October 28, 2003

East Rutherford, N.J. - Wide receiver Amani Toomer is now the New York Giants' all-time leader in receiving yards, a record he reached earlier this season, in game two against the Dallas Cowboys. It is quite a feat considering the names that have come before him, including the great Frank Gifford whom he passed for the record. It is also quite an accomplishment considering that Toomer never thought he'd be with the team long enough to get near, let alone set, such a record.

After being drafted in the second round out of the University of Michigan in 1996, Toomer's ensuing production was not what had been anticipated. In his rookie year he suffered a season-ending knee injury after playing in only seven games. He spent 1997 and 1998 mostly on punt return duty.
	WR Amani Toomer is the Giants all-time leader in receptions.

Then in 1999, things clicked into place and he not only became a full-time starter at wide receiver, but became the first Giants receiver in 11 years to gain more than 1,000 yards in a single season. He also set a Giants record for most receptions in a season with 79.

"After my third year, I didn't think I was going to be here," he admitted. "They had used a lot of draft picks for receivers. Every time you're in a situation like that you have to evaluate your opportunities and make something out of those, and I didn't. It was a lot of nights staying up thinking, what's wrong? I realized my opportunities weren't going to be as many, so I decided every time I got an opportunity I had to show what I could do.

"Before that it was like a mental block and I couldn't get over that hump. Then after the third year I thought, I don't feel comfortable here, I'm probably not going to be here next year, so I'm going to do the best I can so the next team that picks me up I'll be ready. Instead, I played good here and they kept me on."

One of the things that helped him both mentally and physically was Kung Fu, which he first started studying in 1997. Initially he was daunted by the very different demands it placed on his body as compared to football. However, he quickly embraced those differences and has used them to his advantage.

"It augments (playing football) in some ways and in some ways it's its own entity. The stances build up my legs. I had torn my ACL and my leg wasn't coming back strong and I lost a lot of flexibility so that helped me. And as a wide receiver you're getting press technique so you have to find a way to use your hands and your energy to ward off defenders."
As far as the mental side, that part was a lot simpler.

"I just really enjoyed it and it was a positive atmosphere," he said. "If you're playing football, a lot of the time if you're not playing up to the standard they think you should be at it's not always a positive atmosphere. Kung Fu was positive and encouraging."

The result? Well, in addition to establishing the aforementioned Giants receiving record, Toomer is now a black belt.
And, if you were wondering what happened to Toomer's long dreadlocks, which he sported for years, well it turned out he was a sort of reverse Samson, the biblical figure who derived his strength from his long hair. For Toomer, it proved to be a health hazard.

"I had a big helmet and when I put it on it was OK. But then my hair would get wet," he laughed, "and it would mat down a little bit. Then my helmet would get a little play in there and then I would get hit. I ended up with two concussions and I never had a concussion before."

Now the hair is gone and he hasn't had a concussion since. So, Giants' fans can be confident; in more ways than one, Toomer has a good head on his shoulders.