Carl Pickens

Lore & Background

Pickens attended Murphy High School in Murphy, North Carolina, a small town in the Smoky Mountains about 100 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee. He played free safety and wide receiver there, intercepting 15 passes in three seasons and catching 71 passes, including 24 for touchdowns, as a senior, when he was a Parade magazine All-American. He also returned punts and kickoffs, and punted. He also excelled at basketball, averaging 27 points per game and attracting the interest of many college programs.

Reader's Guide

Pickens played college football for the University of Tennessee from 1989 to 1991, where he started his career as a safety and was named a Freshman All-American and All-SEC selection. He moved to wide receiver, where he caught 109 passes for 1,875 yards and 13 touchdowns, and made the College Football All-America Team as a junior. He did not return to Tennessee for his senior year. His college receiving statistics were: 1989: 7 catches for 81 yards with 2 TD; 1990: 53 catches for 917 yards with 6 TD; 1991: 49 catches for 877 yards with 5 TD.

In 2023, Pickens was inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame. He was selected in the second round (31st overall) of the 1992 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 1992 season against the Seahawks. In Week 3 against the Packers, he had a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown.

He recorded 26 receptions for 326 yards and one touchdown in 16 games and ten starts as a rookie. For the 1992 season, he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In Week 8 of the 1993 season against the Oilers, he had seven receptions for 127 yards in the loss for his first game over the century mark in the NFL.

He had his first multi-touchdown game in the NFL in Week 17 against the Falcons in a 21–17 win. He finished the 1993 season with 43 receptions for 565 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games and 12 starts. The 1994 season marked a breakout year for Pickens. He had 11 receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the Oilers in Week 11.

The game against the Oilers started a four-game streak of going over 100 yards for Pickens. He finished the season with 71 receptions for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. Pickens had five consecutive games with a touchdown to start the 1995 season. The streak was bookended by a three-touchdown game against the Dolphins.

He had five games going over the 100-yard mark, three games with at least two touchdowns, and 14 games with at least one touchdown on the 1995 season. In the 1995 season, he set a Bengals record for receptions in a single season with 99, and touchdown catches with 17. He totaled 1,234 receiving yards on the year. He later surpassed his own record by recording 100 receptions in 1996.

Did You Know?

• He set a Bengals record with 99 receptions in 1995, then broke it with 100 in 1996.
• His 63 touchdown receptions were a Bengals franchise record until Chad Johnson surpassed it in 2010.
• The "Carl Pickens Clause" was a loyalty clause in his contract that penalized him for insulting the organization.