal bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 on his behalf in July 2008.

Vick's initial reorganization plan relied upon Vick again earning a very substantial income as a professional football player, which he could not assure the court. Testifying on April 3 in Newport News, Vick told the bankruptcy court judge that he believed he could play pro football for another 10 years. His agent, Joel Segal, testified that he hoped to secure Vick a well-paying contract to play football with another NFL team after his suspension is lifted and after the Falcons release him.

Vick wanted to start the bankruptcy plan May 1, 2009 but could only demonstrate a commitment for a construction job paying approximately $20,000 per year arranged by the rector of Virginia Tech, an old friend and long-time supporter. His plan, even after divesting many assets, would have required at least $200,000 annually to maintain two of the homes in Virginia, three expensive vehicles, and continue to provide a comfortable living for his mother, brother, a former girlfriend and their son, and his fiancee and their two children. The plan was rejected by Judge Frank Santoro on April 3, who said the numbers simply did not work. He agreed to allow Vick time to plan a much more modest plan. Santoro was scheduled to meet with attorneys on April 28 for an update session.

Philadelphia Eagles

2009

After his release from prison, Vick was mentored by former Colts coach Tony Dungy. On August 13, 2009, Vick signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. He earned $1.6 million, of which no amount was guaranteed. The contract contained a team option for the 2010 season worth $5 million. Vick was able to participate in all team practices and meetings as well as the Eagles' last two preseason games. He was eligible to play in the third week of the regular season. Donovan McNabb told reporters he gave coach Andy Reid the idea to sign Vick. He was placed on the exempt/commissioner's permission list on September 5, 2009. On September 15, Vick was activated to the 53-man roster. He played sparingly as McNabb's backup. In week 13, against the Falcons, Vick threw a touchdown and ran for a touchdown, his first scores since December 2006. In December 2009, Vick became the Ed Block Courage Award recipient for the Eagles, an award voted by teammates. The award honors players who "exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage." Vick said of the award, "It means a great deal to me. I was voted unanimously by my teammates. They know what I've been through. I've been through a lot. It's been great to come back and have an opportunity to play and be with a great group of guys. I'm just ecstatic about that and I enjoy every day." On January 9, 2010, in the Eagles' NFC Wildcard game against the Dallas Cowboys, Vick threw the longest touchdown pass of his career, connecting in the second quarter with rookie Jeremy Maclin for a 76-yard score.

2010

On January 11, 2010, Reid named Donovan McNabb the Eagles' 2010 starter, but after McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins, Kevin Kolb was named the starter with Vick again second string. Vick said, "I know I can still play at a high level." When asked if he wanted the Eagles to pick up the second year of his contract, he replied, "I hope so...I feel like I'm probably better than I ever was in my career, as far as the mental aspect of the game." On March 9, 2010, the Eagles exercised his option for 2010 and Vick received a $1.5 million roster bonus. On September 21, 2010, Reid named Vick the Eagles' starting quarterback. In his second game as a starter versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vick led the Eagles to a 28–3 win, throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns as well as rushing for a touchdown. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the month of September. Vick suffered a rib cartilage injury in a week 4 game against the Redskins, and was replaced by Kolb. Vick had gone 5-for-7 for 49 yards with three carries for 17 yards prior to the injury.

On November 15, in a week 10 ''Monday Night Football'' matchup against the Washington Redskins, Vick passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while he rushed for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. Vick threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson on the first play from scrimmage in the game, and went on to lead the Eagles to a 59–28 victory. Vick was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame asked for his game jersey to display after Vick became the first player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the first half of a game. On December 19, in a week 15 matchup against the New York Giants, Vick led a fourth quarter rally to erase a 21-point deficit and scored three touchdowns to tie the game with under two minutes left. DeSean Jackson returned the Giants' last punt of the game for a touchdown to win the game for the Eagles as time expired.

Vick finished the season passing for 3,018 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions with a passer rating of 100.2. He had 100 carries for 676 yards and nine touchdowns.

Only Randall Cunningham has more rushing yards at the quarterback position than Vick. He is first among quarterbacks in rushing yards per game at 47.1. Vick holds several NFL quarterback rushing records, including most rushing yards in one game (173), most 100-yard rushing games (8), and most rushing yards in a single season (1,039).

Vick earned Pro Bowl honors for the fourth time in his career following the season, and was named the starting quarterback for the NFC squad. He was named the ''Associated Press'' and ''Sporting News'' Comeback Player of the Year following the season. He was named the Bert Bell Award winner for 2010 on March 4, 2011.

2011

On February 15, 2010, the Eagles placed their franchise tag on Vick. He signed the one-year tender on March 2, 2011. On August 29th, however, Vick and the Eagles announced they had agreed on a 6-year, $100 million contact with almost $40 million in guaranteed money.

Career statistics

Regular season

113 !2002 NFL season 421 !2003 NFL season 100 !2004 NFL season 321 !2005 NFL season 387 !2006 NFL season 388 !2009 NFL season 13 !2010 NFL season 372

rowspan="2"	Year !! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|G !! rowspan="2"|GS !! colspan="8" |Passing !! colspan="4" |Rushing !! colspan="2" |Sacked !! colspan="2" |Fumbles
! Att !! Comp !! Pct !! Yds !! Y/A !! TD !! Int !! Rtg !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Sack !! YdsL !! Fum !! FumL
![[2001 NFL season	8	2	|	50	44.2	785	6.9	2	3	62.7	31	289	9.3	1	21	113	6	5
2002 !	ATL	15	15	|	231	54.9	2936	7.0	16	8	81.6	113	777	6.9	8	33	206	9	6
2003 !	ATL	5	4	|	50	50.0	585	5.9	4	3	69.0	40	255	6.4	1	9	64	4	1
2004 !	ATL	15	15	|	181	56.4	2313	7.2	14	12	78.1	120	902	7.5	3	46	266	16	7
2005 !	ATL	15	15	|	214	55.3	2412	6.2	15	13	73.1	102	597	5.9	6	33	201	11	5
2006 !	ATL	16	16	|	204	52.6	2474	6.4	20	13	75.7	123	1039	8.4	2	45	303	9	3
2009 !	PHL	12	1	|	6	46.2	86	6.6	1	0	93.8	24	95	4.0	2	0	0	0	0
2010 !	PHL	12	12	|	233	62.6	3018	8.1	21	6	100.2	100	676	6.8	9	34	210	11	3
Total !! 98 !! 74 !! 2115 !! 1169 !! 55.3 !! 14609 !! 6.9 !! 93 !! 58 !! 80.2 !! 653 !! 4630 !! 7.1 !! 32 !! 221 !! 1363 !! 66 !! 30

Playoffs

63 !2004 NFL season 40 !2009 NFL season 2 !2010 NFL season 36

rowspan="2"	Year !! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|G !! rowspan="2"|GS !! colspan="8" |Passing !! colspan="4" |Rushing
! Att !! Comp !! Pct !! Yds !! Y/A !! TD !! Int !! Rtg !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD
![[2002 NFL season	2	2	|	35	55.6	391	6.2	1	1	72.9	14	88	6.3	0
2004 !	ATL	2	2	|	23	57.5	218	5.5	2	1	79.0	12	145	12.1	0
2009 !	PHL	1	0	|	1	50.0	76	38.0	1	0	135.4	1	0	0	0
2010 !	PHL	1	1	|	20	55.6	292	8.1	1	1	79.9	8	32	4.0	1
Total !! 6 !! 5 !! 141 !! 89 !! 54.2 !! 977 !! 6.6 !! 5 !! 3 !! 91.8 !! 35 !! 265 !! 9.0 !! 1

Controversial incidents and crimes

Early incidents

Name	Michael Dwayne Vick
Alias	Ookie, Ron Mexico
Birthname	Michael Dwayne Vick
Birth date	June 26, 1980
Birth place	Newport News, Virginia
Conviction	(Federal) Felony conspiracy in interstate commerce/aid of unlawful animal fighting venture (Title 18, USC, Section 371); (Virginia) Felony dogfighting, 3 years in prison and $2500 fine
Conviction penalty	(Federal) 23 months in prison, three years probation following release; (Virginia) fine and prison time suspended upon condition of good behavior for 4 years beginning November 2008
Conviction status	Released on July 20, 2009 after servicing federal sentence, currently on probation (slated to expire in November 2012)
Occupation	American football quarterback
Parents	Michael Boddie, Brenda Vick }}

Between his selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft and early 2007, Vick was allegedly involved in several incidents: In 2007, statements were made by his father, Michael Boddie, about possible dogfighting activities in 2001. Boddie told the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' that around 2001, Vick was staging dogfights in the garage of the family's home in Newport News and kept fighting dogs in the family's backyard, including injured ones which the father nursed back to health. Boddie said his son had been urged to not engage in the activity, but continued. He stated: "This is Mike's thing. And he knows it." Within days, Vick's mother, Brenda Vick Boddie, told the ''Newport News Daily Press'' "There was no dogfighting (at our home). There were no cages." In early 2004, two men were arrested in Virginia for distributing marijuana. The truck they were driving was registered to Vick. Falcons coach Dan Reeves recalled that he lectured Vick at that time on the importance of reputation, on choosing the right friends, and on staying out of trouble for the good of his team. On October 10, 2004, Vick and other members of his party, including employee Quanis Phillips, were at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport on their way to board an AirTran flight. While they were passing through a security checkpoint, a security camera caught Phillips and Todd Harris picking up an expensive-appearing watch which belonged to Alvin Spencer, a security screener. After watching the theft on a video tape, Spencer filed a police report. He claimed that Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, known as the Falcons' "fixer", interfered with the investigation. Although Vick representatives declined to make him available for an Atlanta police inquiry, six days later Spencer got the watch back from them. In March 2005, Sonya Elliott filed a civil lawsuit against Vick alleging she contracted genital herpes from him in the autumn of 2002 and that he failed to inform her that he had the disease. Elliot further alleged that Vick had visited clinics under the alias "Ron Mexico" to get treatments and thus knew of his condition. On April 24, 2006, Vick's attorney, Lawrence Woodward, revealed that the lawsuit had been settled out of court under undisclosed terms. Many fans bought custom jerseys from NFL.com with Vick's number 7 and the name "MEXICO" on the back. The NFL has since banned customizing jerseys with the name Mexico. November 26, 2006 – After a loss to the New Orleans Saints in the Georgia Dome, in apparent reaction to fans booing, Vick made an obscene gesture at fans, holding up two middle fingers. He was fined $10,000 by the NFL and agreed to donate another $10,000 to charity. January 17, 2007 – Vick surrendered a water bottle which had a hidden compartment to security personnel at Miami International Airport. "The compartment was hidden by the bottle's label so that it appeared to be a full bottle of water when held upright," police said. Test results indicated there were no illegal substances in the water bottle and Vick was cleared of any wrongdoing. Vick announced that the water bottle was a jewelry stash box, and that the substance in question had been jewelry. On April 24, 2007, Vick was scheduled to lobby on Capitol Hill, hoping to persuade lawmakers to increase funding for after-school programs. Vick missed a connecting flight in Atlanta on Monday to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. He later failed to show up for another seat booked for him later that evening. On Tuesday morning, he did not attend his scheduled appearance at the congressional breakfast where he was to be honored for his foundation's work with after-school projects in Georgia and Virginia. Vick's mother Brenda accepted the award from the Afterschool Alliance.

Dog fighting investigations

A search warrant executed on April 25, 2007 as part of a drug investigation of Vick's cousin Davon Boddie led to discovery of evidence of unlawful dog fighting activities at a property owned by Vick in rural Surry County in southeastern Virginia, with extensive dogfighting facilities. Widespread media publicity quickly gained momentum as state officials investigated, soon joined by federal authorities with their own investigation. As the separate state and federal investigations progressed, more and more details of the operations of an interstate dog fighting ring were revealed, with some portions involving drugs and gambling. Gruesome details involving abuse, torture and execution of under-performing dogs galvanized animal rights activists and expressions of public outrage. Vick and several others were indicted on both federal and Virginia felony charges related to the operation.

Federal criminal prosecution

In July 2007, Vick and three other men were charged by federal authorities with felony charges of operating an unlawful interstate dog fighting venture known as "Bad Newz Kennels." Vick was accused of financing the operation, directly participating in dog fights and executions, and personally handling thousands of dollars in related gambling activities. Federal prosecutors indicated they intended to proceed under the powerful provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

Convictions

By August 20, Vick and the other three co-defendants agreed to separate plea bargains for the federal charges. They were expected to each receive federal prison sentences between 12 months and five years.

On August 24, Vick filed plea documents with the federal court. He pleaded guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture". He admitted to providing most of the financing for the operation and to participating directly in several dog fights in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. He admitted to sharing in the proceeds from these dog fights. He further admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs who did not perform well. He admitted to being involved in the destruction of 6–8 dogs, by hanging or drowning. The "victimization and killing of pit bulls" was considered as aggravating circumstances that led prosecutors to exceed the federal sentencing guidelines for the charge. He denied placing any side bets on the dogfights.

On August 27, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick's guilty plea.

Failed drug test

While free on bail, Vick tested positive for marijuana in a random drug test. This was a violation of the conditions of his release while awaiting sentencing in federal court for his felony conviction. Vick's positive urine sample was submitted September 13, 2007, according to a document by a federal probation officer that was filed in U.S. District Court on September 26. As a result, Hudson ordered Vick confined to his Hampton, Virginia home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring until his court hearing date in December. He was ordered to submit to random drug testing.

Incarceration begins

In November, Vick turned himself in early to begin getting time-served credit against his likely federal prison sentence. He was held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia awaiting sentencing on the federal convictions on December 10, 2007.

Sentencing & prison

On December 10, Vick appeared in U.S. District Court in Richmond for sentencing. Judge Hudson said he was "convinced that it was not a momentary lack of judgment" on Vick's part, and that Vick was a "full partner" in the dog fighting ring, and he was sentenced to serve 23 months in federal prison. Hudson noted that, despite Vick's claims that he accepted responsibility for his actions, his failure to cooperate fully with federal officials, coupled with a failed drug test and a failed polygraph, showed that Vick had not accepted full responsibility for "promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity". Vick was assigned to United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, a federal prison facility in Leavenworth, Kansas to serve his sentence.

Fraudulent misappropriation of funds

At the request of federal authorities before sentencing, Vick agreed to deposit nearly $1 million in an escrow account with attorneys for use to reimburse costs of caring for the confiscated dogs, most of which were being offered for adoption on a selective basis under supervision of a court-appointed specialist. Experts said some of the animals will require individual care for the rest of their lives. During his bankruptcy trial, the U.S. Department of Labor complained that these funds were paid at least partially with unlawfully withdrawn monies which Vick held in trust for himself and eight other employees of MV7, a celebrity marketing company he owns.

State criminal prosecution

Separate Virginia charges against all four men were placed following indictments by the Surry County grand jury when it met on September 25, 2007. The principal evidence considered was the sworn statements of the defendants during their plea agreement process before the federal court, although the indictments are for different charges. Vick was charged with two class 6 felonies, which carry a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for each charge.

Citing the high costs and transportation logistics of proceeding while he was still in federal prisons out of state, the prosecutor, Gerald Poindexter, decided to postpone Vick's trial in Surry County Circuit Court until after his release from federal custody. Vick's attorneys sought to resolve the state charges sooner. On October 14, 2008, Woodward filed a motion to enter a plea via two-way electronic video with the Surry County Courts. Vick planned to plead guilty to state charges in an effort to get early release from federal prison and enter a halfway house. The request for a trial without Vick physically present was denied. Poindexter agreed to hold the state trial while Vick was still in federal custody if he bore the costs of his transportation to Virginia and related expenses.

State trial and sentencing

In late November 2008, Vick was transported to Virginia to face state charges. On November 25, he appeared before the Surry County Circuit Court at a session held in neighboring Sussex County because the Surry court building was undergoing renovation. He submitted a guilty plea to a single Virginia felony charge for dog fighting, receiving a 3 year prison sentence, imposition of which was suspended upon condition of good behavior, and a $2500 fine. In return for the plea agreement, the other charge was dropped. Michael Dwayne Vick, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) ID# 33765-183, was released on July 20, 2009.

Steroid allegations

On January 23, 2010, the Dallas Morning News reported that steroid trafficker David Jacobs told the paper he supplied steroids to Vick while Vick played for the Falcons. When questioned by federal agents and prosecutors, Vick denied the allegations.

Financial troubles

At the end of 2006, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine estimated Vick's annual income between his NFL salary and endorsements at $25.4 million, ranking him just below NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a listing of highest earning athletes. There were problems in Vick's affairs with poor financial management, bad investments, and lawsuits. A $45 million dollar lawsuit was pending in a dispute with his original sports agents. Several lucrative endorsement deals apparently soured.

After the dog fighting indictments were announced in July 2007, financial claims against Vick escalated. While in prison, Vick's income was reduced to wages of less than a dollar a day. With affairs severely affected by lost income, legal expenses, litigation, and mismanagement by a series of friends and financial advisers, he was unable to meet scheduled payments and other obligations. Within several months, Vick had been named in numerous lawsuits by banks and creditors for defaulting on loans, some relating to business investments.

The dog fighting property near Smithfield, Virginia had been liquidated earlier, and in November 2007, Vick attempted to sell another of his homes.

As he served his sentence in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, friends and family continued to occupy some of the other homes in the South Beach section of Miami Beach, Florida and multiple locations in Virginia. In June 2008, when his brother Marcus was arrested and jailed in Norfolk after a police chase, he listed his residence as a $1.39 million home owned by Vick in an exclusive riverfront community in Suffolk, Virginia. Construction of a new riverfront home took place on land Vick owned in another exclusive section of Suffolk. His attorneys later estimated that he was spending $30,000 a month to support seven friends and relatives, including his mother and brother, three children, and their mothers.

Bankruptcy

On July 7, 2008, Vick sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News after failing to "work out consensual resolutions with each of his creditors," according to court papers. The initial filing, which was incomplete, listed assets of less than $50 million and debt of $10 million to $50 million. The seven largest creditors without collateral backing their claims are owed a total of $12.8 million. The three biggest unsecured creditors are Joel Enterprises Inc., owed $4.5 million for breach of contract; Atlanta Falcons, owed $3.75 million for "pro-rated signing bonus;" and Royal Bank of Canada, owed $2.5 million for a loan.

Listing of major financial obligations

Although dozens of creditors were listed in the initial bankruptcy filing, several stood out as major.

Joel Enterprises

Joel Enterprises of Richmond was listed by Vick as one of his larger creditors. Sports agents Andrew Joel and Dave Lowman claimed Vick signed a contract with their firm in 2001, 9 days before he announced he was leaving Virginia Tech early and declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft. With his mother as a witness, Vick signed a five-year marketing agreement that anticipated a wide range of endorsement activities using Vick's name, likeness, voice and reputation. Joel's cut would be 25% of all deals, excluding Vick's NFL contract, according to the agreement. Subsequently, Vick attempted to end the relationship with Joel Enterprises suddenly a few weeks later, and entered into another relationship with other agents.

In 2005, Joel Enterprises sued Vick in Richmond Circuit Court for $45 million in compensatory and punitive damages for "breach of contract" . After the Virginia Supreme Court denied a Vick motion and ruled that the civil trial could proceed in December 2006, the parties both agreed to submit the dispute to binding arbitration for resolution instead of a formal civil court trial. The case was heard in Richmond by Charlottesville attorney Thomas Albro. The outcome was an award of $4.5 million to Joel.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons sought to recover a portion of Vick's $37 million 2004 signing bonus. A reduced amount of $20 million was awarded to the Falcons in binding legal arbitration, which Vick disputed. The amount was reduced by an agreement between the parties that Vick will pay the Falcons between $6.5 and $7.5 million, the variance depending upon the outcome of a pending court case which is similar yet unrelated. The bankruptcy court was advised of this Vick-Falcons settlement agreement on April 3, 2009.

Royal Bank of Canada

On September 20, 2007, the Royal Bank of Canada filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Newport News against Vick for more than $2.3 million for a loan which was to be for real estate purposes. The suit claimed Vick failed to meet a September 10 deadline to repay. On May 7, 2008, the court granted a motion for summary judgment against Vick for default and breach of a promissory note and ordered him to pay more than US$2.5 million.

1st Source Bank

On September 26, 2007, 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend, Indiana, claimed in a federal lawsuit that it had suffered damages of at least $2 million as Vick and Divine Seven LLC of Atlanta had refused to pay for at least 130 vehicles acquired to be used as rental cars. The Specialty Financing Group of 1st Source provides financing for rental car fleets.

1st Source was able to repossess most of the cars, which will limit Vick's financial liability in the lawsuit. Vick's bankruptcy filing listed $400,000 as the amount of his potential liability; the filing did not indicate that the amount due 1st Source was either secured by any assets or in dispute.

Wachovia Bank

On October 2, 2007, Wachovia Bank filed suit in U.S. District Court in Atlanta seeking about $940,000 from Vick and Gerald Frank Jenkins, a business partner, and their Atlantic Wine & Package LLC. The bank claimed the two defaulted on a May 2006 loan of $1.3 million to set up a wine shop and restaurant and had not made scheduled payments. Jenkins, a retired surgeon who has owned Atlantic Wine since 2004, brought Vick in as an investor.

In May 2008, that summary judgment in favor of Wachovia against Vick was granted by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The amount of $1,117,908.85 represented the initial principal balance outstanding ($937,907.61), interest accrued, outstanding fees, overdrawn accounts, and attorney fees. The order provided that further interest could be accrued.

U.S. Department of Labor

On March 25, 2009, the United States Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Newport News, alleging that Vick and others violated federal employee benefits law taking funds in the amount of $1.35 million in withdrawals from the retirement plan sponsored by MV7, one of his companies.

The money held was in trust under pension laws to fund retirement plans for 9 current or former employees of MV7. The Labor Department simultaneously filed an adversary complaint in federal bankruptcy court to prevent Vick from discharging his alleged debt to the MV7 pension plan. The complaint alleged that some of the funds were used to pay restitution ordered in his dogfighting conspiracy case.

Early proceedings

In August 2008, Vick's finances were in such disarray that a bankruptcy judge had been asked to appoint a trustee to oversee them. U.S. Trustee W. Clarkson McDow Jr. noted in court documents filed in Virginia that, by his own admission, Vick "has limited ability to arrange his finances and limited ability to participate in the bankruptcy case on an in-person basis." McDow wrote in his motion to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee "It appears that Mr. Vick has routinely relied upon others to make financial decisions for him, giving them discretionary control over large sums of money". McDow named Mary Wong and David A. Talbot as individuals who had obtained broad written authority to act as his attorney-in-fact over all of his financial affairs. On the same day, an ESPN news story described Wong and Talbot as "two financial advisers who have been charged with major frauds."

Mary Wong

In fall 2007, upon a recommendation from Falcons teammate Demorrio Williams, Vick hired Wong, a business manager in Omaha, Nebraska. Wong helped cash in some of Vick's investments to provide the restitution funds required by the federal court in his criminal case to care for the dogs. According to a document filed by one of Vick's attorneys, she used a power of attorney from Vick to "wrongfully remove" at least another $900,000 from his various accounts. Court papers also say Wong "caused certain business entities owned by [Vick] to be transferred to her." Vick learned later that Wong had been permanently barred from working with any firm that traded on the New York Stock Exchange as the result of taking more than $150,000 from two elderly widows she met while working at Wells Fargo Investments.

David A. Talbot

Vick next turned to Talbot, a medical school graduate from Hackensack, New Jersey who claimed expertise in financial management. Vick later told the court that he met Talbot in April 2008 through his brother, Marcus, who he said is a good friend of Talbot's son. Talbot was to be paid $15,000 per month and took possession of one of Vick's cars, an $85,000 Mercedes-Benz. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that his professional résumé contained numerous false statements. Talbot has been accused of defrauding church members in New Jersey. New Jersey's Attorney General instituted legal action against Talbot for securities fraud in a scheme to "defraud" several investors of more than $500,000 by offering them "asset enhancement contracts" that were to be used to build a new church. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro ordered that the Mercedes-Benz Vick gave Talbot be repossessed and sold, and that Talbot show up at a hearing on September 5.

On August 29, a hearing was held in Newport News Bankruptcy Court. Vick participated by speaker phone from Leavenworth. He told the court his representatives were talking to the NFL on his behalf about a return to football, but that he did not know what his earning potential is.

On September 5, Talbot appeared before Santoro but declined to answer the judge's questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Santoro told him, "You are ordered to account for every dime – or every penny, let's put it that way – that you have received from Mr. Vick." Talbot's attorney told the court that Talbot gave the Mercedes-Benz back to Marcus, who drove it from Florida to Virginia.

Ongoing expenses: support of friends and relatives

Attorney Paul K. Campsen explained to the court that Vick "has supported his mother, brother, fiancée and his two children" over the years. He reported that Vick's financial problems included average monthly expenses of $12,225 for several large homes his family and friends were living in and a monthly income of just $277.69.

Vick's mother Brenda was a school bus driver in Newport News. She had been earning $100,000 per year as an employee of MV7, Vick's celebrity marketing company, which also employed one of his sisters. Marcus, who lives with Brenda, lost his college scholarship when he was expelled from the football program at Virginia Tech following a series of incidents. An undrafted free agent in the 2006 NFL Draft, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins and played in one game. The Dolphins did not renew his single year contract. At the time of the hearing, he was free on bail facing multiple charges from the police chase incident in June 2008 in Norfolk. On October 20, Marcus was convicted and given a suspended twelve month jail sentence.

According to Vick's attorneys, money Vick gave his fiancée, mother, two children and other family members in recent years might have to be returned to pay creditors. If they bought property with money that Vick gave them, they could be ordered to sell that property and turn over the proceeds to the court.

Initial Reorganization Plan

After being granted an extension in July, on November 12, 2008, Vick's attorneys filed a document entitled "Disclosure Statement With Respect to Debtor's First Amended Plan of Reorganization." Under the bankruptcy plan discussed with the Bankruptcy Court earlier at an October 4 hearing, Vick's plans include selling three of his six homes. He would keep the two homes in Suffolk, the one occupied by his mother on West Creek Court, and his fiancée, Kijafa Frink, and their two children, who were living with him in the house in Hampton prior to his incarceration, would live in the new $2 million house being built on Wentworth Court in Suffolk. His previous girlfriend, Tameka Taylor, and his son by her, who have lived in the James City County house, would live with her relatives.

For monthly expenses, Vick listed support payments of approximately $30,000 a month. Items include $14,531 a month to his mother (which includes $4,700 in mortgage payments and a monthly electric power bill of $663), $12,363 a month to his fiancée and two daughters, and $3,500 a month to Taylor. Creditors have challenged Vick's spending, particularly since his suspension from the NFL.

Income prospects

Vick's attorneys told the judge on November 13 that Vick "has every reason to believe that upon his release, he will be reinstated into the NFL, resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living." One of his bankruptcy attorneys told the court that Vick and his creditors were after the same ends: allowing Vick to right himself financially, get back to playing football, and pay off his debts.

Funds and assets handled by Reamon, Wong, Talbot, Washington

On November 13, his attorneys told the bankruptcy court that they are still working on accounting for all his funds during the past two years. They told the judge that they would question Charles W. Reamon Jr., a Vick associate with a connection to the dogfighting location and the nephew of Vick's high school coach and mentor, Tommy Reamon. Records revealed that in January 2006, Reamon paid the $50 fee to renew the kennel license at Vick's Surry County property where the dog fighting ring was based. Reamon has a criminal record in Virginia with three convictions related to illegal firearms or airport security. The attorneys told the court that Reamon, listed in court papers as Vick's personal assistant and friend, had permission from Vick to disburse the money to Vick's family, but so far not all of the $3 million of Vick's money he apparently handled in the two years before Vick filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2008 has been accounted for. Reamon spent at least some of the money on, "among other things, a horse farm, horses, cars, boats and spending money." Reamon, Wong, and Talbot are listed as potential defendants in separate lawsuits that Vick is considering filing, alleging mismanagement of his money.

The farm in Surry County for which Vick paid 50% was titled exclusively in Reamon's name, although Vick maintains he owned a 50% interest. Reamon was in possession or control of several small yachts, also paid for partially or entirely by Vick, one of which was being offered for sale.

The status of Vick's approximately 60% interest in Seven Charms, LLC, a horse farm in Conyers, Georgia in partnership with Arthur Washington, was undetermined. In September 2008, the farm, in which Vick had invested $200,000, was sold at absolute auction for unpaid real estate taxes at far below market value. Washington apparently failed to notify Vick of the pending auction and kept the proceeds. Documents revealed that both the actions of the county and Washington are being challenged by Vick's attorneys due to his federal bankruptcy protection.

Six racing horses boarded at a horse farm in Florida were to be sold with net proceeds after commissions and expenses to go towards the bankruptcy fund. As of the September disclosure, one of these transactions has been completed, with net proceeds of approximately $30,000.

Revisions to Initial Reorganization Plan

The house in Surry County that served as headquarters for Bad Newz Kennels was sold to an investor, and was vacant and still on the market as of March 2009. The Georgia house was put on auction in February, 2009. The minimum bid was $3.2 million, but there were no bids. Another effort in March failed to produce bids.

Under revisions to the plan, Vick would sell the home on West Creek Court in Suffolk's Harbour View where his mother and brother live. As planned earlier, Vick, his fiancée, and their two children will live in the newhouse in Governor's Pointe in Suffolk. Under the revision, Vick's mother and brother would have relocated to the house in Hampton where Frink and the children have been living while the Governor's Pointe mansion was under construction. Vick would have also retained valuable personal property, including a 2007 Land Rover, a Lincoln Navigator and a 2007 Infiniti truck.

The plan provided for Vick to keep all of his first $750,000 in income. A portion of his income in excess of $750,000 annually would be used by the court to discharge his debts on a sliding scale. He would then pay 20% of any additional income up to $2.5 million, 25% of income between $2.5 million and $10 million and 33% of income over $10 million.

A court hearing on April 2, 2009, was expected to provide further clarification regarding repayment of the $1.35 million unlawfully withdrawn from a pension fund for Vick employees which was claimed by the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as disposition of funds which may recovered from the claims and/or lawsuits pending against Reamon, Wong, and Talbot for missing or unaccounted money they handled.

Objections to Reorganization Plan

Creditor Joel Enterprises is owed $4.6 million. Andrew Joel objected to the plan because he wants to be paid first, rather than in line with other creditors. Joel Enterprises filed a complaint on March 26 alleging Vick transferred property and cash to relatives and friends in the year before he filed for bankruptcy to defraud his creditors.

The Internal Revenue Service reported to the bankruptcy judge that Vick owes more than $1.2 million in back taxes as of October 2008. The IRS said that figure may increase as he had not yet filed his 2007 return.

Objections to the proposed Reorganization Plan were filed by the Virginia Department of Taxation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. attorney's office, and the U.S. bankruptcy trustee.

April 2009 hearing

Vick appeared in person before Santoro at a hearing in Newport News on April 2, 2009. In March, Santoro rejected the idea of allowing testimony by video hookup, saying he needed Vick in the courtroom so he could assess his demeanor and credibility. The U.S. Marshals Service and Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk handled custody of him while in Virginia.

At the early part of the hearing, Santoro learned that settlement agreements had been negotiated by Vick's attorneys which would allow the U.S. Department of Labor and the Virginia Department of Taxation to withdraw their objections to the reorganization plan. The majority of Vick's creditors, representing about 80% of listed liabilities, agreed to this plan. At that point, the judge became aware that Joel Enterprises remained as the only creditor to continue to object to the plan.

Vick testified that he intends to live a better life after prison. He spoke about his crime, saying that it was "heinous" and he felt "true remorse". Under questioning by Joel's attorney, Vick admitted that he knowingly withdrew an additional $150,000 from the pension fund last year, even after being advised that it was improper, explaining that he was "desperate" to pay some bills.

Regarding his projected income, the court heard testimony about Vick's plans to pay creditors, which included working 40 hours a week in a $10 an hour construction job promised by a major contractor and longtime acquaintance, until he was reinstated to the NFL, and signed by a team. Agent Joel Segal testified to a pending $600,000 documentary deal to tell the story of Vick's life and his plan to negotiate to place Vick with an NFL team as soon as issues by the League and the Falcons are satisfied.

Initial Reorganization Plan rejected

Near the end of the hearing on April 3, Santoro rejected the plan as unsound, saying that it was too strongly predicated on both Vick's hopes of a return to the NFL and the very substantial projected income which it may bring, neither of which was assured. He said information presented about the $600,000 documentary deal was too incomplete.

Santoro calculated that under his plan, Vick would need about $1 million by May 1 to confirm the bankruptcy plan, and will only have about 21% of that available by then. Santoro said Vick would need at least $7 million to $8 million more annually just to break even after three years. About $3.5 million of that would have gone to pay bankruptcy lawyers. Santoro was critical of the plan's provisions for Vick to maintain two houses and four cars, calculating that Vick would need about $200,000 in annual living expenses.

The judge commended Vick for trying to work out his financial mess after years of poor choices. He told Vick the numbers simply did not add up. Adjourning the case until a status hearing with lawyers on March 28, Santoro told Vick to work with his advisers to create a new plan, and suggested Vick begin by liquidating one or both of his Virginia homes, as well as three of the cars that Vick had intended to keep, and "buy a house more within his means." Vick earlier testified that he felt obligated to provide for his friends and family because of "where he had come from." Santoro told Vick that while that might be commendable, "You cannot be everything to everybody. If you do, you're going to be nothing to anybody."

Revised Reorganization Plan approved

On April 28, attorneys met with Santoro for a scheduled update meeting and advised him that they are making substantial progress on a revised plan to submit to the court. They reported having settled all disputes with his creditors, including Joel.

There were no indications of any new developments regarding Vick's prospects for playing in the NFL. Specific information about possible additional divesture one or both of the luxury homes and vehicles Vick had hoped to keep as the judge had recommended on April 3 was also not available. Santoro set a June 9 hearing date for the attorneys to return with a revised plan.

On August 27, Santoro approved the revised Reorganization Plan. It was supported by all Vick's creditors but one who is owed $13,000. Every creditor will be paid back in six years on the condition that an estimated $9 million in assets is liquidated. Under this plan, Vick will have annual living expenses of $300,000. Vick can spend up to $3,500 each month for rent in Philadelphia and $750 for "utilies and miscellaneous." He has to pay $3,712 each month on the mortgage for his house in Hampton, Virginia, where his fiancée and two children live, and he can pay up to $1,355 per month in private school tuition for his children. Vick can pay up to $472 each month for car-related expenses. His mother is allowed $2,500 per month, and he has to pay his former girlfriend Tameka Taylor $3,000 per month to support their son, Mitez, and her.

Vick was not required to pay creditors during his first season with the Eagles. Vick paid Segal $32,500 in 2010, will pay him $104,000 in 2011, and $160,000 each year from 2012−2015 for a total of $776,500. He paid bankruptcy lawyers $748,750 in 2010, will pay them $1,058,080 in 2011, and a total of $2.6 million.

Joseph Luzinski

A court-appointed trustee, Joseph Luzinski, is suing Vick's mother, his friend Charles Reamon, the mothers of his children, his brother Marcus, and other family and friends to get them to return everything Vick gave them in the months prior to his declaring bankruptcy. Vick gave $1.8 million to Reamon, $672,500 to his fiancée, nearly $300,000 to financial advisors who then stole or lost his money, and $317,000 towards the purchase of a building for his church in Hampton.

Awards, records, and accomplishments

College awards

1999 Big East Conference Rookie of the Year

1999 Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year

1999 Archie Griffin Award

2000 Best College Football Player ESPY Award

2001 Toyota Gator Bowl MVP

College records and accomplishments

Set an NCAA record for a freshman and established single-season school records for highest yards passing per completion (20.4), per attempt (12.1), highest completion percentage (59.2) and most yards per play (9.3).

Became the first player in Division I history to win a league's Player of the Year Award in the same season he won Rookie of the Year.

NFL records and milestones

On November 15, 2010, Vick became the first player in NFL history with 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game. Vick also became the first player in NFL history to have three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in the first half of a game.

In 2006, Vick became the only quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards during the regular season.

In 2006, Vick set the NFL record for most yards per carry in a season with 8.4.

Vick (1,039 yards) and Dunn (1,140) became the first QB/RB tandem in NFL history to each go over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the same season. They became the fourth set of teammates in league history to each have 1,000 or more yards.

Made his third Pro Bowl in 2005 as he passed for 2,412 yards and 16 touchdowns in addition to leading all NFL quarterbacks with 597 rushing yards and six scores.

Named to the second Pro Bowl of his career after leading the Falcons to their third division title in team history and breaking numerous NFL and team records in 2004.

Set an NFL postseason record for a quarterback with 119 rushing yards in the 2004 NFC Divisional playoff win against the Rams.

Became the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game in Denver (October 31, 2004).

Endorsements

During his career with the Falcons, Vick became a spokesperson for many companies; his endorsement contracts included Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola, Powerade, Kraft, Rawlings, Hasbro and AirTran.

Before the animal cruelty case surfaced in 2007, Vick's corporate status had deteriorated. Among the negative incidents was his middle finger gesture to Atlanta football fans in 2006.

Vick signed his first endorsement after being released from prison on January 27, 2011 with a two-year contract with Unequal Technologies, a company that produces football pads.

Nike officially signed Vick again as an athlete on July 1, 2011. They had been supplying him complimentary gear since October 2009 but this is especially notable considering this is the first time a sponsor has ever brought back an athlete after dropping them before.

Charitable foundations

Michael Vick has been a principal in two charitable foundations, the Michael Vick Foundation and The Vick Foundation.

In June 2006, Vick, along with his brother Marcus and mother Brenda, established The Vick Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support at-risk youth and the after school programs that serve them in the Metro Atlanta and Hampton Roads areas. The announcement of the new organization came just before the start of the foundation's first fundraiser, the Michael Vick Golf Classic. The inaugural event was held at the prestigious Kingsmill Golf Course in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia in partnership with The Virginia Tech Alumni Association Tidewater Chapter, and netted more than $80,000 for charity. According to its 2006 federal tax return, the Michael Vick Foundation provided 100 backpacks to poor children in Newport News and paid for an after-school program in 2006. During the same period the foundation spent 12% of its budget – $20,590 of $171,823 – on charitable programs and paid its fundraiser, Susan Bass Roberts, a former spokeswoman for Vick, $97,000. That foundation ceased operations in 2006. One of Vick's financial advisors withdrew $50,000, most of the remaining funds, from its checking account in 2008.

After the Virginia Tech massacre on April 16, 2007, Vick and the United Way donated $10,000 to assist families affected. The Vick Foundation collected donations from communities in Atlanta and Virginia that will be placed in the United In Caring Fund for Victims of the Virginia Tech Tragedy and the special fund at the United Way of Montgomery, Radford and Floyd counties, which serves the Virginia Tech area. The Vick Foundation said the money would be used to provide help with funeral expenses, transportation for family members and other support services.

In June 2007, the "Michael Vick Football Camp," to be held at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, was canceled for the summer 2007 session. He canceled participation in another football camp to be held at the College of William and Mary and was replaced by Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell.

On June 22, 2007, a charity golf tournament featuring Vick, intended in part to raise scholarships in memory of Virginia Tech's shooting victims, was rescheduled for September.

Political activity

Vick has lobbied for H.R. 2492, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which would establish federal misdemeanor penalties against convicted spectators of illegal animal fighting and make it a felony for adults to bring children to fights.

Documentary series

In the spring of 2010, cable network BET aired a 10-episode documentary series called ''The Michael Vick Project''. It chronicled Vick as he was coming to terms with his dogfighting past.

References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles bio

Vick Indicted on Va. Dogfighting Charges on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)

The Smoking Gun - ''United States v. Michael Vick'', Criminal No. 3:07CR274 (E.D. Va., August 24, 2007) Summary of the facts and plea agreement

Michael Vick CNN

}}

Category:21st-century American criminals Category:People from Newport News, Virginia Category:Players of American football from Virginia Category:American football quarterbacks Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:National Football League first overall draft picks Category:Virginia Tech Hokies football players Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:Animal cruelty incidents Category:Philadelphia Eagles players Category:Ed Block Courage Award recipients Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:African American players of American football

da:Michael Vick de:Michael Vick es:Michael Vick fr:Michael Vick it:Michael Vick he:מייקל ויק hu:Michael Vick ja:マイケル・ヴィック pt:Michael Vick simple:Michael Vick fi:Michael Vick

Width	235px
Position	Small Forward
Height ft	6
Height in	8
Weight lb	250
Team	Miami Heat
Number	6
Nationality	American
Birth date	December 30, 1984
Birth place	Akron, Ohio, United States
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career start	2003
High school	St. Vincent – St. Mary High School
Profile	lebron_james
Team1	Cleveland Cavaliers |years1–
Team2	Miami Heat |years2–present
Highlights	2× NBA Most Valuable Player (–) NBA Rookie of the Year () 7× NBA All-Star (2005–2011) NBA Scoring Champion () 5× All-NBA First Team (, –) 2× All-NBA Second Team (, ) 3× All-Defensive First Team (–) NBA All-Rookie First Team () 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003)
Medaltemplates	}}

LeBron Raymone James (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a sophomore at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a shoe contract with Nike before his professional debut. Listed as a small forward, James has set numerous youngest player records since joining the league. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003–04, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008–09 and 2009–10, and has been both an All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James signing with the Miami Heat. He became the third reigning NBA MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.

The focal point of the Cleveland offense, James led the team to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, James and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games, 4–2. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.

High school career

James attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, where he became a starter during his freshman year for the Fighting Irish. He averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds, and led the team to a 23–1 record, en route to the Division III state title. Coach Keith Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation center. In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals. He led the team to a 26–1 record and a Division III state title for the second straight season. He was the first sophomore to be named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and became the first sophomore ever selected to the ''USA Today'' All-USA First Team.

In James' junior year his stats improved again. He averaged 29.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals and was again named Mr. Basketball of Ohio. He earned a spot on the All-USA First Team, and was named the 2001–02 boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. It was at this time that his nickname "King James" became a household staple in Ohio.

James appeared in ''SLAM Magazine'', which began his nationwide exposure. The St. Vincent–St. Mary basketball team did not defend its state title when increased enrollment forced the team to move up to the more challenging Division II (Ohio high school basketball has four divisions based on annual enrollment figures) and lost to Roger Bacon High School. James considered declaring for the 2002 draft after the season ended by petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules, which at the time required prospective players to have at least completed high school. The petition was unsuccessful, but it ensured him an unprecedented level of nation-wide attention as he entered his senior year. By then, James had already appeared on the covers of ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''ESPN The Magazine''. His popularity forced his team to move their practices from the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. NBA stars such as Shaquille O'Neal attended the games, and a few of James' high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.

In 2003, James' mother, Gloria James, got approval for a loan to buy a Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday. The bank took her son's future earning power into consideration, prompting an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted two throwback jerseys of Wes Unseld and Gale Sayers worth $845 from NEXT, an urban clothing store in Shaker Square, in exchange for his posing for pictures to be displayed on the store's walls, OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension and allowing him to play the remainder of the season. James' team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a result. That forfeit was the team's only official loss that season.

Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season. James was named to the All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third time, and was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio for the third year in a row. He earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. Although it was a foregone conclusion, by participating in more than two high school all-star events, James officially lost his NCAA eligibility. James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.

James also played football during his high school years at St.Vincent-St. Mary's. In his sophomore year he was named first-team all-state as a wide receiver, and in his junior year he led his team to the state semifinals. Sports analysts have speculated on whether he could have played in the NFL.

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)

Rookie season

James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Facing the Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals and shot 60% from the floor. After recording a season-high 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game. He was scheduled to compete in the 2004 Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star weekend, although due to an ankle injury he suffered in January 2004, he was unable to participate in the contest. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season, and was named 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season (Tyreke Evans has since joined this group). The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins and concluded the regular season with a 35–47 record, but failed to make the playoffs.

2004–05 season

In the 2004–05 season, James was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game and recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, as the Eastern All-Stars defeated the Western All-Stars 125–115. During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double and make the All-NBA Team. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. The Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs again and finished with a 42–40 regular season record.

2005–06 season

In the 2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days. He was named ''NBA Player of the Week'' for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors. He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games, joining Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat. For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points. He became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season. The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998, and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.

Following the regular season, James was named as one of the candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by ''The Sporting News''; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA general managers.

James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards in 2006. He recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86. He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut. For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games. In the process, James set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs.

At the end of the season, James negotiated a three-year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract was worth $60 million and began at the start of the 2007–08 season. Although it was for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allowed him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. He had discussed this with fellow members of his 2003 draft class, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who also re-signed with their respective teams while allowing them to be unrestricted agents in 2010.

2006–07 season

James was elected to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance during the 2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season's record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season. For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He joined Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game for three consecutive years.

In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games. It was the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games. For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series, as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. He concluded the night with a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds left. NBA analyst Marv Albert referred to James' performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque."

In the 2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, losing 4 consecutive games. For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games.

2007–08 season

In the 2007–08 season, James continued his dominant play, earning his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance and once again positioning himself as one of the front runners for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134–128.

On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth triple-double of the 2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Houston Rockets. It was the fifteenth triple-double of his career. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple-doubles, behind Robertson and Johnson. He scored his sixth triple-double of the season and sixteenth of his career against the Indiana Pacers the very next game. It was the second time during the season that he had a triple-double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was Johnson in 1988. James finished the season with seven triple-doubles, breaking his personal and team records for triple-doubles in a season and 17 career triple-doubles broke his team record as well.

On February 27, 2008, against the Boston Celtics, James became the youngest person to score 10,000 points in his career at 23 years and 59 days, achieving the feat in style with a slam-dunk over 11-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, eclipsing the old mark by more than a year. James did so in 368 games, the ninth fastest in league history. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the New York Knicks, becoming only the third player since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty's all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.

All told, James propelled Cleveland to a 45–37 record, good for second place in the Central Division and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Prior to Cleveland's first-round series versus the Washington Wizards, Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson said James was "overrated," prompting James to say that he would not return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy." In response, Soulja Boy himself made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards, and his music was played over the PA system. James would later say that he meant no disrespect to Soulja Boy with his comment, and that his young son is a big fan of the rapper. Jay-Z responded by producing a freestyle version of the Too Short single "Blow the Whistle", named "Playoff", in which he "disses" Stevenson and Soulja Boy on James' behalf. The Cavaliers won the series against the Wizards in 6 games (4–2). The Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the next round (4–3). During the decisive seventh game, which was played in Boston, James scored 45 points, but opponent Paul Pierce's 41 led the Celtics to a narrow victory.

2008–09 season

In the 2008–09 season James continued to improve facets of his game while setting new career highs. He had 23 chase-down blocks (93 blocks in total, a career-high) and improved his free-throw shooting (78.0%, a career-high, with league-leading 594 free-throws made). He was the NBA Player of the Month four times, making him the second player in NBA history to do that after Kevin Garnett did so in his 2003–04 MVP season. In addition, he became the fourth player in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) in one season. After a win on March 25 against the New Jersey Nets the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record to 58–13 exceeding their previous franchise best of 57–25 set in the 1988–89 and 1991–92 NBA seasons. They ended the regular season with a league best of 66–16 after losing their final home game to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. The Cavaliers had a chance to tie the 1985–86 Boston Celtics for the all-time best NBA home record but ended at 39–2 after home losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and 76ers. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. James averaged 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the series and became just the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a postseason series. At the end of the last game, in which he tallied 36 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists on 16–17 free throw shooting, there were MVP chants for him in The Palace of Auburn Hills. On May 4, he was announced as the NBA Most Valuable Player. He became the first Cavaliers player in history to win the award.

He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career.

In the next series in the playoffs, James once again led his team to a sweep against the Atlanta Hawks.

On May 22, during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic's Hedo Türkoğlu shot a 12-foot jumper to give the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left. Following a Cleveland timeout, Williams inbounded the ball to James, but heavy defense by Türkoğlu denied James a chance at a tying layup. James then attempted and made a three-point shot over Türkoğlu, giving the Cavs a 96–95 victory to tie the series 1–1. Following a Game 3 loss, James attempted another game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4, but this time from farther away; it missed, thus dropping the Cavaliers down 3–1 in the series. After a Game 5 home win, he scored a playoff low 25 points in Game 6 and Cleveland lost the series to Orlando. James' postgame behavior incited some controversy when he left the game floor without shaking hands with his opponents. James later told reporters: }}

2009–10 season

Before the 2009–10 season, Cleveland traded for four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal to address an inside presence that was missing against Orlando. O'Neal's goal was to "Win a Ring for the King." James was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star game appearance. He became the first player to earn at least 2.5 million votes three times. James recorded 25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 141–139. In a 118–116 loss to the Denver Nuggets, James tallied 43 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, two steals and four blocks in a game. He was the first player to have at least 40 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a game since Robertson did so on February 13, 1962. All-Star Antawn Jamison was acquired by the Cavs on February 17, 2010. On March 13, 2010, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 regular season points during a 92–85 win over the Chicago Bulls.

At the end of the regular season, Cleveland finished with the best regular season record for the second consecutive year. James won the Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career, becoming the tenth NBA player in history to do so. James received 116 of a possible 122 first-place votes to win.

In the playoffs, the Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, but fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. James was criticized for not playing well, especially in Game 5 of the series, in which he shot only 3 for 14 and scored 15 points. He walked off the court in that game, his final home game as a Cavalier, "to a smattering of boos and rows of empty seats" and Cleveland lost 88–120 in their worst home playoff loss in team history. Cleveland was eliminated in Game 6, James' last playing for Cleveland, as he recorded 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, but also 9 turnovers.

2010 free agency

James became a free-agent at 12:01 am ET on July 1, 2010. He filed papers to formally change his jersey number 23 to 6 for the season. James was courted by several teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, Clippers, and his hometown Cavaliers.

On July 8, 2010, James announced on a live ESPN special, ''The Decision'', that he would be playing for the Miami Heat for the 2010–11 season and teaming with Miami's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. ''The Decision'' was broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut.

|LeBron James}}

Wade had informed Heat President Pat Riley that James wanted to become less of a scorer and more of a distributor, and James looked forward to no longer carrying the offense night after night as he did playing with Cleveland. Riley sold to James that "LeBron would be Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade would be Kobe Bryant, Chris would be Kevin Garnett." Relieved of the burden of scoring, James thought he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson.

The Cavaliers were informed of James' decision minutes before the show began. The television program drew high ratings as well as criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual decision and the spectacle of the show itself.

In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to Art Modell's efforts to relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert almost immediately published an open letter to fans, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while guaranteeing that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King." Gilbert's sports-memorabilia company Fathead also lowered the price of wall graphics depicting James from $99.99 to $17.41, the birth year of Benedict Arnold. William Rhoden of ''The New York Times'' defended James by stating that Gilbert's "venomous, face-saving personal attack", along with the ensuing "wrath of jersey-burning fans", only validated James’ decision to leave Cleveland. Reverend Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, said Gilbert's feelings "personify a slave master mentality", and he was treating James as "a runaway slave". J. A. Adande of ESPN said, however, that James chose to promote the drama of his decision in an hour-long television special instead of showing "common courtesy" to notify Cleveland and other teams of his plans. On July 12, 2010, NBA Commissioner David Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for the letter's contents, while also criticizing the way James handled free agency. On July 14, James told J. R. Moehringer for a ''GQ'' article that there was "nothing at all" he would change about his handling of free agency.

Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy". Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as "I wanted to defeat those guys." Jordan added that "...things are different [now]. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today." Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals.

On September 29, 2010, asked by Soledad O'Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from ''The Decision'', James said, "I think so, at times. There's always – you know, a race factor." James had previously stayed clear of racial issues. When the earlier controversy over his cover on ''Vogue'' became a national debate, James had no comment. Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, said James suddenly bringing up race in this instance was "laughable." Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com said James' usage of the race card was "an excuse to avoid dealing with his own bad (The) Decision." Adande, however, said James "didn't claim to be a victim of racial persecution" and "caused us to examine the bias that's always lurking".

Before a game against the Nets on October 31, his first game against one of his suitors, James reflected on his free agency: “If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different,” James said. “But I’m happy with my decision.” He declined to be more specific.

Miami Heat (2010–present)

On July 9, James officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat. On the same day, the Heat threw a welcome party and introduced James, Wade and Bosh to the 13,000 Heat fans at American Airlines Arena. The rock concert atmosphere featured the trio arriving to plumes of smoke with Bosh and Wade pointing to the crowd and James strutting around. Howard Beck of ''The New York Times'' described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."

On November 2, James had a game-high 12 assists in a 129–97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. James was the primary ball handler for nearly the entire 33 minutes he played against the Wolves. He has been playing throughout the season the point guard role that Riley sold to him during free agency. "I don't want to be called a point guard, but I can't stop it," said James. Heat public relations announced that James's 12 assists was the highest in franchise history by a forward. On November 9 in a 116–114 loss to the Utah Jazz, James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, his first triple-double with the Heat. It was his 29th career triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss. On December 2, the Heat played in Cleveland in James' first game back since departing as a free agent. The crowd directed derisive chants and signs at James, who was booed every time he touched the ball. With tight security, the crowd was rowdy but not violent and there was only one arrest and four ejections. James scored a then-season-high 38 points and Miami won in a 118–90 blowout as the hostile crowd was quieted before halftime. In a well publicized arrival after spurning the franchise, LeBron James had his second triple double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a blowout victory. In the Heat's 104–100 victory over the Orlando Magic on February 3, 2011, James scored 23 points in the first quarter, breaking Alonzo Mourning's single-game franchise record of 21 first-quarter points (March 29, 1996). James finished the game with 51 points, a season high, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.

On March 29, in James' second game at Cleveland as a member of the Heat, he skipped his pregame player introduction, saying that he was using the bathroom, and entered the arena during the Cleveland Cavaliers player introductions. The Heat lost to the Cavaliers 102–90 despite James' 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

James finished second in the league in scoring with 26.7 points per game and Dwyane Wade finished fourth (25.5 points per game). They combined to score 4,052 points this season, most by a duo in franchise history.

In the 2011 NBA Finals James finished with averages of 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 7.1 rebounds, although the Miami Heat were beaten in 6 games by the Dallas Mavericks, 4–2. Throughout the postseason James averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. James's 17.8 points per game (down 8.9 points from 26.7) in the Finals was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals in NBA history.

International career

After his rookie season, James played on the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Athens, where the US men's team won the bronze medal. It was the first time a U.S. Olympic team with NBA players failed to win the gold medal. Limited to 14.6 minutes per game, James averaged just 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Along with Kobe Bryant, he was one of the first two players to be publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. James competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The team finished with an 8–1 record, and was again awarded the bronze medal. James was named as one of three captains for the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team, alongside Carmelo Anthony and Wade.

After failing to win the 2006 World Championships, the team competed at the 2007 Tournament of Americas Olympic qualifiers to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. During the gold medal game against Argentina, James recorded 31 points, the most by an American in an Olympic qualifier, as the United States captured gold medal honors. He averaged 18.1 points (on tournament-high field-goal percentage (76%) and three-point percentage (62.2%), 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.

James, along with the rest of Team USA reclaimed the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, defeating Spain 118 to 107. He finished the gold medal game with 14 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as the U.S. went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics. It was later reported that James' "immaturity and downright disrespectfulness" were a risk to his being included on the Beijing Olympic team as Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo believed that Bryant joining the national team would allow the team to win the gold medal with or without James.

Player profile

As of the 2010–11 season, James has averaged 27.7 points, 7.0 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game for his career in the regular season, and has recorded 34 triple-doubles in his career, with 28 in the regular season and six in the postseason. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. James' skills have led to many comparisons to NBA legends Robertson, Johnson, and Jordan. James was not named to the NBA All-Defensive Team until the 2008–09 season, when he finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

In March 2011, the New York Times wrote that James "has not mastered a reliable midrange jumper ... has not developed a go-to move in the post" and his options in a half-court set at the end of games "often are a long jump shot or a mad dash to the rim."

James started a petition saying that no one should be allowed to wear the No. 23 in the NBA to honor Jordan. On March 1, 2010, James filed an application to the NBA to wear the No. 6 starting the 2010–11 season.

Off the court

Personal life

James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio, to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria. His biological father, Anthony McClelland, was an ex-convict who left Gloria. Gloria then had to raise LeBron by herself.

James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004, and the second, Bryce Maximus James, on June 14, 2007. They currently reside in Coconut Grove, a Miami suburb, where James bought a three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay for $9 million on November 12, 2010.

Endorsements

James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20–5–5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a 2007 series of commercials called "The LeBrons", as well as had his likeness voiced by Kenan Thompson in a 2009 commercial series titled "MVPuppets". In December 2007, James was ranked at No.1 in the ''Forbes'' Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.

James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted. James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of ''GQ'' magazine. He stars in the Lions Gate film, ''More Than a Game'' (2009).

Following an agreement with Fenway Sports Group to become the sole marketer of his rights globally, in return as part of the deal James and his manager Maverick Carter became minority stakeholders in English Premier League giants Liverpool F.C.

On April 10, 2011 James became the new global brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet. He will in addition collaborate to produce his own limited-edition watch, for which he will donate the proceeds from any future auctions of these timepieces to his charity, the LeBron James Family Foundation.

Public image

During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."

James received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics for attending Cleveland Indians games against the New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James added that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a Chicago Bulls fan. In January 2008, Nike released the Air Zoom V LeBron shoe, which featured a Yankees-type motif and was made available only in New York City.

In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of ''Vogue'', posing with Gisele Bündchen. He was the third man to appear on the cover of ''Vogue'', after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some sports bloggers and columnist considered the cover offensive, describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his light-skinned love interest.

In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama. On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute ''American Stories, American Solutions'' television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.

On July 6, 2009, James courted controversy when he ordered organizers to confiscate CBS video tape of him being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy.

On July 23 in an interview for his upcoming book "Shooting Stars", James admitted to smoking marijuana at one point during his high school career to help cope with all the stress resulting from constant media attention he was receiving at the time.

James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The performance for which he was nominated was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the team's 25 points in overtime. In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of ''Saturday Night Live''. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.

In April 2010, Forbes ranked James as the second most influential athlete behind Lance Armstrong.

In September 2010, ''The Q Score Company'' ranked James as the sixth most disliked sports personality behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant.

Salaries

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Season!!Team!!Salary |- |2003–04||Cleveland||$4,018,920 |- |2004–05||Cleveland||$4,320,360 |- |2005–06||Cleveland||$4,621,800 |- |2006–07||Cleveland||$5,828,090 |- |2007–08||Cleveland||$13,041,250 |- |2008–09||Cleveland||$14,410,581 |- |2009–10||Cleveland||$15,779,912 |- |2010–11||Miami||$14,500,000 |}

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |79||79||39.5||.417||.290||.754||5.5||5.9||1.6||.7||20.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |80||80||42.4||.472||.351||.750||7.4||7.2||2.2||.6||27.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |79||79||42.5||.480||.335||.738||7.0||6.6||1.6||.8||31.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |78||78||40.9||.476||.319||.698||6.7||6.0||1.6||.7||27.3 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |75||74||40.4||.484||.315||.712||7.9||7.2||1.8||1.1||30.0 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |81||81||37.7||.489||.344||.780||7.6||7.2||1.7||1.1||28.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |76||76||39.0||.503||.333||.767||7.3||8.6||1.6||1.0||29.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Miami |79||79||38.8||.510||.330||.759||7.5||7.0||1.6||.6||26.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|Career |style="text-align:left;"| |627||626||40.1||.479||.329||.759||7.1||7.0||1.7||.8||27.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|All-Star |style="text-align:left;"| |7||7||30.9||.511||.326||.760||7.1||6.0||1.6||.3||24.4 |}

Playoffs

|- |style="text-align:left;"|2006 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |13||13||46.5||.476||.333||.737||8.1||5.8||1.4||.7||30.8 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2007 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |20||20||44.7||.416||.280||.755||8.1||8.0||1.7||.5||25.1 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2008 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |13||13||42.5||.411||.257||.731||7.8||7.6||1.8||1.3||28.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2009 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |14||14||41.4||.510||.333||.749||9.1||7.3||1.6||.9||35.3 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2010 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |11||11||41.8||.502||.400||.733||9.3||7.6||1.7||1.8||29.1 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2011 |style="text-align:left;"|Miami |21||21||43.9||.466||.353||.763||8.4||5.9||1.7||1.2||23.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|Career |style="text-align:left;"| |92||92||43.6||.460||.323||.746||8.4||7.0||1.6||1.0||28.0 |}

Awards and honors

2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004

NBA Scoring Champion: 2008

2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008

7× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

7× All-NBA:

*First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

*Second Team: 2005, 2007

3× NBA All-Defensive:

*First Team: 2009, 2010, 2011

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

See also

List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

U.S. National Team Bio

LeBron James: NBA.com Draft Profile

"LeBron James", on ''TIME''s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

LeBron James: Monster Dunks – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

LeBron James on ESPN Video Archive

LeBron James on FoxSports Video Archive

Category:1984 births Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Ohio Category:Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Miami Heat players Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Akron, Ohio Category:Sportspeople from Cleveland, Ohio Category:Small forwards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Liverpool F.C. chairmen and investors Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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Name	Andy Roddick
Name	Andy Roddick
Nickname	A-Rod
Country
Residence	Austin, Texas
Birth date	August 30, 1982
Birth place	Omaha, Nebraska
Spouse(s)	Brooklyn Decker
Height
Weight
Turnedpro	2000
Careerprizemoney	$19,648,091
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Singlesrecord	571–184 (75.66%)
Singlestitles	30
Highestsinglesranking	No. 1 (November 3, 2003)
Currentsinglesranking	No. 21 (August 22, 2011)
Othertournaments	No
Masterscupresult	SF (2003, 2004, 2007)
Australianopenresult	SF (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)
Frenchopenresult	4R (2009)
Wimbledonresult	F (2004, 2005, 2009)
Usopenresult	W (2003)
Doublesrecord	58–38
Doublestitles	4
Highestdoublesranking	No. 50 (January 11, 2010)
Grandslamsdoublesresults	yes
Frenchopendoublesresult	1R (2009)
Wimbledondoublesresult	1R (2001)
Usopendoublesresult	2R (1999, 2000)
Updated	October 12, 2009 }}

Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish. Known for his extremely powerful serve, Roddick held the world record for the fastest serve at 155 mph between 2004 and 2011 until it was beaten by Ivo Karlović at 156 mph in March 2011.

He became a Grand Slam singles champion when he won the title at the 2003 US Open, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the finals, which currently makes him the last North American male player to win a grand slam singles event. Roddick has reached four other Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon three times and the US Open once), losing to Roger Federer each time.

He is married to Brooklyn Decker, a ''Sports Illustrated'' swim wear model and actress.

Personal life

Roddick was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Jerry and Blanche Roddick. Roddick's father was a businessman and his mother was a school teacher. She now directs the Andy Roddick Foundation. Roddick has two older brothers, Lawrence and John (All-American tennis player at University of Georgia (1996–98) and head tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma), who were both promising tennis players at a young age.

Roddick lived in Austin, Texas, from age 4 until he was 11, and then moved to Boca Raton, Florida, in the interest of his brother's tennis career, attending Boca Prep International School, and graduating from the Class of 2000. Roddick played varsity basketball in high school alongside his future Davis Cup teammate Mardy Fish, who trained and lived with Roddick in 1999. During that time period, he sometimes trained with Venus and Serena Williams; he later moved back to Austin.

It was while Roddick was flipping through a previous swimsuit issue of ''Sports Illustrated'' that Roddick first noticed Brooklyn Decker, to whom he is now married. The two had been dating since 2007, and on March 31, 2008, Roddick announced on his website that he and Decker had become engaged. The couple were married in Austin on April 17, 2009.

Career

Breakthrough

Roddick seriously considered quitting competitive tennis at the age of 17, when he had a losing streak in the juniors. His coach, Tarik Benhabiles, talked him into giving tennis four more months of undivided attention. Roddick finished as the No. 6 junior in the U.S. in 1999, and as the No. 1 junior in the world in 2000. He won six world junior singles and seven doubles titles, and won the US Open and Australian Open junior singles titles in 2000. In March, in Miami, in the first round Roddick had his first major victory as he beat world No. 41 Fernando Vicente of Spain, 6–4, 6–0. In August, in Washington, D.C., he beat world No. 30 Fabrice Santoro of France, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. Roddick played the ''Banana Bowl'' in the city of São Paulo and won, beating Joachim Johansson in the final. Roddick also won the Australian Junior Open, defeating Mario Ančić in the final. In 2001, Roddick defeated former French Open champion Michael Chang in 5 sets in the second round of the tournament, despite clay being Roddick's worst surface. During the following Wimbledon, he further showed potential by taking a set from eventual winner Goran Ivanišević. He also defeated 7-time Wimbledon champion, world No. 4, and fellow American Pete Sampras, at the age of 19, at the Miami Masters 7–6 , 6–3, and world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil 6–7, 6–4, 6–2 in August.

Roddick's breakthrough year was in 2003, in which he defeated Younes El Aynaoui in the quarterfinals of the 2003 Australian Open. Roddick and the Moroccan battled for five hours, with the fifth set (21–19 in favor of Roddick) at the time the longest fifth set in a Grand Slam tournament during the open era, at 2 hours and 23 minutes. Despite a lackluster French Open, Roddick enjoyed success in the United Kingdom by winning Queen's Club, beating World No. 2 Andre Agassi 6–1, 6–7, 7–6 along the way, and reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets. He avenged that loss in August, beating then World Number 3 Federer in Montreal, 6–4, 3–6, 7–6. It is one of two times that Roddick has defeated him in an official ATP tournament as of yet.

World No. 1

Roddick's hardcourt record in 2003 included his first Masters Series titles – coming at Canada and Cincinnati – and his only Grand Slam title. At the US Open, Roddick rallied from two sets down and a match point in the semifinals to beat David Nalbandian 6–7, 3–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–3. He then defeated world No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. At the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston he defeated world No. 7 Carlos Moyá of Spain, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, and world No. 4 Guillermo Coria of Argentina, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, before losing to Federer in the semifinals. By the end of the year, at age 21, he was ranked No. 1, the first American to finish a year at No. 1 since Andre Agassi in 1999. He also became the youngest American to hold this rank since computer rankings were started in 1973.

Roddick's reign at No. 1 ended the following February, when Roger Federer ascended to the top position after winning his first Australian Open; the 2004 Australian Open would be the only time in Roddick's career where he was the number-one seed in a Grand Slam. In April Roddick again beat world No. 6 Moya, this time 5–7, 6–2, 7–5. In June, Roddick advanced to his first Wimbledon final, and after taking the first set from defending champion Federer, lost in four sets. Roddick was knocked out during the 2004 US Open in a five-set quarterfinal against another big server, Joachim Johansson. Later in September in Bangkok he beat world No. 9 Marat Safin of Russia, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Roddick lost to Chilean Fernando González, the eventual bronze medal winner, in the third round. In November he beat world No. 7 Tim Henman of Great Britain 7–5, 7–6, world No. 4 Safin, 7–6, 7–6, and world No. 6 Coria 7–6, 6–3. Later that year, Roddick teamed up with Mardy Fish and Bob and Mike Bryan on the U.S. Davis Cup team that lost to Spain in the final in Seville. Roddick lost his singles match against Rafael Nadal, who would in the following year win the French Open. Towards the end of 2004, Roddick fired his coach of 18 months, Brad Gilbert, and hired assistant Davis Cup coach Dean Goldfine. Roddick finished 2004 ranked as the world No. 2, the U.S.'s No. 1, and the player with the most aces (1,017). In 2004 Roddick saved fellow tennis player Sjeng Schalken and other guests (including close friends Ben Campezi and Dean Monroe) from a hotel fire. Roddick's first 2005 tournament victory was the SAP Open in San Jose, California, where he became the first to win the event in consecutive years since Mark Philippoussis in 1999 and 2000. The top-seeded Roddick defeated Cyril Saulnier 6–0, 6–4 in 50 minutes, the event's first championship shutout set since Arthur Ashe beat Guillermo Vilas in 1975. In March he defeated World No. 7 Carlos Moyá 6–7, 6–4, 6–1. In April, Roddick won the U.S. Men's Claycourt Championships, reclaiming the title he won in 2001 and 2002. (He lost in 2003 to Agassi, and in 2004 to Tommy Haas.) In May, Roddick had match point against Spain's Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco was attempting to save the match point on his second serve, when the linesman erroneously called the serve out. If this call had held, Roddick would have won the match. Roddick motioned to the umpire, pointing to the clear ball mark on the clay indicating the ball was in, and the call was consequently changed. Verdasco went on to win the match. At the French Open, Roddick lost to the unseeded Argentine José Acasuso in the second round, and at Wimbledon, Roddick lost to Federer in the final for the second consecutive year. In August, he defeated World No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt, 6–4, 7–6 at the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. At the US Open, Roddick was defeated by World No. 70 Gilles Müller in the first round. Roddick's last US Open first round loss had been in 2000. At the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, Roddick defeated Gaël Monfils to wrap up a tournament without losing a set or getting his serve broken.

New coach

Roddick's first ATP event of the year was the Australian Open. There he reached the fourth round before being upset by unseeded and eventual finalist, Marcos Baghdatis. At the French Open Roddick retired in the first round, after sustaining a foot injury during the match. Two weeks later at Wimbledon, Roddick was upset in the third round by British hopeful Andy Murray. This loss caused Roddick to fall below the top 10 for the first time since 2002. After Wimbledon, Roddick began working with a new coach, tennis legend Jimmy Connors. In his first event with his new coach, Roddick reached the final of Indianapolis before losing to good friend, and fellow American, James Blake. His resurgence finally came at the Cincinnati Masters, where he won the event by defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, making this the first masters event he won since 2004. At the US Open, Roddick easily won his first two matches against Florent Serra and Kristian Pless. He then played a thriller five-set match against Fernando Verdasco, winning 6–2 in the final set. Next, he beat Benjamin Becker, who was coming off a huge win against recently retired Andre Agassi. In the quarterfinals, Roddick beat Lleyton Hewitt, avenging his loss in 2001, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4. Now in the semifinals for the first time since he won in 2003, Roddick played Mikhail Youzhny, and beat him 6–7, 6–0, 7–6, 6–3. In the finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon a year prior, Roddick was to play world No. 1 Federer. He lost however, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7, 1–6. He then qualified for the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, where he defeated world No. 4 Ivan Ljubicˇic of Croatia 6–4, 6–7, 6–1, but lost in the round robin to world No. 1 Federer 6–4, 6–7, 4–6 in a tough three-set battle.

Roddick entered the 2007 Australian Open as the sixth seed. In his first round match, he lost a marathon first-set tiebreak 20–18, but eventually won the match in four sets against wild card Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France. Roddick defeated 26th-seeded Marat Safin in the third round, and 9th seeded Mario Ancˇic´ in a five-set fourth round match. Roddick won his quarterfinal match against fellow American Mardy Fish 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. His run ended in the semifinals by world No. 1 Federer, who defeated him in straight sets 6–4, 6–0, 6–2, making his head-to-head record against Federer 1–13. In first round Davis Cup action, Roddick helped the US defeat the Czech Republic, winning his singles matches against Ivo Minárˇ and Tomásˇ Berdych. Roddick reached at least the semifinals of his next two tournaments. He bowed out to Andy Murray in the semifinals of the SAP Open in San Jose, California, a reprise of 2006. Roddick then defeated Murray in the semifinals of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, before losing in the final to defending champion Tommy Haas 6–3, 6–2. Reaching the final, however, enabled Roddick to overtake Nikolay Davydenko for the world No. 3 position, his first week inside the top three since March 6, 2006. At the first ATP Masters Series tournament of the year, after beating world No. 8 Ljubicic 6–4, 6–7, 6–1, Roddick reached the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, lost to world No. 2 Rafael Nadal 6–4, 6–3.

Series of injuries

Roddick then played the Miami Masters, where he retired from his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray due to a left hamstring injury. Roddick then helped the U.S. defeat Spain and advance to the Davis Cup semifinals, winning his lone singles match against Fernando Verdasco 7–6, 6–1, 6–4. However, Roddick re-aggravated his hamstring injury during the Davis Cup tie, and was subsequently forced to pull out of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas. Roddick also announced that he would withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters, citing the injury. His next tournament was at the Internazionali d'Italia. After a first round bye, he won his first match against Gastón Gaudio, where he saved all three break points and fired nine aces. However, he was unable to stop Juan Ignacio Chela in the third round, losing 6–0, 6–4. Roddick then withdrew from the Masters Series Hamburg tournament because, according to his website, he needed time to physically prepare himself for the upcoming French Open. Roddick was seeded third at the French Open, but was eliminated in the first round by Russian Igor Andreev in four sets 6–3, 4–6, 3–6, 4–6. Roddick was victorious at the Stella Artois Championships for the fourth time when he defeated Nicolas Mahut in the final 4–6, 7–6, 7–6. At Wimbledon, Roddick was seeded third and considered one of the pre-tournament favorites behind Federer and Nadal. He reached the quarterfinals after wins against Justin Gimelstob of the U.S., Danai Udomchoke of Thailand, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France. In the quarterfinals, Roddick lost in five close sets to Richard Gasquet of France 4–6, 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 8–6. During the summer hardcourt season, Roddick played four tournaments in four weeks. Roddick made it to the semifinals of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, where he was upset by Frank Dancevic of Canada 6–4, 7–6. The next week, however, Roddick claimed his second ATP title of the year by winning the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. for the third time, when he beat American newcomer John Isner 6–4, 7–6. He then lost in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal to Novak Djokovic, and in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio to David Ferrer of Spain. At the US Open, Roddick defeated Gimelstob in the first round 7–6, 6–3, 6–3. He won his next three matches, one in straight sets and the other two when his opponent retired. In the quarterfinals, Roddick once again lost to Federer 7–6, 7–6, 6–2, bringing his head-to-head record with Federer 1–14. There were no breaks of serve and only one break point total in the first two sets, that being on Federer's serve. Two weeks later, Roddick anchored the U.S. Davis Cup team during its 4–1 semifinal defeat of Sweden. Roddick won both his singles matches, opening the tie with a defeat of Joachim Johansson 7–6, 7–6, 6–3, and clinching it with a 6–2, 7–6, 6–4 victory over Jonas Björkman. This was the ninth time in nine tries that Roddick has clinched a tie for the American team.

Roddick's then set his sights on the Madrid Masters, but pulled out, citing a knee injury. At his next tournament two weeks later in Lyon, France, Roddick lost in the first round to Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7–6, 2–6, 6–4. Roddick then withdrew from the Paris Masters, incurring a $22,600 fine for not fulfilling his media obligations at the tournament. At the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Roddick defeated world No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 in his first round-robin match, and then defeated world No. 7 Fernando González in his next match to become the first player to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament. In his third and final round-robin match, Roddick lost once again to Federer, 6–4, 6–2 for the 15th time in 16 career matches. In the semifinals, Roddick lost 6–1, 6–3 to No. 6 seed David Ferrer, who had won all three of his round-robin matches. This was Roddick's third semifinal finish out of the last five years at the Tennis Masters Cup (he reached the semifinals in 2003 and 2004, withdrew in 2005, and failed to advance to the semifinals in 2006 after a 1–2 round-robin record). Roddick finished the year by helping the U.S. defeat Russia and win the 2007 Davis Cup, its 32nd Davis Cup victory but first since 1995. Roddick won his rubber against Dmitry Tursunov 6–4, 6–4, 6–2, before James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan completed the victory. Having secured the tie with an unassailable 3–0 lead, Roddick decided to sit out his second singles match of the tie.

Roddick started 2008 strongly, defeating Ljubicic´ 6–3, 6–0, and Safin 6–3, 6–3 to reach AAMI Kooyong Classic final for four consecutive seasons. In the final, he defeated Baghdatis 7–5, 6–3 to win the tournament for the third consecutive year. Roddick was seeded sixth in the 2008 Australian Open. In the first round, he defeated Lukás Dlouhy of the Czech Republic 6–3, 6–4, 7–5. In the second round, he defeated German Michael Berrer 6–2, 6–2, 6–4. He then lost to the No. 29 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the third round in a 5-set match 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–8. Despite losing, Roddick served a career-high of 42 aces in a match. Roddick won his 24th career title and his 3rd title at the SAP Open in San Jose, California. He defeated the Czech Radek Stepánek in straight sets, 6–4, 7–5. Roddick's next tournament was the Dubai Tennis Championships. He made it to the semi-finals by defeating world No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain 7–6, 6–2, his first victory over Nadal since the second round of the 2004 US Open. The win also marked Roddick's first victory over a player ranked in the top two since June 2003. He progressed through to the finals by defeating world No. 3 and 2008 Australian Open Singles Champion Novak Djokovic 7–6, 6–3 in the semi-final. By making it to the final, he became the first American to reach the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships final in the tournament's 16-year history. In the final he defeated Feliciano López 6–7, 6–4, 6–2, to win his 25th career title. He never lost his serve during the entire tournament.

Split with coach

Following Roddick's quarterfinal match in Dubai, he announced that he had split with his coach of two years, Jimmy Connors. Connors had resigned a week earlier, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Roddick would continue to be coached by his brother, John Roddick. He then fell to former world No. 2 Tommy Haas at the Pacific Life Open in the 2nd round, 6–4, 6–4. At the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open, Roddick advanced to the semifinals after defeating world No. 1 Federer 7–6 , 4–6, 6–3 an hour after proposing to Brooklyn Decker, bringing his head-to-head record against Federer to 2–15. Roddick improved to 3–0 against top-3 players in 2008. Roddick lost in the semifinals to Nikolay Davydenko 6–7, 2–6. Roddick's next tournament was the Masters tournament in Rome. There he equaled his best result by reaching the semifinals, where he retired against Stanislas Wawrinka in the pair's first encounter, due to a back injury.

Roddick was forced to pull out of the 2008 French Open due to a shoulder injury. After a visit to a doctor in New York it was determined this was nothing more than an inflammation of the rotator cuff. His first tournament after the shoulder injury was the Artois Championship, his annual Wimbledon preparation, where he was the defending champion after winning the title last year, one of four wins at the tournament. In the tournament, Roddick defeated Mardy Fish and Andy Murray before losing to eventual champion Nadal in the semifinals. In the 2008 Wimbledon, Roddick suffered a 2nd round defeat to Serbia's Janko Tipsarević 6–7, 7–5, 6–4, 7–6. This was his earliest exit at Wimbledon. Roddick was beaten at the Rogers Cup in the third round by Marin Cˇilic´, 4–6, 6–4, 4–6. He was then forced to pull out of the Cincinnati Masters following a neck injury, which he said may have been caused by a poor sleeping posture. He stated in an interview that the neck injury had nothing to do with his shoulder injury. Roddick did not participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics, with his reason being to concentrate on the 2008 US Open. In order to prepare for the US Open, Roddick then played in the smaller hard court tournaments in the US Open Series, including those at Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. At the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, Roddick lost to Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 1–6, 6–7.

At the 2008 US Open, Roddick defeated Fabrice Santoro in the first round 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. Roddick then won his next 3 matches against Ernests Gulbis, Andreas Seppi, and Fernando González. In the quarterfinals, Roddick lost to the World No. 3 and reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7 bringing his head-to-head record to 1–2.

Success in Asia

thumb|right|Capturing the 26th title of his career in China, 2008Roddick captured his 26th ATP title in Beijing at the China Open on September 28, 2008. He defeated Dudi Sela of Israel, 6–4, 6–7, 6–3. The victory was part of Roddick's strong showing in Asia, as he reached the semifinal round of the AIG Japan Open where he lost to eventual champion Tomásˇ Berdych after squandering a 5–3 lead in the third and deciding set. In the third round of the Madrid Masters he lost to Frenchman Gaël Monfils in three sets 4–6, 6–3, 3–6. Two weeks later, Roddick reached the quarterfinals of Paris Masters by defeating Frenchman Gilles Simon, 6–3, 7–5, before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Due to his performance in the tournament, Roddick automatically qualified for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. At the Masters Cup in Shanghai, he played Andy Murray in his first round robin match and lost 4–6, 6–1, 1–6. He was then scheduled to play Federer, but retired due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Sˇteˇpánek.

Return to form in 2009

Roddick hired Larry Stefanki as his new coach and started working with him on December 1, 2008. Stefanki had previously trained John McEnroe, Marcelo Ríos, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Fernando González, and Tim Henman. Under Stefanki's guidance, both Rios and Kafelnikov rose to the World No. 1 ranking, and Henman and González reached the top five, including a 2007 Australian Open runner-up finish by Gonzalez.

Roddick began official tournament competition at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the semifinals 7–6, 3–6, 6–3 before losing to Andy Murray in the final. At the Australian Open, Roddick defeated Xavier Malisse in the second round 4–6, 6–2, 7–6, 6–2. After victories over Fabrice Santoro and 21st-seeded Tommy Robredo, Roddick played the defending champion and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic retired in the fourth set while trailing 6–7, 6–4, 6–2, 2–1, which allowed Roddick to reach the fourth Australian Open semifinal of his career. Roddick was defeated there by eventual runner-up Roger Federer 6–2, 7–5, 7–5.

His next tournament was the SAP Open in San Jose, U.S. He snapped a three-match losing streak against Tommy Haas in the quarterfinals 7–5, 6–4 before losing in the semifinals to Radek Sˇteˇpánek for the first time in his career 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. At the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, U.S., Roddick defeated Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals 2–6, 7–6, 6–4, to reach the final. He took his first title of the year by beating Sˇteˇpánek in the final 7–5, 7–5.

Roddick chose not to defend his Dubai title, with prize money of $2 million, to protest the refusal of the United Arab Emirates to grant Israeli Shahar Pe'er a visa for the Women's Tennis Association event. "I really didn't agree with what went on over there", Roddick said.

Roddick played both of the spring ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in the U.S. He was seeded seventh at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He defeated defending champion Djokovic in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–2. His run was ended by World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals 6–4, 7–6. However, he won the doubles title with partner Mardy Fish. It was his fourth doubles title overall and his second partnering Fish. At the Miami Masters, Roddick beat ninth-seeded Monfils in the fourth round 7–6, 6–2 to secure a place in the quarterfinals, where he lost to Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–4.

After a break from tournament tennis to get married, Roddick returned to action at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court event in Madrid. In his first match, Roddick survived two match points in the second set tiebreaker to defeat Haas 1–6, 7–6, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, Roddick again lost to Federer 7–5, 6–7, 6–1. Roddick had his career best result at the French Open when he defeated Marc Gicquel in the third round. He lost in the fourth round to Monfils 6–4, 6–2, 6–3.

A twisted ankle forced Roddick to retire from his semifinal match against James Blake at the AEGON Championships, his first grass court tournament of the year. He was seeded sixth at Wimbledon. He defeated Hewitt in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, serving a career-high 43 aces, and third-seeded Andy Murray in the semifinals, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, 7–6. He then lost to Federer for the third time in a Wimbledon final 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 16–14. Roddick was praised for his performance and received a lot of compliments. Even though Roddick lost this match, he set a record for number of games won in a Wimbledon final at 39. This was their fourth meeting in a Grand Slam final, all having been won by Federer. The match set records for the longest men's Grand Slam final in history at 77 games and the longest fifth set in a men's grand slam final. Following the match, when asked to elaborate on his marathon performance, Roddick replied, "I lost." On the strength of his Wimbledon performance, Roddick returned to the top five on July 13, 2009.

Roddick returned to action as the top seed at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington. He defeated Benjamin Becker 6–3, 6–2 and then Sam Querrey 7–6, 6–4 for his 500th career ATP tour victory. He defeated Ivo Karlović in the quarter-finals 7–6, 7–6, and John Isner 6–7, 6–2, 7–5 in the semi-finals. In the final, he lost to defending champion Juan Martín del Potro 3–6, 7–5, 7–6 despite saving three match points.

Roddick played the next week at the ATP World Tour 1000 event in Montreal, where he was seeded fifth. He defeated Igor Andreev 6–1, 7–6 then World No.11 Fernando Verdasco 7–6, 4–6, 7–6 and in the quarterfinals defeated World No.4 Novak Djokovic 6–4, 7–6 improving his career record against Djokovic to 4–2 (3–0 in 2009). He then lost to World No.6 Juan Martín del Potro 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 in the semifinals, despite having a match point. The loss dropped his career record against del Potro to 0–3 (0–2 in 2009).

Roddick next played at the ATP World Tour 1000 event in Cincinnati, where he was seeded fifth. He lost to Sam Querrey 7–6, 7–6 in his first match, after having received a bye in the first round. Roddick entered the US Open as the 5th seeded player. In his first round match, he defeated the German veteran Björn Phau 6–1, 6–4, 6–2. On September 3, 2009 during the US Open, he faced Frenchman Marc Gicquel and won 6–1, 6–4, 6–4 as his parents and newly wed wife watched on from the stands. In the 3rd round, he was eliminated by fellow American John Isner 7–6, 6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 7–6. Ironically, he lost his serve only once during the match, as was the case in the Wimbledon final.

Roddick's next tournament was the 2009 China Open in Beijing where he was the defending champion. In a shocking upset he was defeated in the first round by Polish qualifier and world No.143 Łukasz Kubot 2–6, 4–6. He also played doubles at the event with Mark Knowles. The pair reached the final, losing to Bob and Mike Bryan 6–4, 6–2.

Roddick was forced to retire from his first round match at the 2009 Shanghai Masters against Stanislas Wawrinka while leading 4–3. It was later announced that Roddick would return to the United States to seek medical advice on a left knee injury. Once again, he qualified for the Year-End Masters in London securing the sixth spot. However, Roddick withdrew from the 2009 Valencia Open 500, the 2009 BNP Paribas Masters and the 2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals due to the injury he suffered from at the Shanghai Masters. He finished 2009 as the number seven ranked player in the world.

Roddick started his 2010 campaign at the 2010 Brisbane International as the top seed. In the final, Roddick defeated defending champion Radek Štěpánek 7–6, 7–6 for his first ATP Tour title since February 2009, and making 2010 his tenth consecutive season with at least one ATP singles title. Roddick teamed with James Blake in the men's doubles and made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Jérémy Chardy and Marc Gicquel. Roddick announced that he would not represent the United States in Davis Cup competition for the 2010 season.

Roddick entered the 2010 Australian Open as the seventh seed. He lost in the quarterfinals to Marin Čilić, despite coming back from two sets down while battling an apparent shoulder injury, 7–6, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3.

He then played in the 2010 SAP Open, where, in the semi-finals he lost the first set 2–6 to Sam Querrey but came back winning the final two sets in tie-breaks 7–6, 7–6 and went to the finals where he lost to Fernando Verdasco 6–3, 4–6, 4–6. He then entered the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships where he lost in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the San Jose semi-finals to Sam Querrey 5–7, 6–3, 1–6.

Playing in the 2010 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Roddick went to the semi-finals where he faced Robin Söderling, and despite a 0–2 record against him, won 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. Roddick lost to Ivan Ljubičić 7–6, 7–6 in the finals. This was Roddick's first Masters Series finals since the 2006 Cincinnati Masters and also reaching a final in the US.

In the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open Roddick defeated Igor Andreev, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Benjamin Becker, and Nicolás Almagro. In the semifinals he upset 4th seed Rafael Nadal 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 to reach his fourth final of the year. In the final Roddick won his second Sony Ericsson Open title after defeating Berdych, 7–5, 6–4. This was Roddick's 29th title in 49 finals, 5th ATP Masters 1000 title, and first Masters 1000 title since 2006.

2010

Roddick did not fare well during the clay court season, withdrawing from Rome due to personal reasons and from Madrid due to a stomach virus. Roddick then lost in the third round of the 2010 French Open to Teymuraz Gabashvili in straight sets, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2.

Failure at Roland Garros was followed by another disappointment when Roddick suffered his earliest ever exit in the 2010 AEGON Championships, a grass court, Wimbledon tune-up event. On June 10, 2010, he was beaten 6–4, 7–6 by Dudi Sela in the third round.

At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships Roddick was seeded fifth which was two spots higher than his ATP ranking of seven. He was defeated in the fourth round by Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan in five sets, losing 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 7–6, 7–9. Like his final match with Roger Federer the previous year, his serve was broken only once during the match, in the fifth set.

Roddick next took a wild card to play in the Atlanta Tennis Championships, the first event of the US Open Series, where he was the top seed. He was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Mardy Fish 7–6, 6–3. His next tournament was in Washington D.C., where he lost in the round of 16 to Gilles Simon 6–3, 6–3. The only American man in the ATP top-ten prior to the tournament, the loss dropped him from the list. For the first time since the inception of the ATP world rankings, there was no American man in the top ten. Following the Washington tournament, Roddick withdrew from the Canada Masters due to illness, leading to a drop in ranking to No. 13, his lowest rank since 2002.

On August 14, 2010, Roddick revealed that he had been diagnosed with mononucleosis, the same illness that hurt rival Roger Federer's form in 2008, although he said his doctor believed it was in its later stages and he would make a complete recovery soon.

In the Cincinnati Masters, he defeated world No.5 Robin Söderling 6–4, 6–7, 7–6 to reach the quarterfinals, where he defeated two seed Novak Djokovic 6–4, 7–5 the win was Roddick's fourth consecutive over Djokovic, raising his career head-to-head record against Djokovic to 5–2, and ensured Roddick's return to the top-ten world rankings. In the semifinals, Roddick faced fellow American Mardy Fish but lost 4–6, 7–6, 6–1, failing to serve out the match at 5–3 in the second set.

In the second round of the 2010 US Open, Roddick suffered was beaten by Janko Tipsarević of Serbia in four sets: 6–3, 5–7, 3–6, 6–7.

Roddick was seeded tenth at the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000. In the first round Roddick defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber after Kohlschreiber retired in the second set (3–6, 1–2) down. Roddick second round opponent was Guillermo García López. Leading 6–3, 2–3, Roddick suffered a groin injury and was forced to retire from the match.

At the 2010 Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel, Roddick was seeded fourth. He defeated compatriot Sam Querrey, Andrey Golubev and David Nalbandian, earning a semifinal match against Roger Federer, their first meeting since the 2009 Wimbledon final. He lost to Federer, 6–2, 6–4.

At the BNP Paribas Masters Roddick was the eighth seed and received a bye in the first round. He advanced to the quarter-finals with wins over Jarkko Nieminen and Ernests Gulbisin the second and third round respectively. Roddick then fell to World No.5 Robin Söderling 5–7, 4–6. With Fernando Verdasco failing to reach the final, Roddick automatically qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the eighth consecutive year. Though he had dropped out of top ten in the ATP rankings after his early exit from the US Open, his victory over Gulbis in Paris assured his return to the top-ten at the year end, making him and Federer the only players to maintain year-end top-ten ATP rankings from 2002 through 2010.

Roddick played his final tournament of the year at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Roddick was placed in Group A along with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Tomáš Berdych. In the tournament Roddick lost all of his round robin matches. Losing to Nadal; 6–3, 6–7, 4–6, Berdych; 5–7, 2–6 and Djokovic; 2–6, 3–6. respectively. Roddick ended the year World No.8, his eighth consecutive season finishing in the top ten.

Roddick won two titles in 2010 and was the runner up at San Jose and Indian Wells. Roddick also qualified for the year-end championships, his eighth consecutive season of qualification. This season saw Roddick make back-to-back finals at the Masters Series 1000 tournament (a feat he has not done since 2003) in Indian Wells and Miami and also his first Masters Series 1000 title since his victory at Cincinnati in 2006.

2011

Roddick began his 2011 campaign in the Brisbane International as the 2nd seed and the defending champion where he was defeated 6–3 7–5 by Swedish no. 1 seed Robin Söderling in the final.

In the Australian Open, Roddick was the number eight seed. In the round of 16, Roddick lost to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 3–6, 4–6, 4–6. He then won the 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, defeating Milos Raonic in the final 7–6, 6–7, 7–5, along with Richard Berankis 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, Janko Tipsarević 6–1, 7–6 Lleyton Hewitt 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 and Juan Martín del Potro 6–3, 6–4.

Roddick began his 2011 Davis Cup campaign for the United States against Chile. He faced Nicolas Massu in the opener and defeated him in 4 sets 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4. He would then face Paul Capdeville to clinch the victory for the U.S. and he did so by winning in 4 sets 3–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–3. Roddick improved his record to 12–0 in Davis Cup clinchers. In his next Davis Cup match against Spain, Roddick drew David Ferrer first, but lost respctively in three tight sets 6–7, 5–7, 3–6. Roddick was supposed to play Feliciano Lopez in reverse singles, but after David Ferrer wrapped up the victory for Spain by defeating Mardy Fish, their match was cancelled.

At the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, he was beaten by Richard Gasquet in the fourth round 6–3, 7–6. In the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, as the defending champion Roddick was upset by Pablo Cuevas in the second round after receiving a bye 4–6, 6–7. This loss would drop Roddick to number 12 in the rankings and the second ranked American behind compatriot Mardy Fish.

Roddick then began his clay court season at the 2011 Madrid Open, but he was upset in the first round by Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla in three sets 4–6, 7–6, 3–6. Roddick continued to warm up for the 2011 French Open in Italy playing the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, but lost in the first round for the second straight tournament to Gilles Simon of France 3–6, 3–6. He teamed up with Mardy Fish to play doubles in Rome and they went to the final before Roddick had to withdraw because of a shoulder injury. Roddick also withdrew from the Nice Open in France and pulled out of the 2011 French Open after failing to recover from it.

Roddick returned to action at the 2011 AEGON Championships where he is a four-time champion. In the semifinals, he played Andy Murray, their first meeting since the Wimbledon 2009 semifinals, but was defeated 3–6, 1–6. Andy Roddick is seeded number 8 for Wimbledon and in the first round, he beat Andreas Beck of Germany in straight sets 6–4, 7–6, 6–3. In the second round, Roddick defeated Victor Hanescu 6–4, 6–3, 6–4. In the third round, Roddick was beaten in straight sets by left-handed Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 7–6, 7–6, 6–4. The upset loss to Lopez means that Roddick has failed to reach the quarterfinals of any grandslam since the 2010 Australian open. This is the longest Roddick has ever gone in his career without reaching the quarterfinals of a major.

Roddick withdrew from the Legg Masson Tennis Classic, and Rogers Cup in Montreal after partially tearing his oblique muscle while practicing. He returned to action after a couple week rest from his injury and played at the 2011 Cincinatti Masters. He lost in the first round to Philipp Kohlschreiber 7–6, 5–7, 1–6. This loss will make him drop out of the top 20 for the first time since August of 2001.

After suffering an early exit at Cincinnati, Roddick played at the Winston-Salem Event in North Carolina, where he received the top seed at the tournament after the withdrawal of the top-ranked American Mardy Fish. Roddick lost in the semifinal to John Isner, 7-6, 6-4.

Andy Roddick is ranked #21 at the U.S. Open and he will face fellow American Michael Russell in the first round.

Nicknames and on-court behavior

Roddick is often called "A-Rod", referring to his first initial and the first three letters of his last name.

Roddick is famous for his funny on court behavior, and witty answers off court in interviews and press conferences. He and Novak Djokovic are especially known for imitating players, with both doing impersonations of Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt and each other. Roddick was also coached by Jimmy Connors for two years, who was known for his flamboyant personality during his playing career.

Roddick however is also known for frequent outbursts against umpires and linesmen on the court. His most notable outburst was during his 3rd round match at the Australian Open in 2008 where he abused umpire Emmanuel Joseph saying " You're an idiot! Stay in school kids or you'll end up being an umpire." He lost his temper again at the 2010 Australian Open, but later admitted to his mistake and later again that year launched into a tirade at a female official over a foot fault call, at the 2010 US Open, a match he eventually lost to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic. 2011 saw Andy throwing another tantrum and snapping at the chair umpire at Indian Wells on his way to losing to Richard Gasquet.

At the 2011 Cincinnatti Masters, Roddick was given a penalty point, which resulted in a critical break of serve in favor of Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roddick's opponent in the 2nd round. The penalty point was given due to ball abuse, when Roddick smashed a ball into the stands in frustration, after he had already been warned earlier in the match by umpire Carlos Bernardes for an episode of racquet abuse. This triggered another series of altercations with the umpire, with Roddick expressing his displeasure at the umpire's call. Roddick subsequently lost the match to Kohlschreiber and suffered an early exit from the tournament.

Equipment

Roddick uses a discontinued version of the Babolat Pure Drive, extended to 27.5 inches. The racquet itself is heavily customised with additional weight placed in the head via the use of lead tape. The resulting racquet exhibits a more head heavy balance point and a higher swingweight than the stock model with a higher overall weight, though this is similar to the model he endorses at approximately 12 oz. Modifications of this sort are common for professional players.

Roddick's racquets are painted to resemble the Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus in order to market the current model of the same name which Babolat sells. The cortex in particular is visibly painted onto the racquet. For marketing purposes Roddick endorses the Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus Cortex Racquet, a signature racquet designed for him by racquet sponsor Babolat, which is slightly heavier (11.9 oz), stiffer (Babolat RDC index 72), and longer (27.5") than the standard Pure Drive Series (11.3 oz, Babolat RDC 71, 27"). The racquet is designed for a strong service due to its weight, stiffness, and length. According to Tennis Warehouse, it is the best one for this fundamental stroke. He strings with a custom hybrid (RPM Blast + VS Gut). Roddick previously used Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour and Babolat Revenge (used only for a short period of time) as his mains, until he began using Babolat's new string, RPM Blast. Roddick's tensions varies, he strings roughly at 65 lbs.

Roddick also uses Babolat Propulse III tennis shoes, which are his signature gear. In matches, Roddick wears shirts, shorts, and caps manufactured for him by Lacoste.

Playing style

Roddick's serve is known for its power, usually serving at around 130–150 mph (209~242 km/h), which he uses to earn free points with aces and unreturnable serves. Roddick's favorite shot is his off-forehand which he uses in combination with his kicker out wide. In the past, Roddick used to play his off-forehand frequently but has since adjusted and used it to create points. He usually targets the two corners to win aces. As for his second serve, he usually employs a heavy kick serve, then tries to use a variety of spins, slices, and angles in the rally to throw off his opponent. He is noted to use heavy topspin on both his serves and his twist serve is probably the highest-kicking serve anyone hits.

Roddick will also occasionally use the serve-and-volley tactic on both first and second services to surprise his opponent, though he generally prefers to remain near the baseline after a serve. He has developed a more all-court playing style compared to the aggressive baseline style he played with for most of his early career. Under new coach Larry Stefanki, he has been in the fittest shape of his career, as well as developing his volleying skills. Although Roddick's backhand is still a weakness today, it is considered to have improved somewhat in 2009 under Stefanki's guidance.

Media appearances

On April 5, 2002, Roddick guest-starred on the television show ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' as himself. In the episode, Sabrina summoned him so he could give her tennis lessons.

Roddick appeared on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn'' talk show in 2002 and 2003, ''Late Show with David Letterman in 2003 and 2009'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', and ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' in 2003, ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' in 2004 and 2005, ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in 2005 and 2007, and ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' in 2006. Roddick also appeared on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' in 2007 and 2010.

Roddick hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' on November 8, 2003, becoming the second professional tennis player to host (Chris Evert being the first).

Roddick also appeared on a 2004 episode of the Anne Robinson version of ''The Weakest Link'', but ended up being voted off.

Roddick is in a ''This is SportsCenter'' ad with Stuart Scott, in which he confronts the Sports Center anchor about the anchors not calling him "A-Rod", and asks him "Did Alex Rodriguez put you up to this?" Scott replies "Who?" Roddick says "A-Rod!" Scott gets a sneaky look on his face, and Roddick leaves disgusted.

The June/July issue of ''Men's Fitness'' magazine carried an article on Roddick. The cover shot featured the tennis ace in a t-shirt, straining to contain massive, pumped-up biceps and hulking shoulder and chest muscles. The image set off widespread online speculation that the magazine had altered Roddick's likeness, a suspicion echoed by Roddick himself. Roddick has quipped that he saw the photo, and that "Nadal wanted his arms back."

In March 2009, Andy Roddick appeared in the "Speed Feels Better" music video for singer/songwriter Michael Tolcher. Other athletes in the video included Amanda Beard, Barry Sanders, Kimmie Meissner, and Rick Ankiel.

Andy Roddick played tennis while using a frying pan instead of a racquet for the book "Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan" by Todd Gallagher.

In 2011, Roddick made a cameo at the end of the film ''Just Go With It'', as the new lover of the film's jilted bride (played by Brooklyn Decker, his actual wife).

In 2011 Roddick co-hosted a radio show for one day on ''Fox Sports Radio''

Awards and records

In 2004, Roddick produced what was then the fastest serve in professional tennis: 249.4 km/h (155 mph) during a Davis Cup semi-final match with Vladimir Voltchkov on hard court in Charleston. Roddick's record serve has since been superseded by Ivo Karlović, who served at 251 km/h (156 mph) playing at the Davis Cup in March 2011. Roddick also had the fastest serve in U.S. Open history: 244 km/h (152 mph) against American Scoville Jenkins. Roddick also won the 2004 ESPY Award for Best Male Tennis Player.

That same year he won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award of the Year because of his charity efforts, which included: raising money for the survivors of the tsunami following 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake through Serving for Tsunami Relief and other efforts; auctioning off several rackets and autographs to raise money for UNICEF; and creating the Andy Roddick Foundation to help at-risk youth. The foundation is partly funded through the sale of blue wristbands inscribed "No Compromise", inspired by Lance Armstrong's yellow Livestrong wristbands.

In 2007 Roddick and the Andy Roddick Foundation was awarded by the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Roddick was the first male tennis player ever to receive the award.

Serve records:

Fastest serve in Australian open: 148 mph .

Fastest serve in Dubai: 150 mph.

Fastest average in first serve: 134 mph.

Fastest serve in Beijing: 148 mph.

Fastest serve in San jose: 150 mph.

Fastest serve in Madrid: 151 mph.

Fastest serve in Washington: 151 mph.

Fastest serve in Queen's :153 mph.

Fastest serve in Lyon: 142 mph.

Fastest serve in Roland Garros: 144 mph (2006–2010).

Fastest serve in Wimbledon: 143 mph (2011)

Personal life

Roddick is married to Brooklyn Decker, a ''Sports Illustrated'' swim wear model and actress. He sometimes trains with major league baseball player Michael Schwimer in the off-season.

Records and achievements

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Tournament!!2000!!2001!!2002!!2003!!2004!!2005!!2006 !!2007!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!width=50|SR!!width=50|W–L |- |colspan=15 align=left|'''Grand Slam tournaments |- |bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Australian Open |A |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=yellow|SF |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=yellow|SF |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=yellow|SF |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=yellow|SF |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=#efefef|0 / 10 |bgcolor=#efefef|37–10 |- |bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|French Open |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |A |bgcolor=#efefef|0 / 9 |bgcolor=#efefef|9–9 |- |bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|Wimbledon |A |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=yellow|SF |bgcolor=thistle|F |bgcolor=thistle|F |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R |bgcolor=thistle|F |bgcolor=#afeeee|4R |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#efefef|0 / 11 |bgcolor=#efefef|39–11 |- |bgcolor=#EFEFEF align=left|US Open |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=lime|'''W |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|1R |bgcolor=thistle|F |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#ffebcd|QF |bgcolor=#afeeee|3R |bgcolor=#afeeee|2R | |bgcolor=#efefef|1 / 11 |bgcolor=#efefef|36–10 |-bgcolor=#EFEFEF |align=left|SR |0 / 1 |0 / 3 |0 / 4 |1 / 4 |0 / 4 |0 / 4 |0 / 4 |0 / 4 |0 / 3 |0 / 4 |0 / 4 |0 / 2 |1 / 41 ! |- !style=text-align:left|Win–Loss !0–1 !8–3 !7–4 !17–3 !15–4 !12–4 !11–4 !13–4 !7–3 !16–4 !10–4 !5–2 ! !121–40 |}

These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.

{|class=wikitable |width=200|Tournament Name||width=400|Record accomplished |- |Wimbledon 2009||Most games won in a Grand Slam final (39) |- |2007||Most consecutive tie-breaks won (18) |- |US Open 2004||Fastest serve in a Grand Slam tournament (152 mph) |}

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 5 (1–4)

{|class="sortable wikitable" !width=80|Outcome !width=50|Year !width=200|Championship !width=75|Surface !width=200|Opponent in the final !width=200|Score in the final |-bgcolor=#ccccff |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2003||US Open||Hard|| Juan Carlos Ferrero||6–3, 7–6^(7–2), 6–3 |-bgcolor=#ccffcc |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2004||Wimbledon||Grass|| Roger Federer||6–4, 5–7, 6–7^(3–7), 4–6 |-bgcolor=#ccffcc |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2005||Wimbledon||Grass|| Roger Federer||2–6, 6–7^(2–7), 4–6 |-bgcolor=#ccccff |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2006||US Open||Hard|| Roger Federer||2–6, 6–4, 5–7, 1–6 |-bgcolor=#ccffcc |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2009||Wimbledon||Grass|| Roger Federer||7–5, 6–7^(6–8), 6–7^(5–7), 6–3, 14–16 |}

Masters Series finals

Singles: 9 (5–4)

{|class="sortable wikitable" !width=80|Outcome !width=50|Year !width=200|Championship !width=75|Surface !width=200|Opponent in the final !width=200|Score in the final |- |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2002||Montreal||Hard|| Guillermo Cañas||4–6, 5–7 |- |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2003||Montreal||Hard|| David Nalbandian||6–1, 6–3 |- |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2003||Cincinnati||Hard|| Mardy Fish||4–6, 7–6^(7–3), 7–6(7–4) |- |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2004||Miami||Hard|| Guillermo Coria||6–7^(2–7), 6–3, 6–1, RET |- |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2004||Toronto||Hard|| Roger Federer||5–7, 3–6 |- |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2005||Cincinnati||Hard|| Roger Federer||3–6, 5–7 |- |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2006||Cincinnati (2)||Hard|| Juan Carlos Ferrero||6–3, 6–4 |- |bgcolor=#ffa07a|Runner-up||2010||Indian Wells||Hard|| Ivan Ljubičić||6–7^(3–7), 6–7(5–7) |- |bgcolor=#98fb98|Winner||2010||Miami (2)||Hard|| Tomáš Berdych||7–5, 6–4 |}

Career statistics

See also

World TeamTennis, currently playing on the Philadelphia Freedoms

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

Andy Roddick Foundation

Andy's U.S. Olympic Team bio ... with links to photo gallery

In losing a match, Roddick became a true sportsman, a May 2005 article written by Frank Deford

Roddick reverses form on the lawns

Tennis Academy – Roddick Total Tennis Academy

Category:American male tennis players Category:Australian Open junior (tennis) champions Category:Olympic tennis players of the United States Category:People from Austin, Texas Category:People from Boca Raton, Florida Category:People from Omaha, Nebraska Category:Tennis people from Florida Category:Tennis people from Nebraska Category:Tennis people from Texas Category:Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:United States Open champions (tennis) Category:United States Open junior tennis champions Category:World No. 1 tennis players Category:1982 births Category:Living people

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