Lionel Manuel Jr. (born April 13, 1962) 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

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific (United States), University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members ...

. Manuel was selected in the seventh round (171st pick overall) of the

1984 NFL draft The 1984 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held May 1–2, 1984 NFL season, ...

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 ...

, and played seven seasons in the NFL.

Early life

Manuel was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and attended

Bassett High School Bassett High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Bassett, Virginia, United States. The school currently enrolls about 1,100 students in grades 9–12. It is one of two public high schools operated by Henry County Schools. ...

. He played

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, and Monrovia. Citrus Union High Scho ...

before transferring to the University of the Pacific where he played wide receiver and running back for the

Professional career

The 5'11", 180 lb wide receiver was selected in the seventh round of the

by the New York Giants, and played in seven

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

seasons. Manuel spent his entire career with the Giants (1984–1990), including the XXI Giants Super Bowl Team when they beat the Denver Broncos 39–20. His peak performance was during the 1988 season, when he caught 65 passes for 1,029 yards and scored four touchdowns. Manuel's career ended after several injuries in the 1990 season when he played under head coach

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells ( ; born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 19 ...

. The Giants finished the 1990 season 13–3, and won the

Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

20–19. Parcells

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. A waiver is often written, such as a disclaimer that has been accepted, but it may also be spoken between two or more parties. When the right to hold a p ...

Manuel in December 1990, citing Manuel's poor attitude after losing his starting position. Manuel then signed with the

as a free agent but was waived due to injuries and did not play for the team. Manuel played

European football UEFA competitions (), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and futsal. T ...

with the

Barcelona Dragons Two American football franchises have been referred to as the Barcelona Dragons: * Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) The Barcelona Dragons were an American football team that was a part of the World League of American Football and later in the res ...

before retiring in 1993.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Life after the NFL

Manuel went on to coach several college football teams including The LaVerne Leopards, and later became a professional chef and restaurateur after attending the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Manuel worked as a high school varsity coach in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It ...

. Manuel was inducted into the University of the Pacific Hall of Fame in 2012.

References

External links

Griddle replaces gridiron
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Lionel 1962 births Living people Players of American football from Rancho Cucamonga, California Players of American football from Chandler, Arizona American football wide receivers Pacific Tigers football players New York Giants players Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California Bassett High School (California) alumni