Wayne Chrebet

Wayne John Chrebet Jr. (born August 14, 1973) spent his entire 11-year NFL career as a wide receiver for the New York Jets, from 1995 to 2005. He played college football at Hofstra University.

Growing up in Garfield, New Jersey, Chrebet attended Garfield High School before staying close to home for college at Hofstra on Long Island. From 1991 to 1994, he put up big numbers, setting school records for single-game receiving yards (245), touchdowns in a game (five), season touchdowns (16), and career touchdowns (31). He was a four-year letter-winner and led Hofstra in receiving yards twice. In his senior year, he became the first player in school history to top 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He also tied an NCAA Division I-AA record held by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice by scoring five receiving touchdowns in one game. Hofstra honored him by retiring his number 3 jersey and inducting him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 as part of the inaugural class.

Despite his college success, Chrebet was considered too small for the NFL at 5 feet tall and 188 pounds. He went undrafted in 1995 and was cut after a one-day tryout with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League. His break came when he got a walk-on opportunity with the Jets, who trained at Hofstra’s campus. He entered training camp 11th on the depth chart among 11 receivers, and since teams typically kept about five, he wasn’t expected to make the roster. On his first day, a security guard even stopped him from entering the front gate because he looked so small. But Chrebet made the final 53-man roster, becoming the first Hofstra alum to play in the NFL in 30 years.

In his rookie season, on December 3, 1995, he caught eight passes against the St. Louis Rams, breaking several tackles on a scoring play. The next year, on October 19, 1996, he hauled in 12 receptions for 162 yards against Jacksonville, with five of those catches converting third downs. Over his career, 379 of his 580 receptions resulted in successful third-down conversions, earning him the nickname “Mr. Third Down.” On September 24, 2000, he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Curtis Martin with 52 seconds left to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21–17, leading the New York media to call him “The Green Lantern.” Some consider his best game to be October 10, 2004, against the Buffalo Bills, when he caught all eight passes thrown his way from Chad Pennington in a 16–14 win.

On November 6, 2005, against the San Diego Chargers, Chrebet suffered a serious concussion on a clean play. He was knocked unconscious for several minutes but still made a third-down catch for a first down. He was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. After being told another concussion could cause brain damage, he retired on June 2, 2006.

At retirement, his 580 receptions ranked second in franchise history behind Don Maynard, and his 7,365 yards from scrimmage were fifth. Over 11 seasons, he caught passes from 13 different quarterbacks, played for four head coaches, and worked for two owners. The Jets honored him with “Wayne Chrebet Day” during halftime of a September 23, 2007 game against the Miami Dolphins. He wore number 80 his entire career, and the Jets have not reissued it since, with an understanding that no Jet will wear it in the foreseeable future. He was inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor during halftime of a December 1, 2014 game against the Dolphins. Sports Illustrated later called his career one of the greatest rags-to-riches stories in professional sports. Because of his size and success, he became a popular figure, even appearing on cereal boxes while still playing.

His awards include Newsday’s “Jet of the Year” (1995), the Dennis Byrd Award for Most Inspirational Player (1996), the Hofstra University Young Alumni Award (1996), the Jets’ “Unsung Hero Award” (1997), the Thurman Munson Award (2000), the Jets Alumni Association’s “Jets Player of the Year” (2001), induction into the Hofstra Athletic Hall of Fame (2002), the Ed Block Courage Award (2005), and a spot on the NFL Top 10 Undrafted Players list at number 10 (2010). He was also inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor in 2014.

After football, Chrebet lived in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, and ran two restaurants near Hofstra. He first opened a steakhouse called Chrebet’s, which later closed and reopened as a sports-themed bar and restaurant.