Nate Washington

Nate Washington

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Washington with the Titans in 2009
No. 84New England Patriots
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1983-08-28) August 28, 1983
Place of birth: Toledo, Ohio
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school: Toledo (OH) Scott
College: Tiffin
Undrafted: 2005
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2015
Receptions: 458
Receiving yards: 6,954
Receiving touchdowns: 44
Player stats at NFL.com

Nate Washington (born August 28, 1983) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and played on two Super Bowl-winning teams. He has also played for the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans.

Early life

Washington was raised in Toledo by his single mother, Lisha Washington.[1] Nate attended Scott High School in Toledo, Ohio, where as a senior he was named first-team all-area and honorable mention all-state.[2]

College career

Washington played college football at Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio, where he majored in Information Systems. He holds eight individual Dragons' receiving records, including records for receptions in a game (13), yards in a game (299), receptions in a season (70), yards in a season (1,428), touchdowns in a season (16), career receptions (212), career yards (4,214), and career touchdown receptions (47).[3]

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004, Washington became the first Tiffin University player in the modern era to play in the NFL. His first career reception came in the 2005 AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

He was the Steelers' slot receiver throughout the 2006 season, and started two games after injuries to Hines Ward.

A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Washington resigned a one-year, $1.417 million tender offer on April 16, 2008. In Super Bowl XLIII, Washington had one catch for 11 yards on his way to winning his second Super Bowl Ring.

Tennessee Titans

Washington signed a six-year, $27 million deal with the Tennessee Titans on March 2, 2009.[4][5]

In the 2011 season, Titans top receiver Kenny Britt tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the third game against the Denver Broncos, leaving Washington as the number one receiver. Washington finished the year with career highs in receptions (74), yards (1,023), and touchdowns (7) as the Titans finished 9-7, missing the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In the 2012 season,the offense as a whole struggled to find any rhythm with quarterback Jake Locker suffering a shoulder injury that affected his play all year and running back Chris Johnson getting off to a slow start. Washington finished the year with a team-leading 746 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, including a 71-yard touchdown catch from Locker in week 3 against the Detroit Lions.

For the 2013 season, Washington was elected a team captain. In a week 3 game against the San Diego Chargers, he emerged as Locker's favorite target. With the Titans trailing, Washington reportedly led the team in a rally using references from the film 300. With roughly two minutes left on the clock, Washington helped drive the ball 94 yards which resulted in a touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the game. The Titans won their home opener 20-17 with Washington contributing eight catches for 131 yards. For the season, Washington totaled 58 receptions for 919 yards and three touchdowns.[6]

Through the 2013 season, Washington ranked third among all active undrafted NFL players in career receiving yards behind only Wes Welker and Antonio Gates. He also ranked first among all NFL wide receivers in consecutive games played with 128.[7]

In 2014, in a week 11 game, Washington caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Mettenberger against his old team, the Steelers.[8]

Houston Texans

Washington signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Houston Texans on April 1, 2015.[9]

New England Patriots

Washington signed with the New England Patriots on March 24, 2016.[10]

Personal life

Washington has a daughter, Niyla Monae and a fiancée Monique Johnson [11] He gives back to his hometown of Toledo through several charities as well as charity fundraisers that he has founded, along with hosting an annual football camp.[12]

His mother, Lisha, eventually earned an associate's degree from the University of Toledo and in 2010 was honored by the nonprofit Mom's House of Toledo. She is a secretary for the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.[13]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.