Athletes - Carson Palmer

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	Athletes - Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer (born December 27, 1979 in Fresno, California), is an American football quarterback who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He attended the University of Southern California, where he won the Heisman Trophy Award in 2002. He was drafted by the Bengals with the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Carson's younger brother, Jordan Palmer, is a highly-ranked quarterback at the University of Texas-El Paso.

Early years

Palmer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where he passed for 31 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions as a senior. By the time he left high school, he had set 27 school records. He was also an excellent basketball player, and was named to the 1998 Student Sports Grid-Hoops All-America second team after averaging eight points and eight rebounds per game.

Collegiate career

He arrived at the University of Southern California in 1998 and immediately competed for the starting quarterback job with Mike Van Raaphorst. Van Raaphorst won, but in the ninth game of the season, Palmer was named the starter, becoming only the second true freshman to ever start at quarterback for the USC Trojans.

After three inconsistent years at USC, Carson Palmer had a breakout senior year under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was brought in by head coach Pete Carroll after spending 27 seasons at Brigham Young University and one season at North Carolina State University. Chow was able to bring the best out of Carson Palmer and the USC offense, which led to Palmer being named the Heisman Trophy Award winner, then the fifth Trojan to win the prestigious award — running backs Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), and Marcus Allen (1981) preceded him. Palmer was the first and only Trojan quarterback to be honored with the award until lefty Matt Leinart won it as a junior in 2004.

Carson Palmer completed 309 passes for 3,942 yards and 33 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions during the 2002 season, and later led the Trojans to an impressive 38-17 victory over the University of Iowa in the Orange Bowl. His completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns were all USC single season records. In a November 30th game against Notre Dame, Palmer threw for 425 yards and lead his team to 610 yards of total offense, the most ever gained against Notre Dame in each category. Palmer left college as the Pac-10 Conferences’ all-time leader in passing yards(11,818), completions(927) and total offense(11,621), along with 72 career touchdown passes, a USC record.

His major at USC was public policy and management. Palmer was also roomates with current Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu.

NFL career

Carson Palmer did not play at all during his rookie season. In fact, veteran quarterback Jon Kitna took every snap during the 2003 season. Palmer instead watched and became familiar with the Bengals' offense during games and practices under head coach Marvin Lewis, quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese, and Kitna. The Cincinnati Bengals went 8-8, their first non-losing season in over a decade.

Before the Bengals' 2004 training camp, head coach Marvin Lewis had a dilemma over who would be his starting quarterback: the steady, if unspectacular Jon Kitna, or young Carson Palmer. He chose Palmer, and Kitna graciously moved to the dual role of backup quarterback and mentor.

While Carson Palmer suffered from growing pains, he passed for 2,897 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions in 13 games, and the Bengals again finished 8-8. His performance greatly improved the stature of the Cincinnati Bengals among pundits and fans alike.

Off the field, Palmer and Jon Kitna are good friends and golfing buddies. In 2004, Palmer organized the Carson Palmer Foundation Golf Classic to raise funds for Hillview Acres, a shelter for abused and underprivileged children.

In 2005, finishing 11-5 the Bengals clinched the AFC North division title, their first divisional championship since 1988, when they won the now-defunct AFC central division. Palmer became the very first Bengals QB to finish a season with a 100+ passer rating, tied Peyton Manning's record for most consecutive games with a triple digit passer rating, lead the NFL in completion percentage, and set a franchise record by throwing a league leading 32 touchdown passes. On December 21, 2005, Carson Palmer was one of five Bengals voted to the 2006 Pro Bowl game. The others are tackle Willie Anderson, kicker Shayne Graham, wide receiver Chad Johnson, and cornerback Deltha O'Neal. This would have been Palmer's first pro bowl appearance, but he will not play in it due to injury. On December 29, 2005 Palmer signed a 6 year contract extension that will keep him in Cincinnati until 2014. The deal is for 9 years and $118.75 million.

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Athletes - Carson Palmer

Early years

Collegiate career

NFL career

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