Victor Cruz (American Footballer) Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Victor Cruz is a former American professional soccer player who is best known for his stint with the New York Giants after they signed him as a free agent as he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was also honored as a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver for the years 2008 and 2009. Cruz played football during his time in Paterson Catholic High School as well as while studying in Bridgton Academy. However, when he began his education at the University of Massachusetts, he found it rather difficult to deal both with his academics and football and was also sent home twice due to the related academic issues. Victor Cruz became eligible in 2007 to play for the University of Massachusetts and thus began his journey. He has also been one of the most famous athletes at the time who also co-founded Young Whales, a clothing line, with his former teammate Nate Collins in 2010. Cruz also enjoys a huge social media fan base with more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram, more than 800k followers on Twitter, and more than 800k followers on Facebook.

Born Name

Victor Michael Cruz

Nick Name

Victor

Sun Sign

Scorpio

Born Place

Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Nationality

Education

Victor Cruz studied at Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, New Jersey. He also attended the Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine where he completed a post-graduate semester. There, he put up 47 catches for 883 yards and eight touchdowns in his single season.

Cruz also attended the University of Massachusetts where he also played football.

Occupation

Professional Football Player

Family

• Father – Michael Walker (Firefighter)
• Mother – Blanca Cruz
• Siblings – Andrea Cruz (Sister), Malik M. Walker (Brother), Ebony Turner (Sister)
• Others – Lucy Molina (Grandmother)

Manager

Victor Cruz is managed by Roc Nation LLC, Talent Management Company, Beverly Hills, California, United States.

Position

Wide receiver

Shirt Number

80 – New York Giants

80 – Chicago Bears

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft or 183 cm

Weight

90 kg or 198.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Victor Cruz has dated –

1. Eliane Watley (2008-2017) – Cruz started dating Eliane Watley in 2008. After dating for quite a while, in 2014, the couple got engaged. They also parent a daughter named Kennedy Cruz who was born in January 2012. However, the duo parted ways around the year 2017. Cruz and his daughter, Kennedy, can often be seen together in his Instagram posts.
2. Karrueche Tran (2017-2021) – Victor Cruz started dating actress and model, Karrueche Tran in 2017 and they were seen together for the first time while holding hands in Los Angeles in December 2017. In February 2021, it was revealed that Victor and Karrueche had broken up.

Race / Ethnicity

Multiracial (Hispanic and Black)

Victor Cruz is of African American descent on his father’s side and has Afro-Puerto Rican roots on his mother’s side.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Salsa dance celebration after almost every touchdown
• Sports a goatee
• Wide forehead
• Lean body

Brand Endorsements

Victor Cruz has appeared in print adverts for various brands like Campbell’s Chunky Soups.

He has also endorsed a couple of brands through his social media such as Captain Morgan, Colgate, Nike, and Louis Vuitton.

Best Known For

Having served as a wide receiver for football teams like the New York Giants and Chicago Bears

First American Football Match

On August 16, 2010, Cruz made his debut with the New York Giants in a match against the New York Jets. He contributed in his side’s 31-16 win by catching six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

First TV Show

Victor Cruz made his first TV show appearance as himself in an episode of the sports talk-show series, The After Party with Jay Glazer, in 2011.

Personal Trainer

Victor Cruz works out on a regular basis to maintain a fit physique. During his career as a wide receiver, he faced several injuries so he eventually learned several ways and techniques to keep the future injuries at bay. He believes that in today’s world one can train anywhere anytime because everything has become so accessible. Cruz has even said that if he were to choose only 2 exercises to do for the rest of his life, he would opt for push-ups and crunches.

Victor Cruz also believes in the power of meditation and in order to clear his head and freshen up his mind for the day ahead, he practices 20 minutes breathing routine on a regular basis. Moreover, he also thinks that fitness should come as a way of life just like eating and sleeping. It must become a habit if we really want to stay healthy throughout our lives. For Cruz, consistency is the key to a healthy life.

When it comes to his diet, Cruz is a conscious eater and considers food only as a fuel that his body requires to recover from injuries and the general wear and tear. He makes sure to stay away from all the fried stuff and balances out by eating grilled food items, salads, brown rice, and the occasional steak. He also loves eating brown rice and vegetables and avoids sugary treats as much as possible. Cruz also makes sure that even his cheat meals are filled with necessary nutrients and eats something that would fuel up his body for his next workout.

Victor Cruz’s diet plan on a typical day looks like –

• Breakfast – Egg white omelet, corned beef hash, wheat toast
• Lunch – Turkey sandwich and pretzels
• Snack – Kale smoothie and strawberries
• Dinner – Rice pilaf, brussels sprouts, and salmon

Victor Cruz Favorite Things

• Cheat Meals – Apple pie, Ice cream, Apple Cobbler
• Emoji – The salsa dancer

Source – GQ, Men’s Journal, ESPN

Victor Cruz Facts

1. He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, one of the most notorious localities in the city of New Jersey. However, Cruz managed to stay out of trouble.
2. During his early years, he also took an interest in basketball.
3. Victor Cruz credits his Paterson Catholic High School coach, Andrew Slome, for his successful career. He also played wide receiver and defensive back for the coach during his time in the school.
4. During his time at the University of Massachusetts, it was difficult for Victor Cruz to focus parallelly on his academics as well as on his football career and he was also sent home twice. However, in 2007, he became eligible to play for the University of Massachusetts and his career at the university ended with impressive 131 catches and despite the fact that he started his game only in his junior season, he was ranked fourth on the all-time UMass receptions list.
5. Victor Cruz was also honored as a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver for the years 2008 and 2009.
6. New York Giants signed him a day after he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft.
7. Cruz was chosen by the New York Giants to begin the 2011 season as the team’s fourth wide receiver after they lost former footballer Steve Smith to free agency.
8. His trademark salsa dance celebration after the touchdowns was a way to honor his grandmother, an accomplished dancer, who taught him the dance style and also loved touchdown dances. He was also offered to appear on the television dance competition show, Dancing with the Stars. However, Cruz turned down the offer.
9. During the 2013 season with the New York Giants, Victor Cruz suffered a heel bruise in the August 18 preseason game.
10. He missed his entire 2015 season with the New York Giants because he had to undergo surgery on his left calf after he, unfortunately, aggravated his calf.
11. Cruz, along with fellow wideout Odell Beckham Jr., was fined $12,154 on September 17, 2016, because of the excessive celebration related to dancing in the endzone.
12. On May 25, 2017, he signed a deal with Chicago Bears. Despite it being a one year deal, he was released in September the same year.
13. It was on August 21, 2018, when Cruz announced his retirement to become an NFL analyst on ESPN.
14. He co-founded a clothing line, named Young Whales, with his former teammate Nate Collins in the summer of 2010 and modeled for the brand alongside former teammate Osi Umenyiora.
15. Jack Pinto, a boy aged 6, was a victim of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. He was a fan of Victor Cruz. So, as a tribute to his late fan, Cruz wore a tribute on his shoes in the game against the Atlanta Falcons two days after the massacre. His one shoe read “R.I.P. Jack Pinto” and the other read “Jack Pinto My Hero”. He also visited the Pinto family to pay his respects and gave the cleats and gloves he wore in the Falcons‘ game to Pinto’s brother, Ben.
16. Cruz’s father committed suicide in 2007. He remembers his father as someone who always dressed to impress.
17. Victor Cruz has a black belt in taekwondo.
18. He wants his last meal to consist of something like steak, shrimp, rice and beans, avocado salad, fried plantains, or basically a Puerto Rican-Hispanic feast.
19. Visit his official website @ victorcruzexperience.com.
20. Follow Victor Cruz on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured Image by David Shankbone / Wikimedia / CC BY 3.0