Rae Carruth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rae Carruth
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Rae Lamar Wiggins
January 20, 1974 Sacramento, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Rae Theotis Wiggins Rae Theotis Carruth Rae Lamar Carruth Rae Carruth Rae Lamar |
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| Occupation | Former professional football player (1997–99) | ||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Criminal status | Released | ||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||
| Parent(s) | Theodry Carruth (mother) Samuel Carruth (stepfather) Charles Wiggins (father) |
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| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to commit first degree murder Discharge of a firearm into occupied property Use an instrument to destroy an unborn child |
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| Criminal penalty | 18 years and 11 months to 24 years and 4 months imprisonment | ||||||
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Football career |
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| No. 84, 89 | |||||||
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Valley (Sacramento, California) | ||||||
| College: | Colorado | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27 | ||||||
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Rae Theotis Carruth (born Rae Lamar Wiggins; January 20, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He played as a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Carruth played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning first-team All-American honors in 1996. He was selected by the Panthers in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft and spent three seasons with the team.
In 2001, he was found guilty of conspiring the murder of his then-girlfriend Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with his child. Including pre-trial confinement, he served 18 years of an 18-to-24-year sentence in the North Carolina state prison system and was released from the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, on October 22, 2018.
Early life
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Carruth attended Valley High School. He was accepted on a football scholarship to the University of Colorado Boulder, in Boulder, Colorado.
College career
He played four seasons for the Buffaloes and was named a first-team All-American in 1996. His quarterbacks at CU were future pros Koy Detmer and Kordell Stewart. Carruth earned his degree with a double major in English and education. Carruth caught 135 passes for 2,540 yards and 11 touchdowns in his four seasons, with an average of 18.8 yards per catch.
Professional career
Carruth was a first-round draft pick in the 1997 NFL draft, taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 27th overall selection. He signed a four-year, $3.7 million deal that included a $1.3 million signing bonus.
Carruth had a rookie season in 1997 and started 14 games, during which he caught 44 passes for 545 yards and four touchdown passes, tied for first among rookie receivers. He was named to the all-rookie team at wide receiver.
He broke his right foot in the opening game of 1998, and did not catch another pass that season due to the injury. He ended the year with four catches for 59 yards (all on opening day). He played in the first five games of the 1999 season, with 14 catches for 200 yards.
Personal life
During Carruth's sophomore year at Colorado, his girlfriend, Michelle Wright, gave birth to their son Rae Jr. Wright sued him for child support, and Wright later testified that Carruth agreed to pay $2,700 in child support, half of what he was ordered to pay by a judge, and she had accepted on condition that he be a better father.
