Ki-Jana Carter

Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter (; born September 12, 1973) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he earned consensus All-American honors and was MVP of the 1995 Rose Bowl. Carter was selected first overall in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but after suffering a knee tear during his first preseason game, he struggled with injuries for the remainder of his career. Missing most of his five seasons with the Bengals due to injury, Carter played his final three seasons in a limited role for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. Early years Carter was born in Westerville, Ohio. His nickname, "Ki-Jana", is from a character in the movie Shaft in Africa and he has gone by that name since his birth. At Westerville South High School, he starred in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was a 1991 Parade magazine high school All-American. College career Carter attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was a standout player for coach Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1992 to 1994, along with a strong group of offensive players including future NFL starters Jeff Hartings, Joe Jurevicius, Kerry Collins, O.J. McDuffie, Bobby Engram and Kyle Brady. Together, this explosive offense propelled the 1994 Penn State team to a 12–0 undefeated season. At Penn State Carter wore the number 32, which had been worn by running back Blair Thomas. Despite playing only three seasons, he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs, having compiled 2,829 yards rushing on 395 attempts and scoring 34 touchdowns. His best single game came against the Michigan State Spartans in 1994, when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored five touchdowns. Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State football team to an undefeated record and a berth in the Rose Bowl, was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. He earned co-MVP honors in the Rose Bowl, rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He ran for an 83-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, which is the third-longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history. Carter also added touchdown runs of 17 and three yards in the third quarter.