A. J. Cruz (born February 20, 1991) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

wide receiver. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Early life

Cruz attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He lettered in both

and basketball. As a football player, Cruz was named a two time All-Trinity League selection, and holds three school records for longest kick off return for a Touch Down (97 yards), highest kickoff return average (34 yards) and highest vertical jump (37 inches). Cruz helped lead his schools basketball team to a state championship, and was named to the California Scholarship Federation.

College career

Cruz attended

. As a freshman, Cruz earned Second-team All-Ivy Honors. As a sophomore, Cruz was selected for First-team All-Ivy Honors, while registering 2 interceptions and ranked second in both punt and kickoff returns. In his senior season, Cruz earned First-team All-American honors. Cruz is one of 41 players in Ivy League history to earn First-team All-Ivy three times.

Professional career

Los Angeles KISS

Cruz joined the Los Angeles KISS in 2014. He returned 58 kickoffs for 1,305 yards in 11 games his rookie season. He was placed on recallable reassignment on March 13, 2015.

Arizona Rattlers

In the middle of the 2015 season, Cruz signed with the

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...

Chicago Bears

On July 27, 2015, the Bears signed Cruz to a three-year deal. On September 5, 2015, he was waived/injured by the Bears.

Miami Dolphins

On February 18, 2016, the Dolphins signed Cruz to a deal. On August 27, 2016, he was waived by the Dolphins.

Calgary Stampeders

Cruz signed with the Calgary Stampeders on May 17, 2017. He was released on June 17, 2017.

Edmonton Eskimos

Cruz was signed to the practice roster of the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

on October 26, 2017. He was released on May 1, 2018.

References

External links

Brown Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, A. J. 1991 births Living people American football wide receivers Canadian football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from California Brown Bears football players Los Angeles Kiss players Arizona Rattlers players Chicago Bears players Miami Dolphins players Calgary Stampeders players Edmonton Elks players Players of American football from Lake Forest, California American football defensive backs