This article is one in a series of articles written about some of the current New England Patriots players. In this article we will look at the life and football career of Randy Moss, the star wide receiver for the Patriots. While some of his transgressions off the field are well known, his stature as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history is indisputable. Let’s examine the biography of Randy Moss.

Randy Moss was born in Rand, West Virginia on February 13, 1977 to Maxine Moss and Randy Pratt. Rand was a small mining town, not the kind of town you’d expect to produce one of the NFL’s biggest stars. Rand was so small that they did not have their own high school. Therefore, Randy attended high school at the now-defunct DuPont High in nearby Belle, West Virginia.

During his high school years, Randy excelled in sports. His favorite sports were soccer and basketball. He helped bring his team state titles in both football and basketball during his junior and senior years. Due to his excellent football performance during his high school years, college football powerhouses took great interest in him. The top universities that showed interest in Randy were Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Florida State University. Lou Holtz of Notre Dame said that “Randy Moss was the best high school football player he had ever seen.” In 1995, Randy signed a letter of intent to go to Notre Dame on a full football scholarship.

Racial tensions ran high at the high school Randy Moss attended. These tensions resulted in many fights at DuPont High School. After signing up to Notre Dame, Randy got into one of those racially motivated fights. This resulted in Notre Dame terminating his scholarship. Lou Holtz suggested to Bobby Bowden, the FSU head coach, that he give Randy a chance. So Randy intended to go to FSU on a full football scholarship. However, due to his letter of intent signed at Notre Dame, the NCAA deemed him a transfer student. This made him ineligible to play for the Seminoles in the 1995 football season. So, in 1995, Randy wore a red shirt.

In 1996, due to some off the field transgressions, Randy was fired from the state of Florida. He ended up never playing for FSU. He then needed to make a decision about where to play his college football. He considered Marshall University, which was only a couple of hours from his hometown. Randy knew that Marshall was moving from Division 1-AA to Division 1-A, which would mean tougher competition and more exposure to NFL scouts. I’m sure this played a role in his decision to attend Marshall.

During the 1996 season, Randy broke many records as a freshman at Marshall. This included most games with a touchdown reception in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13), and most touchdown passes caught in a season (28). He also broke the record for the number of receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1,709 on 78 receptions), a record that still stands today. He helped Marshall win the Division I-AA national school championship.

Randy also played soccer at Marshall his sophomore year. This was the University’s first year as a Division IA school. During the two seasons that Randy played at Marshall, he broke many NCAA records. Overall at Marshall, he scored at least one touchdown in the 28 games he played. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver and was a 1997 Heisman finalist. He finished fourth in that year’s voting, behind Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson. Not bad considering Randy was just a sophomore. Charles Woodson, the University of Michigan star who won the Heisman that year, stated that “Randy had superior talent and he was surprised Randy didn’t get the Heisman.”

Randy Moss was so good during his sophomore year at Marshall that many of the NFL scouts began to take notice. It looked like Moss would be taken in the 1998 NFL Draft, and this is exactly what happened. This meant that he would no longer attend Marshall University. The remarkable two seasons he had at Marshall were good enough to get him drafted.

Moss was taken by Minnesota in the 21st round of the 1998 NFL Draft. It was expected that he would be drafted in the top 5 rounds, but teams hesitated during the draft. I’m sure his off-field problems played a role here. Additionally, Moss missing the NFL combine in Indianapolis, prior to that year’s draft, was a concern for some NFL teams. The Combine offers a sampling of the NFL’s top potential recruits to NFL scouts. He missed the combine due to an abscessed tooth. But some believe that he was trying to avoid drug tests. In any case, Minnesota at the time was a perfect fit for Randy.

At the end of the 1998 regular season at Minnesota, Moss was named a Pro Bowl starter and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for his rookie record 17 touchdown receptions. From 1998 to 2004, Moss had a stellar career in Minnesota. He then spent a couple of years with the Oakland Raiders, before ending up with the New England Patriots.

In 2007, the New England Patriots acquired Moss in a trade with Oakland. Moss did very well during the 2007 season with the Patriots. He had the most total yards for the Patriots with 98 catches for 1,493 yards. That season he earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection, scored touchdowns in 13 of 16 games, had nine 100-yard games, and helped lead the New England Patriots to an undefeated season, with the lone loss coming in Super Bowl XLII to the New England Patriots. New York Giants.

In 2008, Moss had 69 receptions for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns. Quite an achievement considering quarterback Tom Brady missed with a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the year. In 2009, Moss is having another stellar season for the Patriots.

Randy Moss up to this point has had an incredible football career. Though he’s had his share of transgressions off the field, he has that uncanny ability to focus on the field and perform when it really matters. His story is one of rags to riches. The town where he grew up was very poor. He has been motivated by his need to help his mother, who worked long hours as a nursing assistant to help keep her children healthy and happy as they grew up. His story is one seen frequently in professional sports.

Randy Moss has become one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. In 2008 he earned 14 million dollars. In the future, he should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not bad for a kid from Rand, West Virginia, living in poverty. His rags-to-riches story should serve as an inspiration to all children growing up in poverty. He is achieving his idea of ​​the American dream, and has shown that hard work and focus when it counts can result in achievement, no matter what his endeavor.