Tamarick Vanover

Tamarick Vanover

No. 80, 87
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1974-02-25)February 25, 1974
Place of birth:	Tallahassee, Florida
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Tallahassee (FL) Leon
College:	Florida State
NFL draft:	1995 / Round: 3 / Pick: 81
Career history
Las Vegas Posse (1994) Kansas City Chiefs (1995–1999) San Diego Chargers (2002)
Career highlights and awards
USA Today High School All-American (1991)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 39 Receiving yards: 564 Receiving TDs: 3 Player stats at NFL.com

Tamarick Vanover (born February 25, 1974) is a former professional American football player in the NFL and CFL.

College career

Vanover spent two seasons at Florida State University, where he was named a first-team All-American in 1992 as a freshman kick returner. He earned national recognition for his kick returns, returning 13 kickoffs for 523 yards and two touchdowns with a 40.2-yard average. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of Year in 1992. Vanover had off-field problems and chose to turn professional after his junior year. He finished his career at Florida State with 87 receptions for 1,123 yards in two seasons for Seminoles.

Professional career

The Las Vegas Posse, a CFL expansion franchise, signed Vanover as a marquee player in 1994. He played in 15 games, catching 23 passes for 385 yards with three TDs. He returned 31 kickoffs for 718 yards with a 90-yard TD return and added 36 punt returns for 341 yards with another (105-yard) TD return.

Vanover set his sights on the NFL for 1995, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. He began a 5-year stint with the Chiefs, playing 70 games, where he caught 39 passes for 564 yards, rushed for 88 yards, returned 181 punts for 1930 yards (a 10.2 average) and 4 TDs, and returned 226 kickoffs for 5422 yards (a 24.0 average) and 4 TDs. On October 9th, 1995, in a home Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers, Vanover returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown, to win the game for the Chiefs, 29-23 in overtime. It was the first time in NFL history that a game had been won, in overtime, on a punt return for a touchdown. He tried the NFL one last time in 2002, playing 7 games with the San Diego Chargers, returning 16 punts and fumbling 3 of them.

Off-field issues

His last season in Kansas City (1999) was successful on the field (as the league leader in punt return yardage and touchdowns), but marred by a range of problems off the field. He pled guilty to a felony charge of aiding and abetting in the sale of a stolen vehicle after agreeing to cooperate with federal authorities in their continuing investigation of drug-trafficking and stolen-vehicle rings. He was in the news again in March when the Chiefs, faced with having to pay Vanover a $750,000 roster bonus, renegotiated his contract. Finally, the Chiefs released him after federal authorities unsealed records showing he helped finance a marijuana trafficking ring that involved former Chiefs running back Bam Morris. He served two months in prison.

Personal life

As of 2007, he lives in Lake City, Florida and is head coach of Lake City Christian Academy's football team. Vanover has also returned to Florida State as a student, and worked as an assistant with the football team’s wide receivers in 2009.

References

• Doyel, Gregg. "From FSU to Lake City -- the life and times of Vanover", CBSSports.com, July 12, 2007. Accessed November 7, 2007

• KC Chiefs Blog via Tallahassee Democrat. "Former Chief Tamarick Vanover Charged With Beating His Pregnant Girlfriend", KC Chiefs Blogs, December 21st, 2011. Accessed August 1, 2012