Randy Moss

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Lore & Background

Randy Moss's journey to NFL stardom began in Rand, West Virginia, where he led DuPont High School to back-to-back state championships in 1992 and 1993. After a racially charged fight led to his expulsion from DuPont and a misdemeanor battery conviction, Notre Dame denied his enrollment. He redshirted at Florida State in 1995, but after testing positive for marijuana in 1996 while serving a 30-day jail sentence, he was dismissed. Moss transferred to Marshall University, then a Division I-AA school. In 1996, he set NCAA Division I-AA records for most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), and most touchdown passes caught in a season (28 – tying Jerry Rice's 1984 record). The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd went undefeated and won the Division I-AA title, with Moss catching four touchdown receptions in the championship game against Montana. In 1997, Marshall's first season in Division I-A, Moss caught 26 touchdown passes, at the time a Division I-A record, and was a first-team All-American. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft, where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions in a rookie season and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In his first seven seasons with the Vikings, Moss caught 90 touchdown receptions and had more than 1,200 yards in each of his first six seasons. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2005, where he experienced a slump in play. In 2007, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots, where he set the single-season record for total touchdown receptions (23) and helped lead the Patriots to a 16–0 regular season and an appearance in Super Bowl XLII. After stints with the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers, Moss retired following the 2012 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

In Their Own Story

In 1996, while serving a 30-day jail sentence in a work-release program, Moss tested positive for marijuana, violating his probation. He was dismissed from Florida State and served an additional 60 days in jail. Ultimately, he transferred to Marshall University. In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for the most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught in a season (28 – tying Jerry Rice's 1984 record), and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1,709 on 78 catches). The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd went undefeated and won the Division I-AA title, with Moss having four touchdown receptions in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game against Montana. In the 1997 season, Marshall's first in Division I-A, Moss caught 26 touchdown passes, at the time a Division I-A record. In the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss, Moss added his 26th touchdown of the season on Marshall's first offensive play from scrimmage, catching an 80-yard touchdown pass.

Reader's Guide

Randy Moss played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd and earned Unanimous All-American honors in 1997. He was a six-time Pro Bowl and four-time first-team All-Pro selection. Moss was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft, where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions in a rookie season (17) and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In his first stint with the Vikings, Moss caught 90 touchdown receptions in his first seven seasons, as well as having more than 1,200 yards in each of his first six seasons. He was traded in 2005 to the Oakland Raiders, where he experienced a slump in play. In 2007, Moss was then traded to the New England Patriots, where he experienced a career resurgence and set the single-season record for total touchdown receptions (23). That season, he helped lead the Patriots to a record-breaking 16–0 regular season record and an appearance in Super Bowl XLII. In October 2010, Moss returned to the Vikings in a trade from the Patriots but was waived less than a month later and then claimed by the Tennessee Titans. After sitting out the 2011 season, Moss signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, who would then appear in Super Bowl XLVII. Following the 2012 season, Moss retired. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, and is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Did You Know?

• Moss holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record with 23 in 2007.
• He also holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie with 17 in 1998.
• In college, Moss tied Jerry Rice's 1984 record with 28 touchdown catches in a season (1996).
• Moss ran a 4.25 40-yard dash at 6 ft 4 in and had a 43-inch vertical leap.
• The term 'mossed', referring to his ability to secure contested catches, has become a common term in football.