| No. 77 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1985-05-14)May 14, 1985 (age 40) San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 343 lb (156 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | North Salinas(Salinas, California) | ||||||
| College |
| ||||||
| NFL draft | 2008: 5th round, 164th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Carl Ray Nicks, Jr. (born May 14, 1985[1]) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aguard in theNational Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He playedcollege football for theNebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by theNew Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the2008 NFL draft.[2] He also played for theTampa Bay Buccaneers.
Nicks graduated fromNorth Salinas High School inSalinas, California in 2003. Before transferring to Nebraska, Nicks played atNew Mexico State and then atHartnell College, a community college in Salinas.[3] Following the 2005 season at Hartnell, Nicks was rated the No. 7 junior college prospect from the state of California byJCGridiron.com. During his time at Nebraska, Nicks was known for his problems on and off the field, but in 2010, Nicks returned to Lincoln to apologize to head coachBo Pelini for his behavior during his time at Nebraska.[4]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 341 lb (155 kg) | 34+3⁄4 in (0.88 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 5.22 s | 1.80 s | 2.98 s | 4.68 s | 7.91 s | 25.5 in (0.65 m) | 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | 31 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[5][6] | ||||||||||||
In his rookie season, he replacedJamar Nesbit in the starting lineup after Nesbit violated the league substance abuse policy. His play exceeded expectations and Nicks finished his rookie year playing in all 16 games and starting 13. After starting all 16 games in2009 and theSaints three post-season games, he went into the2010 season as the starting left guard.[7] He was named to thePro Bowl in 2010 and 2011 and was a first-teamAll-Pro selection in 2011.[8] He was ranked 55th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[9]
Nicks gave a profanity-laced radio interview after theSaints win inSuper Bowl XLIV in which he excitedly shouted"I'm going to mother-fucking Disneyland!" as the Saints left the field after winning the game.[10][11]
Nicks signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers on March 14, 2012.[12] On October 30, 2012, Nicks was placed on injured reserve with a toe problem requiring surgery. He had not missed a game since joining the NFL.[13]
Before the season began in 2013, Nicks andkickerLawrence Tynes were diagnosed withmethicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, causing him to miss week one of the season.
On July 25, 2014, the Buccaneers and Nicks mutually agreed to part ways, ending his tenure with the team. After signing as an unrestricted free agent during the 2012 offseason, Nicks played in nine games for the Buccaneers over the past two seasons.[14][15]
Health issues, including amethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection,[16] forced his early retirement. He was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame on October 29, 2017.[17]