Victor Cruz

Background

Victor Michael Cruz was born on November 11, 1988, in Paterson, New Jersey. His father, Mike Walker was an African American firefighter and his mother is Puerto Rican. He has three other siblings, Andrea, Ebony, and Malik. He attended Paterson Catholic High School where he played wide receiver and defensive back. Cruz credits his success to his coach Andrew Slome. Cruz caught 42 passes and scored 19 touchdowns, earning himself All-State honors and his team was undefeated. Later, he attended Bridgton Academy, an all-male college preparatory. There, he put up 47 catches for 869 yards and eight touchdowns in a single season.

Cruz attended the University of Massachusetts but struggled to maintain his studies while playing football. His grades suffered and he was not eligible to play football at the university until 2007 due to his poor academic record. Despite not joining the football team until his third year at U.Mass, Cruz had 131 catches and ranked fourth of everyone on the U.Mass receptions list. Eventually, he managed to maintain his grades and his football career. Cruz graduated with a degree in Afro-American Studies. He was named a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver in 2008 and 2009.

Cruz went for the 2010 N.F.L. Draft but was not selected. The following day, he was signed by the New York Giants. In his first preseason game, he caught six passes for 145 yards and scored three touchdowns. When the season started, Cruz played three games before taking time off after suffering an injury. He played for the Giants for six years before getting released. In 2017, he signed with the Chicago Bears and was released that year. Despite speculations that he may come back to the Giants, Cruz announced his retirement in 2018.