Sidney R. Rice (born September 1, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played collegiately for the University of South Carolina.
Rice was born to Ida Coleman in Gaffney, South Carolina. Rice has two older brothers, Jarvis Rice and Tremell Austin. Rice grew up in Gaffney, where he played both football and basketball for the Gaffney Indians. Rice, who graduated from Gaffney High School in 2004 was named All-State in both sports, leading the hoops team to consecutive state titles and the football team to a state championship as well. He had 38 catches for 735 yards and 11 touchdowns his junior campaign. Rice was regarded as the best receiver in the state of South Carolina during his senior year.[citation needed] He was named to the High School Sports Report Statewide All-State team and selected Offensive Player of the Year. In 2003, Rice caught 77 passes for 1,414 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. Rice ended his high school career with 167 receptions for 3,044 yards and 31 touchdowns. Rice also excelled in basketball, earning 2002 - 2003 Class 4A Basketball Player of the Year after helping Gaffney to the state championship. That season, he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game, as the Indians finished the basketball season 28-0
William Percival "Percy" Harvin, III (born May 28, 1988) is an American football wide receiver, return specialist, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). The Associated Press recognized him as its Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2009 NFL season.
Harvin played college football for the University of Florida when the Florida Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008. He attended and played football for Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his team won the Virginia high school state championship in 2004.
Percy was born to William Percival Harvin, Jr. and wife Linda in Chesapeake, Virginia, where after his father's departure, he lived with his mother, and his older sister Lintera. His mother Linda ran a daycare out of their home as Percy helped with the children. Percy's mother ran track at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach and later coached an AAU track team. His sister, Lintera, also ran track, both at Salem High School in Virginia Beach and at Eastern Michigan University. As a child, Percy was a gifted athlete whose prowess was first noted as a six-year old flag football participant. In 2000, at age 12, he was a member of the National Champion 4x100m relay team in the Midget (11-12) Age Group. At age 13, he played for Coach Bruce Pearl and the Virginia Beach Mustangs Pop Warner football team where he led the team to a Pop Warner National Championship.
Football refers to a number of sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer". Unqualified, the word football applies to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears, including association football, as well as American football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby league, rugby union and other related games. These variations of football are known as football "codes".
Various forms of "football" can be identified in history, often as popular peasant games. Contemporary codes of football can be traced back to the codification of these games at English public schools in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The influence and power of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread, including to areas of British influence outside of the directly controlled Empire, though by the end of the nineteenth century, distinct regional codes were already developing: Gaelic Football, for example, deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional football games in order to maintain their heritage. In 1888, The Football League was founded in England, becoming the first of many professional football competitions. In the twentieth century, the various codes of football have become amongst the most popular team sports in the world.
Asante T. Samuel (born January 6, 1981) is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Florida. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
An All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2007 and Pro Bowl selections in 2008, 2009 and 2010, Samuel won two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and has reached the postseason eight of his first nine seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles for four seasons.
Samuel attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. As a junior quarterback, he threw for 1,800 yards, and rushed for 500 yards. As a senior, Samuel concentrated on defense, and earned All-State honors, and finished his senior year with 4 interceptions and 75 tackles. Samuel also handled kicking and punting duties. Ten minutes before kickoff of Samuel's final high school game, he replaced his team's injured starting quarterback. He threw two touchdown passes, intercepted two more, rushed for 80 yards, and even worked on special teams returning kicks and punts. Samuel's top receiver in high school, Todd Devoe, later played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos, and was a friend & teammate of future NFL defensive back Benny Sapp. Samuel decreased his 40 yard dash time from 5.4 seconds during his sophomore year of high school to 4.49 seconds entering the NFL.
Brett Lorenzo Favre (born October 10, 1969) is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992–2007), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010). Favre is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 70,000 yards, over 500 touchdowns, over 300 interceptions, and over 10,000 pass attempts. He officially retired on January 17, 2011.
Favre started at the quarterback position for the University of Southern Mississippi for four years before being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by Atlanta (33rd overall). He was traded to Green Bay on February 10, 1992, for the 19th pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Favre became the Packers' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 season, and started every game through the 2007 season. He was traded to the New York Jets and started at quarterback for the 2008 season before signing with the Vikings on August 18, 2009 as their starting quarterback. He made an NFL record 297 consecutive starts (321 including playoffs).