Out of the Blue

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 EPILOGUEVictor 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.