quarterbacks who completed 69 percent of their

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cris Carters entry into the exclusive club in Canton will be commemorated with a bronze head-and-shoulders bust, like all of the Pro Football Hall of Fame members before him. His hands might be a more appropriate body part to feature. Over 16 seasons in the NFL, with fire and grit and flair, Carter exemplified just what a wide receiver is paid to do: catch the ball. After overcoming some well-publicized troubles in his early years, Carter became a highlight-reel fixture and unflappable performer in the 1990s for the Minnesota Vikings. He wasnt the fastest, the biggest or the most elusive of the bunch, but he made happen some of the most impossible grabs and often did so at the most opportune times. Tiptoeing both feet at the sideline and successfully pulling in a pass in the split-second before falling out of bounds. Leaping to his feet after being whistled down and sticking his arm straight out to signal a first down. Jumping in front of two defenders to corral a ball in the end zone with his fingertips. Those are the images of what set Carter apart. After missing the cut five times for the Hall of Fame, Carter was finally voted in. Hell be inducted on Saturday with this years group about a 3 1/2-hour drive from where he grew up in Middletown, Ohio. "I catch everything that the normal people catch and I catch a few things that no one catches. Thats what I used to say to myself before every game," Carter said recently. Four of his former Vikings teammates, Chris Doleman, John Randle, Randall McDaniel and Gary Zimmerman, preceded Carter with enshrinement over the past five years. Carter retired after the 2002 season behind only Jerry Rice for all-time receptions and touchdowns. Hes fourth in those categories now, passed by Tony Gonzalez and Marvin Harrison in catches and Randy Moss and Terrell Owens in scores. Wherever he landed on those lists was always going to be a product of his fierce determination. Raised in poverty in a four-room apartment with a single mother and five siblings, Carter couldve easily strayed from his Hall of Fame track. He was ineligible for his senior year at Ohio State because of a federal investigation for organized crime that revealed he signed early with an agent. He forced Philadelphia coach Buddy Ryan, who famously said of Carter, "All he does is catch touchdowns," to cut him after the 1989 season. Then, Carters abuse of alcohol and drugs were destroying his career, let alone his life. But with arguably the best investment in franchise history, the Vikings paid the $100 waiver fee to claim Carter. Ten years later, he had been picked for eight Pro Bowls, made the playoffs eight times and, in the latter part of his career, helped lead one of the most potent passing games in the league. The Vikings never reached the Super Bowl with him but were NFC runners up twice in that span. Carter hatched an off-season conditioning plan with his personal trainer to fuel all those accomplishments, using Rice, the San Francisco star, as his motivation and a time-zone advantage as his reward. The addictive behaviour that fueled his chemical dependency worked in his favour on the field. "By the time Jerry Rice woke up I was done with my work," Carter said, adding: "I knew that if Jerry Rice was ahead of me, that day I had caught up to him a little bit." That drive to be the best also produced a brash personality and the potential for conflict with opponents. There are many memorable video clips, too, of Carter shouting at a teammate or a coach. Moss thrived under Carters mentorship as a rookie but later grew tired of him and blasted him on Twitter last year after critical comments Carter made as an ESPN analyst of Mosss work ethic. Carter later wrote in his autobiography "Going Deep," that the two are back on good terms. "If you didnt do what you were supposed to do on the field he really held you accountable," former Vikings wide receiver Jake Reed said in a phone interview. "Some guys couldnt deal with it because he was so strong of a personality. Some guys responded to it well. It was fine with me, because we wound up being best friends." Reed recalled a game at Atlanta in 1991 when Carter caught a touchdown pass with one hand over two defenders. From then on, he was never surprised by any of the grabs his buddy made. "Hed stand sideways, turn the Jugs machine to 55 miles per hour and catch the ball with one hand, standing 10 yards away," Reed said. "I wouldnt try that because Id break my fingers." Carter was rarely hurt. He played in every game in all but one of his 12 seasons with the Vikings. "Every minute that I stepped on that field from the time that I warmed up, I was trying to put on a show for those people," Carter said. "So they would be proud. I come from some humble beginnings, and I just believed that when people pay their money, hard-earned money, that they deserve a certain level of performance." Johnny Bench Jersey Large . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Wholesale Custom Reds Shirts .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. http://www.customredsjersey.com/custom-johnny-bench-jersey-large-72w.html . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Chris Sabo Jersey Large . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Custom Reds Jerseys . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Mike Sanfords rush to get to his first head coaching job got him a speeding ticket on his way to Western Kentucky.Sanford doesnt expect any bumps in the road while keeping the Hilltoppers cruising at top speed.Hours after WKU athletic director Todd Stewart announced Wednesdays hiring of the former Notre Dame offensive coordinator, Sanford recalled his 2010 stopover at WKU during his journey through the coaching ranks.I realized right then and there that this is the job I would love to have at some point, the 34-year-old Sanford said during his introductory news conference. There are no words to quantify just how excited I am to be the head football coach here. That was evidenced by the speeding ticket as we transitioned from Indiana to Bowling Green. The ticket was only for five miles an hour (over the speed limit), so it wasnt a big one.But it gives you an illustration of how excited we are to be here.Sanford received a four-year contract that pays an annual base salary of $800,000.Sanford had spent the past two seasons as Notre Dames offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He also coached QBs and was passing game coordinator at WKU in 2010 under Willie Taggart, part of a 12-year coaching career with stops at Stanford, Yale, UNLV and Boise State, where he played QB from 2000-04.Sanford replaces Jeff Brohm, who left WKU last week to take Purdues head coaching job. He inherits a Hilltoppers program that went 30-10 in three seasons under Brohm and has won back-to-back Conference USA championships.Defensive coordinator and interim coach Nick Holt will guide WKU (10-3) in the Boca Raton Bowl against Memphis (8-4) on Dec. 20 before handing the reins over to Sanford. Given his background and familiarity with the program and community, Stewart foresees a smooth transition on and off the field.Mike is not new to WKU and in 2010 he experienced firsthand the challenges this program was facing, the AD saiid.dddddddddddd I said we would hire the best person to keep this train rolling, and I could not be happier or have more confidence in our next conductor.Sanford guided a Fighting Irish offense that averaged 466.4 yards per game in 2015 -- the third-highest in program history -- and 34.2 points while reaching the Fiesta Bowl. He also mentored QB Deshone Kizer, who passed for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns this season for Notre Dame (4-8); he also rushed for another 472 yards with eight scores.The junior announced Monday that he will forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft.Sanfords offensive expertise comes in handy as he takes over WKUs high-powered offense that Brohm built.The Hilltoppers have averaged 44.6 points and 526.2 yards per game behind quarterbacks who completed 69 percent of their passes for nearly 357 yards per contest. WKU scored 131 touchdowns under the offense-minded Brohm.Sanford promised an up-tempo, multiple offensive scheme at WKU with a focus on defense and added thats important to do things that reflects the roster he has.Everything here is about the pursuit, he said.The WKU program has been a springboard to bigger jobs coaches who have recently run it. Besides Brohms departure to the Big Ten Conference, Bobby Petrino led WKU to an 8-4 mark in 2013 before returning for a second stint at Louisville and guiding the Cardinals entrance into the Atlantic Coast Conference.WKUs new coach thanked them and Taggart -- hired last week at Oregon -- for laying the groundwork. The married father of three again referred to his previous time here and sounded like someone ready to establish long-term roots.Said Sanford, I remember looking over at an assistant and saying, `is this not the best place to be?---More AP College Football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '