Ki-Jana Carter

Kenneth Leonard "Ki-Jana" Carter ; born September 12, 1973) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning consensus All-American honors in 1994 en route to being named MVP of the 1995 Rose Bowl.

Carter was selected first overall in the 1995 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but after suffering a torn ligament in his knee during his first preseason game, he struggled with injuries for the remainder of his career. Missing most of his five seasons with the Bengals due to injury, Carter played his final three seasons in a limited role for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. To date, he is the most recent running back taken first overall. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2026.

Early life Carter was born in Westerville, Ohio. His nickname, "Ki-Jana", is from a character in the movie Shaft in Africa and he has gone by that name since his birth. At Westerville South High School, he starred in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was a 1991 Parade magazine high school All-American.

College career Carter attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was a standout player for coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions football teams from 1992 to 1994, along with a strong group of offensive players including future NFL starters Jeff Hartings, Joe Jurevicius, Kerry Collins, O.J. McDuffie, Bobby Engram and Kyle Brady. Together, this explosive offense propelled the 1994 Penn State team to a 12–0 undefeated season. At Penn State Carter wore the number 32, which had been worn by running back Blair Thomas. Despite playing only three seasons, he is still in the top ten among Penn State running backs, having compiled 2,829 yards rushing on 395 attempts and scoring 34 touchdowns. His best single game came against the Michigan State Spartans in 1994, when he rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries and scored five touchdowns. Carter helped lead the 1994 Penn State football team to an undefeated record and a berth in the Rose Bowl, was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. He earned co-MVP honors in the Rose Bowl, rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He ran for an 83-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, which is the third-longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history. Carter also added touchdown runs of 17 and three yards in the third quarter. The Rose Bowl was Carter's final game as a Nittany Lion, as he was encouraged by Paterno to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. "This is the first time I have told anybody who has not graduated that I felt they ought to leave," Paterno said. The Tournament of Roses Association announced his induction into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014, a ceremony that took place in December 2014.

On January 14, 2026, Carter was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Carter with the first overall pick of the 1995 NFL draft, where his running style drew comparisons to Emmitt Smith. He played for the Bengals from to .

He played for the Washington Redskins in 2001. In 2002, Carter was signed by the Green Bay Packers, but did not make their final roster. He spent his final two seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 2003 to 2004. In seven NFL seasons, he played in 59 games, started 14 of them, and compiled 1,144 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 319 attempts, and 66 receptions for 469 yards and a touchdown.

In 1997, he suffered a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder with fears that he would miss the entire season.

In 1998, he missed the entire season after breaking his left wrist in a game against the Tennessee Oilers.

In 1999, he again missed the entire season after dislocating his right kneecap in a game against the Carolina Panthers.

Career statistics NFL Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1996 CIN 16 4 91 264 2.9 31 8 22 169 7.7 20 1 1997 CIN 15 10 128 464 3.6 79 7 21 157 7.5 35 0 1998 CIN 1 0 2 4 2.0 4 0 6 25 4.2 8 0 1999 CIN 3 0 6 15 2.5 8 1 3 24 8.0 11 0 2001 WAS 14 0 63 308 4.9 30 3 13 83 6.4 15 0 2003 NO 8 0 19 72 3.8 31 1 1 11 11.0 11 0 2004 NO 2 0 10 17 1.7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 59 14 319 1,144 3.6 79 20 66 469 7.1 35 1

College Season Team Games Rushing Receiving Kick returns GP Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Ret Yds Avg TD 1992 Penn State 11 42 264 6.3 4 0 0 -- 0 4 76 19.0 0 1993 Penn State 11 155 1,026 6.6 7 6 49 8.2 0 3 71 23.7 0 1994 Penn State 11 198 1,539 7.8 23 14 123 8.8 0 4 81 20.3 0Career 33 395 2,829 7.2 34 20 172 8.6 0 11 228 20.7 0

Life after football Carter is now an entrepreneur and sports blogger at OPENSports.com. He founded Byoglobe, a print and promotional marketing material company, in 2008. He serves as the Sunrise, Florida-based company's chief executive officer.