Eric Decker

Eric Thomas Decker (born March 15, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Decker finished his junior season in 2008 with 84 catches for 1,074 yards and seven touchdowns.

He led the 7–6 Golden Gophers in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

He was selected in the 39th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and the 27th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

Decker's senior season was cut short due to surgery he underwent to repair torn ligaments in his left foot.

As a result, he was unable to participate in both the NFL combine and Minnesota's pro day workout.

In early spring 2009, Decker met with Thomas Goudy, a wide-out coach in St. Louis, Missouri.

Goudy helped Decker with his ball-holding technique.

Decker spent three weeks in his training camp before starting the summer conditioning camp.

Decker began the season with the consistent play that had been a hallmark of his Gophers' career.

Through three games, Decker was sixth in the nation in receiving yards, with 183 yards against Syracuse, 113 yards against Air Force, and 119 yards and two touchdowns against California.

Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandel declared Decker the third-best wide receiver in college football, behind Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant and Georgia's A. J. Green.

After the California game, Decker had eight receptions for 84 yards and two receiving touchdowns against Northwestern, and in the following game, had eight receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin.

On October 27, 2009, it was announced that Decker would miss the rest of the season after suffering a sprained foot against Ohio State.

As a senior, Decker finished with 758 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Decker played outfield for the Minnesota baseball team.

He played college football and college baseball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

After four seasons with the Broncos, Decker played for the New York Jets for three years, then the Tennessee Titans for one season.

Decker attended Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minnesota.

He was present in school when a shooting took place there; he hid in a cupboard with other students until police officers rescued them.

Decker was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball.

He was awarded all-conference, all-area, and all-section honors in each sport.

Additionally, Decker was named the football team MVP two years in a row.

He had 2,156 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns during his prep football career.

Decker attended the University of Minnesota.

He made his collegiate debut against Kent State and had a single reception for a 39-yard touchdown from quarterback Bryan Cupito.

On September 23, in a game at Purdue, he completed a 22-yard pass.

As a freshman, Decker finished with 378 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Decker's role with the offense expanded.

After recorded four receptions for 49 receiving yards in a season-opening loss to Bowling Green, he had seven receptions for 128 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against Miami (OH).

In the following game, he had 12 receptions for 165 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in a loss to FAU.

On October 20, he threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Spry in a loss to North Dakota State.

He finished with 909 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

In a season where the Golden Gophers finished with a 1–11 record, Decker led the team in receptions and receiving yards, and tie for the lead in receiving touchdowns with Ernie Wheelwright.

Decker started his junior season with 10 receptions for 89 receiving yards and a touchdown against Northern Illinois.

In the following game against Bowling Green, he had six receptions for 86 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown to go along with a 12-yard touchdown rush.

In next week's game against Montana State, he had nine receptions for 157 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

In the following game, he had seven receptions for 122 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown against FAU to cap a 4–0 start for the Golden Gophers.

After the following week's game against Ohio State where Minnesota suffered their first setback of the season, Decker had 13 receptions for 190 receiving yards against Indiana.

Minnesota qualified for the Insight Bowl against Kansas, where Decker recorded eight receptions for 149 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 42–21 loss.