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Victor Cruz, the Super Bowl-winning and record-breaking wide receiver, is best known for his explosive plays and salsa touchdown celebrations. While his meteoric rise in the NFL looked like the result of a magical year, it was actually a lifetime in the making.
Raised in Paterson, New Jersey’s gritty Fourth Ward, Cruz overcame numerous setbacks through hard work, perseverance, and the support of his loving family—from his grandmother who gave him his signature dance moves; to his late father, a former firefighter, who introduced him to football and taught him how to play; to his hard-working, single mother who never let him give up in the face of a challenge.
In this inspiring and candid account, Cruz pays tribute to the people and places that made him the man he is today, recounts his most defining moments, and illustrates how his hardships ultimately unleashed his impenetrable will to win.
INCLUDES A NEW EPILOGUE
Victor Cruz is the New York Giants wide receiver whose breakout 2011 season catapulted him to stardom. In sixteen games, Cruz had eighty-two receptions for 1,536 yards, a franchise season record. He averaged ninety-six yards per game, with nine touchdowns, including a ninety-nine-yarder and a crucial Super Bowl catch. Before joining the Giants, Cruz was a standout at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Paterson Catholic High School in New Jersey.
Prologue 1
1 Homegrown 19
2 Finding Stability 39
3 A Firefighter's Son 51
4 Trying Something New 73
5 Life Is A Test 91
6 The Real World 117
7 Waiting For A Chance 147
8 Going In 169
9 Rising To The Occasion 195
10 Hometown Hero 215
11 Living The Dream 227
12 New Responsibilities 253
13 Finishing The Job 277
Epilogue 299
Acknowledgments 305
Overview
Victor Cruz, the Super Bowl-winning and record-breaking wide receiver, is best known for his explosive plays and salsa touchdown celebrations. While his meteoric rise in the NFL looked like the result of a magical year, it was actually a lifetime in the making.
Raised in Paterson, New Jersey’s gritty Fourth Ward, Cruz overcame numerous setbacks through hard work, perseverance, and the support of his loving family—from his grandmother who gave him his signature dance moves; to ...