Anquan Boldin

Anquan Boldin

Boldin during Ravens Training Camp 2010.
Baltimore Ravens
Personal information
Born:	(1980-10-03) October 3, 1980 Pahokee, Florida
Career information
College:	Florida State
NFL draft:	2003 / round: 2 / pick: 54
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (2003–2009) Baltimore Ravens (2010–present)
Career highlights and awards
AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2003) PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year (2003) 3× Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2006, 2008) 1× All-Pro selection (2003) 2008 NFC Champion
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
Receptions: 650 Receiving Yards: 8,357 Receiving TDs: 51

Anquan Kenmile Boldin (/ˈTwon'/; born October 3, 1980 in Pahokee, Florida) is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

Boldin was the 2003 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.

High school career

Boldin played football and basketball at Pahokee High School. His quarterbacking progess led him to be named Florida's Mr. Football in 1998. During his senior season, Pahokee held a 10–0 regular season record including a 34-14 win over Glades Central in the annual Muck Bowl. The Blue Devils were upset 29–14 by Coach Corky Rogers's Bolles team from Jacksonville in the 2A state championship game. After the season, he was a USA Today first-team selection and named Florida Player of the Year.

In 2007 he was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team, a team compiled of the top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida.

College career

Boldin attended Florida State University and Hinds Community College. He was converted to wide receiver in order to get more playing time, with only spot duty at QB. In 23 games at wide receiver, he caught 118 passes for 1,790 yards (averaging 15.2 yards per reception) and 21 touchdowns.

Professional career

2003 NFL Draft

Boldin created initial concerns of the NFL scouts after he registered a relatively slow 4.7 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He was drafted in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals with the 54th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump
6 0+1⁄2	216 lb (98 kg)	4.71 s	1.61 s	2.77 s	4.33 s	7.35 s	33+1⁄2	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
All values from NFL combine

Arizona Cardinals

As a rookie Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game (217), tied Billy Sims for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in his first game (217), and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career (157). He is also the fastest to record 300 career receptions (47 games) and finished the season with 101 catches and was the only rookie selected to the 2004 Pro Bowl.

In 2005 despite due to injury, Boldin still caught more than 100 passes for over 1,400 yards. Arguably his finest moment came against the San Francisco 49ers on December 4 when he broke several tackles and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 17-10 win. That year, he and fellow wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald became only the third duo from the same team to each catch over 100 receptions in addition to topping the 1,400-yard mark, only the third duo to achieve that in NFL history. They joined Detroit's Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, who accomplished the feat in 1995, and St. Louis' Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, who did it in 2000.

After compiling 83 catches, 1203 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in 2006, Boldin and was selected to play in his second Pro Bowl.

Boldin was named the offensive captain for the Cardinals for the 2007 season and became the quickest player in NFL history to compile 400 receptions during the season too.

On September 28, 2008, Boldin was carted off the field after a violent helmet-to-helmet collision in the end zone with 27 seconds remaining in the Cardinals’ 56–35 loss to the New York Jets. While attempting to catch a long pass from Kurt Warner, Boldin was hit in the back by free safety Kerry Rhodes and then took a helmet-to-face shot from strong safety Eric Smith, knocking them both unconscious. Smith was able to get up after a few moments. After several minutes, Boldin was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field. He left the game having caught 10 balls for 119 yards and a touchdown. On October 4, 2008, coach Ken Whisenhunt announced that Boldin would be out for an indefinite time period with fractured paranasal sinuses. Boldin returned three weeks later and caught 9 passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. Boldin, Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, who filled in for the injured Boldin, became the fifth 1,000 yard receiving trio in NFL history.

In December, 2008, he became the fastest player in NFL history to have 500 receptions. On January 3, 2010, in his first post-season game, against the Atlanta Falcons in the wildcard round, Boldin had a 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown. In the Super Bowl XLIII loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Boldin caught 8 passes for 84 yards.

On May 26, 2009, according to ESPN's Mike Sando, Anquan Boldin fired agent Drew Rosenhaus. He later hired agent Tom Condon.

On November 15, 2009 in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, Boldin became the fifth-fastest NFL player ever to gain 7,000 receiving yards.

Baltimore Ravens

On March 5, 2010 Boldin was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for the Ravens third, fourth and fifth round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft. Boldin agreed to a three-year deal worth $25 million, in addition to the one year he had left on his then-current deal, bringing the total deal to $28 million over 4 years, with $10 million guaranteed. On September 26 2010, against the Cleveland Browns, in a game where he caught 8 passes for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns, he became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 600 receptions, doing so in just 98 games. HE IS THE BEST WR EVER!!! Boldin was eventually awarded AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Boldin scored 7 TDs in his first year as a Baltimore Raven. He had 836 yards through the air as well.

Personal

Boldin is the cousin of CFL All-Star defensive back Korey Banks. He also has a brother, Demir "D.J." Boldin, who played College football at Wake Forest University. D.J. participated in the 2009 NFL Draft but was not chosen. Shortly after the draft, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Lions.

Boldin's son, Anquan, Jr., was born in 2004.

External links

• Baltimore Ravens Bio