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Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
in the
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(NFL). He played
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for the
North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...
, and was selected by the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Nicks has also played for the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
.


Early life

Nicks was born in Charlotte,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. He attended Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina). Playing football there, he was rated as one of the Top 10 Players in North Carolina by SuperPrep and Rivals.com. He was also named the '' Charlotte Observer'' Offensive Player of the Year and was also selected to the North Carolina
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
All-State team. He never lost a game in high school, and completed his senior year with MVP honors at the 4-AA state championship game. In the game, he posted eight catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns (one for 11 and another for 80 yards). He posted 93 catches for 1,819 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year.


College career

During his freshman season, Nicks started all 11 games in which he played, missing one game due to an ankle sprain. He had a breakout game against Notre Dame on November 4 with six receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the 2006 season with 39 receptions for 660 yards and four touchdowns. Nicks led the team and set school single-season records for receptions and receiving yards by a freshman. He ranked third in the ACC in receiving yards per game and eighth in receptions per game. On September 15, 2007, Nicks had seven receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a game against
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. On October 13, against
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, he had eight receptions for 114 yards. On November 17, he had seven receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown against
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...
. In the 2007 season, Nicks had 74 catches for 958 receiving yards along with five touchdowns. His single-season receiving yards were the third most in school history. Nicks finished second in the ACC with 79.8 receiving yards per game and third with 6.17 catches per game. Has made at least one catch in 22 of 23 games played and caught at least two passes in each game his sophomore season. Nicks had six receptions for 110 yards to start the 2008 season against McNeese State. He had two receiving touchdowns in the next game against
Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
. On September 27, against Miami (FL), he had five receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. On October 11, verses Notre Dame, he had nine receptions for 141 receiving yards. Two weeks later, he had eight receptions for 139 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns to go along with a rushing touchdown against
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
. Nicks was honored as a First-team All-ACC selection at wide receiver. By the completion of his junior season, Nicks set 14 school records at UNC, including career receptions (181), career receiving yards (2,580), and career touchdowns (21). During his last season, Nicks tallied 68 catches for school records of 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 68 receptions tied for third most in a season in school history. Nicks led the ACC and ranked 12th nationally with 94.0 receiving yards per game. Nicks caught at least one pass in 26 straight games and had a catch in 35 of 36 career games. He set the UNC single-season receiving yardage record and became North Carolina's first 1,000-yard receiver. Nicks ended his collegiate career in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl, where he caught eight passes for a bowl record of 217 yards, with three going for touchdowns of 73, 66 and 25 yards, in a game against
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. One of his other catches in that game was offered a candidate for the "Greatest Catch of the Year." Four years after he had left North Carolina, Nicks was found guilty of academic fraud during the 2008 school year. His record setting season will remain in the media guide, but the school said they will place an asterisk by his records. Nicks was found to have received some jewelry and money during his years at North Carolina.


College statistics

* school record ** vacated from school record books


Professional career


Pre-draft

Considered to be one of the top wide receivers available in the 2009 NFL draft, Nicks drew comparisons to
Hines Ward Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American American football, football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for Arizona State Sun Devils football, Arizona State. He played as a wide receiver in the National Foo ...
and Anquan Boldin. Butch Davis, Nicks' coach at North Carolina, went even further, comparing him to Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.


New York Giants (first stint)

The
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, in need to replace wide-out Plaxico Burress, selected Nicks in the first round, 29th overall. Nicks was the fifth wide receiver taken in the draft, and one out of six taken in the first round alone. On August 1, 2009, Nicks signed a five-year, $12.54 million contract. The deal includes a $6.5 million signing bonus. During training camp, Nicks vied for a starting position with the Giants' other wide receivers, most notably Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith, and Hakeem Nicks had the best overall average of all these wide receivers with a 16.0 average. Nicks made his first career NFL reception on September 13, 2009, against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
on wide receiver screen pass for 11 yards. On October 4, 2009, against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
, Nicks recorded his first touchdown reception on a 54-yard screen pass. For the next four games, Nicks would score a touchdown pass in each, becoming the first Giants rookie to score touchdowns in four consecutive games since Bob Gaiters, who scored in five straight games in . However, Odell Beckham Jr. broke that record. On the strength of that feat, Nicks was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month. Nicks ended the season starting in the #2 wide receiver spot opposite Steve Smith after an injury to Domenik Hixon in Week 2 and outperforming
Mario Manningham Mario Cashmere Manningham (born May 25, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American college football player at the Michigan Wol ...
as of Week 14. He finished his rookie season with 47 receptions for 790 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He had two games on the season going over the 100-yard mark. At the start of the 2010 season, Nicks recorded his first three-touchdown game against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
during the season opener, catching a total of four passes for 75 yards in a winning effort. During Week 5, when New York visited Houston, Nicks exploited the NFL's 29th ranked secondary and more specifically Texans rookie cornerback Kareem Jackson as he reeled in career highs with 12 catches (tying a franchise record) for 130 yards. In addition, Nicks caught two touchdown passes on the day from quarterback Eli Manning. In Week 7 against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
, he had nine receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the 41–35 victory. In Week 9 against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, he had six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown in the 41–7 victory. Nicks was inactive for the final game of the season in Washington due to a broken toe in his left foot. On the year, he recorded 1,052 yards on 79 receptions, and was fourth in the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns. Nicks opened the 2011 season, his third, with seven receptions for 122 yards in a loss to Washington, followed three weeks later with 10 receptions for a career-best 162 yards and a touchdown against
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
in the Giants' third-straight win. Nicks remained one of the few bright spots in the Giants' subsequent 2–5 slump, averaging 73 yards per game and recording four touchdowns. In Week 13, he had two receiving touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers in a 38–35 loss. In Week 14 at
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, Nicks again had a career-best 163 yards on ten receptions in a pivotal 37–34 win. In the 2011 season, Nicks had his second straight 1,000+ yard receiving season. He caught 76 passes for 1,192 yards (15.7 yards per catch average) and seven touchdowns, helping the Giants sneak into the playoffs at 9–7. In the Giants' historically improbable 2011 postseason, Nicks had the most prolific receiving statistics in franchise history. In the Wild Card Round against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
, Nicks recorded six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the 24–2 victory. The following week against the top seeded 15–1
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the Divisional Round, Nicks hauled in seven catches for 165 yards and two more touchdowns, including a 37-yard Hail Mary reception at the end of the first half. After 55 yards in the NFC Championship win over
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, in Super Bowl XLVI against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
Nicks was the leading receiver for the game with 10 receptions for 109 yards to help secure a 21–17 New York Giants victory. , Nicks' 2011 postseason numbers remain franchise records with 28 receptions for 444 yards (also most all-purpose yards) and 4 receiving touchdowns (also tied with Joe Morris and Brandon Jacobs for most total touchdowns). He also holds postseason career franchise records for most Yds/Rec with 15.86, Yds/Game with 111, most 100+ yard receiving games with 3, and along with Amani Toomer is the only Giant with 2 games with 2+ TD scored. In Week 2 of the 2012 season, Nicks had ten receptions for 199 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 41–34 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. In the 2012 season, Nicks recorded 53 receptions for 692 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In the 2013 season opener for the Giants, Nicks had five receptions for 114 yards against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. In Week 5 against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, he had nine receptions for 142 yards. In Week 14 against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
, he had five receptions for 135 receiving yards. In the 2013 season, Nicks did not record a touchdown reception, but still finished with 896 receiving yards in 15 games played for the Giants. Nearing the trade deadline on October 29, there was speculation that the New York Giants were going to trade him. As the deadline passed, no deal was done and Nicks remained a Giant until his contract expired at the conclusion of the season, making him a free agent.


Indianapolis Colts

On March 14, 2014, Nicks signed a one-year deal worth a maximum of $5.5 million with the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. In the Colts' Week 17 game against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
, Nicks reached 5,000 receiving yards for his career. He finished the season with 38 receptions, 408 yards, and four touchdowns. Nicks scored a receiving touchdown in the Colts' 24–13 win over the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
in the Divisional Round.


Tennessee Titans

On April 24, 2015, Nicks signed a one-year deal with the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
. Nicks was released by the Titans on September 5, 2015.


New York Giants (second stint)

On November 17, 2015, Nicks returned to the Giants, signing a one-year deal. In six games, he recorded seven receptions for 54 yards.


New Orleans Saints

Nicks signed a one-year contract with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
on July 27, 2016. On August 8, 2016, the Saints waived Nicks.


XFL

Nicks participated in a tryout for the XFL in June 2019.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Awards and accomplishments

*
Super Bowl Champion The Super Bowl is the annual American football game that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The game culminates a National Football League regular season, season that begins in the previous calendar year, and is the ...
( XLVI) * NFC Champion (
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
) * NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year (2011) * Ranked #90 in the Top 100 Players of 2012 * NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month (October 2009) * Most career receptions in UNC history (181) * Ryan Switzer Broke this * Most career TD receptions in UNC history (21) * Most single-season TD receptions in UNC history (12) * 2007 First-team All-ACC by Rivals.com * 2007 Second-team All-ACC by The Associated Press * 2008 First-team All-ACC by ACSMA/AP


Personal life

Nicks is the son of Rob Nicks Jr. and Lisa Mason. He has two brothers, Anwar and Aleef, and a daughter named Harmony. On August 24, 2022, Nicks auctioned off his Super Bowl XLVI ring. On August 28, 2022, the ring sold for $117,000 and plans on donating some of that money to charity.


References


External links


North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicks, Hakeem 1988 births Living people American football wide receivers Indianapolis Colts players New York Giants players Tennessee Titans players New Orleans Saints players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen