Former Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr. retires from the NFL after 14 years
On Friday, Ted Ginn Jr. made the trip back to where his football journey began - Glenville High School - to announce that he would be retiring from the NFL after 14 years.
Ginn said this during his retirement speech on Friday,"I've dedicated my entire life to football until now. I'm going out in peace. On my terms, not forced out."
Ted Ginn Jr.'s High School and College Football career
Ginn played high school football under his father, Ted Ginn Sr., at Glenville before taking his talents to Ohio State.
During his stint with the Buckeyes, Ted Ginn Jr. showed his tremendous athletic ability as a receiver and returner. Ginn returned six punts and two kick-offs for touchdowns in his three years at Ohio State.
During his college career, the receiver caught 135 passes for 1,943 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He also added 213 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 28 rushing attempts. Ginn was then selected ninth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2007 NFL draft.
Let's revisit Ted Ginn Jr.'s stellar career.
Ted Ginn Jr. played 14 successful NFL seasons
Ted Ginn Jr. was tremendous in his three-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. He caught 128 passes for 1,664 yards and five touchdowns. He was selected to the 2007 NFL All-Rookie Team.
Ted Ginn Jr. then moved on to the San Francisco 49ers. The former Buckeyes wideout appeared in 40 games for the Niners, but didn't find much success. Ginn's time with the 49ers was plagued by minor injuries and the wideout missing multiple games in all three seasons. Injuries limited Ginn to just 33 catches and 384 receiving yards.
Ginn played the 2013 season for the Carolina Panthers and caught five touchdowns. In 2014, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals for a season before returning to Carolina. Ted Ginn Jr. went on to play two more seasons with the Panthers.
The three years that Ginn spent in Carolina were the most successful seasons of his career. In the three years with the Panthers, Ted Ginn Jr. caught 134 passes for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Ginn's next stop was in New Orleans, where he spent three seasons. He was at the tailend end of his NFL journey when he joined New Orleans and didn't produce much on the field. In the three seasons with the Saints, Ginn caught 19 passes for 103 yards and didn't record a single touchdown.
Ted Ginn Jr. made his final stop in his successful NFL career with the Chicago Bears in 2020. He appeared in six games for the team and caught five passes for 24 yards.
Ginn finished his career with 5,742 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns. He was a fine receiver that earned the respect of his teammates as well as his opponents.