Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Antonio Burress (born August 12, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Also, he started All Year at split end and set a school season-record with 65 receptions, topping the previous mark of 60 catches by Courtney Hawkins in 1989.

He had more than 100 yards receiving in four games and was ranked third in the conference with an average of 84.4 yards per game and fifth in the conference with an average of 5.4 catches per game.

He recorded six solo tackles and forced a fumble on special teams.

He also broke the single-game record of 12 receptions set by tight end Mitch Lyons in 1992.

Burress graduated from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1996 and spent a post-graduate year at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia.

He lives in Totowa, New Jersey.

Burress set a Big Ten Conference single-season record by catching 65 passes in his first season at Michigan State, and also excelled on the special-teams coverage units, using his leaping ability as a kick blocker.

He ranks fifth in career touchdown catches (20), and eighth in receiving yards (2,155) in just two seasons at Michigan State University.

In 1996, he caught 33 passes for 807 yards (24.5 avg.) and 12 touchdowns.

Burress broke the school season-record he set in 1998 (65 catches) with 66 receptions for 1,142 yards (17.3 avg) and 12 touchdowns.

He set a Spartans' single-season-record 12 touchdown receptions, eclipsing the previous record of eight Burress shared (1998) with Andre Rison (1988) and Bob Carey (1949).

He forced two fumbles, recovered another, and registered seven tackles (five solos) on special teams.

Burress set a school record with 255 yards receiving on ten catches against the University of Michigan.

Burress was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1998 by The Sports Network, and he earned second-team accolades from the league's media.

He shared Spartan Outstanding Underclass Back Award honors with tailback Sedrick Irvin and wide receiver Gari Scott.

He was an All-American second-team selection by SportsPage.com and an All-Big Ten Conference first-team pick in 1999.

He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

He also played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets, and caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII as the Giants beat the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

Plaxico Burress was born to Vicki Burress in Norfolk, Virginia.

He ended his career with a school-record 13 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns against the University of Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.

After being selected in the first round with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Burress went on to play five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, amassing 261 receptions for 4,164 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six fumbles over the span of 71 games.

Burress was featured on the MTV show True Life, documenting his rookie season.

His rookie season saw him on the wrong end of one of the NFL's most infamous gaffes.

In a game the Steelers eventually won 24–13, Burress caught a 19-yard reception, with his momentum causing him to fall to his knees.

The rookie Burress then spiked the ball, believing the play was dead (since that is the rule in the NCAA but not the NFL) but, since he was not touched while he was on the ground, the ball was still live—allowing the Jaguars' Danny Clark to recover the fumble and run 44 yards with it.

He first broke the 1,000-yard mark in his second season, gaining 1,008 yards on 66 receptions.

Burress's 1,008-yard season in 2001, combined with Hines Ward's 1,003 receiving yards, gave the Steelers their first pair of 1,000-yard receivers.

Burress's best season with the Steelers came in 2002, when he set his career highs for receptions (78) and yards (1,325), to go along with seven touchdowns.

Also in 2002, Burress played in his first career playoff game, accumulating six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

In three subsequent playoff games with the Steelers, Burress totaled only seven receptions, 123 yards, and one touchdown.

The two would combine to accomplish the same feat in 2002.

On November 10, 2002, Burress took advantage of an extra 15 minutes of play to set a Steelers' franchise record with 253 receiving yards in a 34–34 tie against the Atlanta Falcons.

He caught nine passes and scored two touchdowns in the game, and nearly won it but was stopped at the 1-yard line as time expired.

He was named after his uncle, has two brothers, and has been married to Tiffany Glenn since July 2005.

On January 23, 2005, after a playoff defeat, Burress announced his intentions to leave the Steelers.

On March 17, he signed a six-year, $25 million contract with the New York Giants.

In his first season with the Giants, Burress caught 76 passes for 1,214 yards, helping the team earn an 11–5 record and first place in the NFC East as well as the NFC's fourth seed.

However, they were shut out 23–0 by the Carolina Panthers in the opening round of the 2005–06 NFL playoffs.

They have one son, Elijah and a daughter, Giovanna, born November 2009.