Antonio Cromartie Sr. (born April 15, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected in the first round by the San Diego Chargers in the 2006 NFL draft. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2007 after leading the league in interceptions. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. Cromartie holds the record for the longest scoring play in NFL history after returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown in 2007. After his playing career, he was a graduate assistant for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Early life Cromartie was born in Tallahassee, Florida, He was a versatile player at Tallahassee's Lincoln High School. Throughout his senior season, Cromartie recorded 122 tackles and 2 interceptions, returned 3 punts and 2 kicks for TDs, had 450 yards and 1 touchdown on 30 catches and ran the ball 13 times for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns. This was enough to earn Cromartie 2002 USA Today defensive player of the year. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Cromartie ranked sixth among cornerback prospects in the nation. Cromartie also participated in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Cromartie also ran track in high school and placed 3rd in the 110-metres hurdles and as a member of the 4 x 100-metres relay team at the Class 5A County track meet. He also cleared 14.3 meters in triple jump.
College career Cromartie decided to stay close to home for college and accepted an athletic scholarship offer from Florida State University, where he played for coach Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles football team from 2003 to 2004. After flashing playmaking potential as a nickelback and kick returner his first two years, Cromartie tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in July 2005 during voluntary workouts before his junior year and was forced to miss the entire 2005 season. He was potentially going to play at wide receiver during his junior year.
In addition to football, Cromartie also joined the Florida State Seminoles track team in 2004. He was a member of the FSU track team that won the ACC Championship in 2004, where he placed 10th in the 200 meters with a time of 21.35 seconds. He ran a career-best time of 46.39 seconds in the 400 meters at the NCAA Division I Championships, placing 6th in the prelims. He was timed at 21.27 seconds in the 200 meters.
Professional career Pre-draft On March 16, 2006, Cromartie attended the NFL Scouting Combine, but performed limited drills as he was only 8 months removed from his torn ACL that required him undergoing surgery. His 4.47s in the 40–yard dash was slower then normally expected with his background in track and field who was known especially for his speed. He decided against performing the short-shuttle and three-cone drill, but performed well in the broad jump, tying Ohio State's Donte Whitner for the second best broad jump among defensive backs with 11'0" with his FSU teammate Pat Watkins finishing first with 11'1". Cromartie performed at his pro day in 2006 for scouts.Scout.com
San Diego Chargers 2006 The San Diego Chargers selected Cromartie in the first round (19th overall) in the 2006 NFL draft, despite being removed from competitive football for an entire year. He was the second cornerback drafted in 2006, following the Denver Broncos selecting Tye Hill (15th overall). The Chargers entered the 2006 NFL Draft without any glaring needs that needed immediate attention and were able to have the ability to make what was described as a "luxury pick" in Cromartie after he fell to them at 19th overall only due to his injury causing him to not play for 15 months and a delayed transition to the professional game due to his recovery.
On July 25, 2006, the Chargers signed Cromartie to a five—year, $12.50 million rookie contract that included $7.35 million guaranteed.
He was expected to compete against Drayton Florence for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback, but was unable to fully participate physically for the majority of training camp as he continued to recover from his torn ACL. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer named him the starting nickelback and the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starting cornerbacks Drayton Florence and Quentin Jammer.
On September 11, 2006, Cromartie made his professional regular season debut in the San Diego Chargers' season-opener at the Oakland Raiders as they won 27–0. On November 26, 2006, Cromartie had a 91–yard kick return for his best of the season and had three kick returns for a total of 130–yards as the Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders 14–21. In Week 16, he set a season-high with four solo tackles as the Chargers won 20–17 at the Seattle Seahawks. He finished his rookie season with only 24 combined tackles (20 solo) and made five pass deflections while appearing in all 16 games without a start under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. He also played special teams as a kick returner for six games and finished with ten kick returns for 297–yards.
2007 On February 12, 2007, the San Diego Chargers unexpectedly fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer although they finished in first place in the AFC West with a 14–2 record. Before the start of OTAs and spring camp, Cromartie elected to change his jersey number, switching from the No. 25 he wore throughout his entire rookie season to No. 31. Although No. 31 was available in 2006, he opted to wear No. 25 instead. Throughout training camp, he competed against Drayton Florence for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback under new defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. Head coach Norv Turner named him the starting nickelback and the third outside cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Drayton Florence and Quentin Jammer.
In Week 6, Cromartie made three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and made the first interception of his career on a pass Daunte Culpepper threw to wide receiver Jerry Porter as the Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders 14–28. On October 28, 2007, Cromartie made two solo tackles, three pass deflections, two interceptions, and two touchdowns during a 35–10 victory at the Houston Texans. During the first quarter, Cromartie appeared on special teams acting as a blocker on the punt return team and scored his first career touchdown when punter Matt Turk botched his punt attempt by mishandling the set up, leading to a loose ball in the end zone that was recovered for a touchdown by Cromartie. He then had the first pick-six of his career when he picked off a pass Matt Schaub threw to wide receiver Kevin Walter and returned it 70–yards to score his second touchdown of the game.
On November 4, 2007, Cromartie recorded two solo tackles and made NFL history during a 57–yard field goal attempt by Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell with four seconds remaining at the end on the second quarter before halftime. Special teams coordinator Steve Crosby strategically positioned Cromartie under the goal post in order to field the kick in the opportunity of the field goal attempt falling short. As expected, the 57–yard field goal attempt by Longwell did fall short, but required Cromartie to leap fully extended in order to keep the ball from exiting the end zone. Cromartie successfully made an acrobatic catch while landing with both his feet in bounds. Starting nine yards deep at the back of the end zone, Cromartie took it up the right sideline and raced down the field, going untouched behind a few blocks as he returned the kick 100 yards for a touchdown to set the NFL record for the longest play in history with his entire kick return from the back of the end zone to the goal line being 109 yards in total, the maximum possible. The Chargers would lose 17–35 to the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. Barring any rule changes, Cromartie's 109–yard kick return for a touchdown cannot be broken, only equaled, as 109 yards is theoretically the maximum possible due to regulation lengths set for the field and end zone. His performance earned him Special Teams Player of the Week.
Entering Week 10, head coach Norv Turner announced that Cromartie would make his first start in place of Quentin Jammer, who remained inactive for two games (Weeks 10–11) due to a hamstring injury. On November 11, 2007, Cromartie earned his first career start and recorded six solo tackles, set a season-high with four pass deflections, and set a career-high with three interceptions on passes thrown by Peyton Manning during a 21–23 win against the Indianapolis Colts.SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports - Give Cromartie a party, more starts At the beginning of the second quarter, Cromartie made a highlight-reel one-handed interception, leaping in front of wide receiver Reggie Wayne to pick off Peyton Manning for the third time. Cromartie called the interception the best play of his short career.ESPN - Cromartie's first start at corner a smash hit - NFL He is the first player to intercept Peyton Manning three times in one game during the regular season, and earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the game.Chargers.com - News » Headlines » Sproles, Cromartie earn League honors Entering Week 12, head coach Norv Turner demoted Drayton Florence and named Cromartie the No. 2 starting cornerback alongside Quentin Jammer for the last six games (Weeks 12–17) of the season. In Week 13, he made five solo tackles, two pass break-ups, and had two interceptions off passes by Tyler Thigpen during a 24–10 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs. On December 16, 2007, Cromartie made six solo tackles, one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his tenth interception of the season on a pass by Jon Kitna to wide receiver Shaun McDonald during a 51–14 win against the Detroit Lions. His tenth interception set a franchise record for most interceptions in a season, previously held by Charlie McNeil with nine interceptions in 1961. He finished the season with a total of 44 combined tackles (39 solo) in 16 games and eight starts. He set a career-highs in interceptions (10), pass deflections (18), fumble recoveries (2), and in total touchdowns (3). His breakout season in 2007 earned him an invitation to the 2008 Pro Bowl, marking the first Pro Bowl of his career and he was also selected as first-team All-Pro.
The San Diego Chargers finished in first place in the AFC West with an 11–5 record, earning a playoff berth. The Chargers defeated the Tennessee Titans 17–6 in the AFC Wild-Card Game. On January 13, 2008, Cromartie started in the AFC Divisional Round and made six solo tackles, one pass break-up, a forced fumble, and intercepted a pass by Peyton Manning to wide receiver Reggie Wayne during a 28–24 victory at the Indianapolis Colts. During the second quarter, wide receiver Marvin Harrison had a 17–yard reception before Cromartie forced a fumble by Harrison that was recovered by Chargers' safety Marlon McCree. On January 20, 2008, Cromartie started in the AFC Championship Game and led the team with nine combined tackles (seven solo), had one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Tom Brady to tight end Ben Watson as the Chargers lost 12–21 at the New England Patriots.
2008