Ernest Givins

Ernest Pastell Givins Jr. (born September 3, 1964), is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Houston Oilers.

Early life and college Givins attended Lakewood High School where he was a star football player. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, then transferred to the University of Louisville. At Louisville he set records for punt return and kickoff return that still stand. He was a 1985 First Team All-South independent

Professional career Givins was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 2nd round of the 1986 NFL draft. A , 175 lbs. wide receiver, he played in 10 NFL seasons from 1986 to 1995.

During his rookie season, in a Week 9, 1986 game against the Miami Dolphins, Givins took a reverse and was injured after getting hit in the head/neck area and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He only missed one game and returned two weeks later in Week 11 against the Steelers.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection in 1990 and 1992, he played most of his career with the Oilers, catching passes from quarterback Warren Moon, along with receivers Curtis Duncan, Haywood Jeffires and Drew Hill in the Oilers' "run and shoot" offense. Givins was best known for his touchdown celebration dance known as the "Electric Slide."

After nine seasons with the Oilers, Givins played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, then retired.

Oilers/Titans franchise records Most receiving yards (career): 7,935 Receptions (career): 542

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1986 HOU 15 15 61 1,062 17.4 60 3 1987 HOU 12 12 53 933 17.6 83 6 1988 HOU 16 16 60 976 16.3 46 5 1989 HOU 15 15 55 794 14.4 48 3 1990 HOU 16 16 72 979 13.6 80 9 1991 HOU 16 16 70 996 14.2 49 5 1992 HOU 16 16 67 787 11.7 41 10 1993 HOU 16 16 68 887 13.0 80 4 1994 HOU 16 16 36 521 14.5 76 1 1995 JAX 9 9 29 280 9.7 18 3 Career 147 147 571 8,215 14.4 83 49

Post-professional career He is very active in St. Petersburg's football community. In the mid-1990s, he was offensive coordinator of his high school alma mater, Pinellas Lakewood High School.

Coaching career Givins served as head coach of St. Petersburg semi-pro football team, the St. Pete Sharks (Suncoast Semi-pro Football League). Givins served as head coach of the Sarasota Millionaires (initially in the United Football Federation and as of 2014 in the Florida Football Alliance (FFA), from 2012 to 2014. On May 26, 2017, Givins was named head coach of the Dunedin Pirates (Florida Football Alliance) based in Dunedin, Florida.

Givins has been the offensive coordinator for Gibbs High School's football team. He also works at Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg as a campus monitor.

Personal life Givins' brother, Anthony, is the head coach of the St. Petersburg-based University of Faith football team.

Givins was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.