 Cross on the Giants' post-game show in 2012 | |||||||||
| No. 87 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1967-08-08)August 8, 1967 (age 58) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | New Hope | ||||||||
| College | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1989: 6th round, 158th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Howard Edward Cross Jr. (born August 8, 1967) is an American former professionalfootball player and current broadcaster. He spent 13 seasons as atight end for theNew York Giants in theNational Football League (NFL), and was a member of twoSuper Bowl teams,Super Bowl XXV in 1991 and appearing inSuper Bowl XXXV in 2001. Since 2007, he has served as a broadcaster for theNew York Giants radio network, and a broadcaster for theYES Network.
Cross played football atNew Hope High School inNew Hope, Alabama. In college, he was a member of theFellowship of Christian Athletes. He was drafted out of theUniversity of Alabama in the1989 NFL draft by theNew York Giants in the sixth round.[1][2]
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft5+1⁄4 in (1.96 m) | 251 lb (114 kg) | 5.17 s | 1.74 s | 3.01 s | 4.63 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) | 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | 9 reps |
Over his career, Cross played in a total of 207 games as a Giant, trailing onlyMichael Strahan's 216 games, andEli Manning’s 236 games. Cross won aSuper Bowl ring with the Giants inSuper Bowl XXV when they defeated theBuffalo Bills 20–19. He was the only player on both the 1990 Giants team as well as the 2000 team that lostSuper Bowl XXXV to theBaltimore Ravens 34–7.
Although he was known more for his blocking expertise, he finished his career with 201 receptions for 2,194yards and 17touchdowns.[1]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1989 | NYG | 16 | 4 | 6 | 107 | 17.8 | 27 | 1 |
| 1990 | NYG | 16 | 8 | 8 | 106 | 13.3 | 21 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 20 | 283 | 14.2 | 30 | 2 |
| 1992 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 27 | 357 | 13.2 | 29 | 2 |
| 1993 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 21 | 272 | 13.0 | 32 | 5 |
| 1994 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 31 | 364 | 11.7 | 40 | 4 |
| 1995 | NYG | 15 | 15 | 18 | 197 | 10.9 | 26 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 22 | 178 | 8.1 | 19 | 1 |
| 1997 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 21 | 150 | 7.1 | 26 | 2 |
| 1998 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 13 | 90 | 6.9 | 22 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYG | 16 | 15 | 9 | 55 | 6.1 | 12 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYG | 16 | 11 | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 18 | 0 |
| 2001 | NYG | 16 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 207 | 171 | 201 | 2,194 | 10.9 | 40 | 17 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1989 | NYG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | NYG | 3 | 1 | 5 | 44 | 8.8 | 13 | 1 |
| 1993 | NYG | 2 | 2 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 23 | 0 |
| 1997 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYG | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | 5 | 10 | 94 | 9.4 | 23 | 1 | ||
After retiring, Cross moved into broadcasting. He has co-hosted theYES Network'sThis Week in Football, as well as serving as color commentator alongsideJohn Sterling on the network's Ivy League football telecasts. Cross is also a sideline reporter for theNew York Giants Radio Network as well as an analyst on Giants First and 10. He has spent a great deal of time working with youth to help ensure that they stay in school. He currently resides in Northern New Jersey and is a commercial real estate broker in NY/NJ forCushman & Wakefield; where he works closely with Global Chairman Bruce Mosler. His son,Howard Cross III, plays football forNotre Dame, and his daughter, Bella Cross, attends The University of AlabamaHonors College.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
