Greg Camarillo ( ; born April 18, 1982) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
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 ...
at
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. He was signed by the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2005.
Camarillo also played for the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. He is most notable for his game-winning 64-yard touchdown reception from
Cleo Lemon
Cleo Lemon Jr. (born August 16, 1979) is a wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and former American football quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. He most recently played for the Toronto Arg ...
against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
on December 16, 2007. The play won the Dolphins the game 22–16 in overtime and was the team's first win after thirteen consecutive losses to begin the year. It was also the only game the Dolphins won the entire season and allowed them to narrowly avoid becoming the first 0–16 team in NFL history (which
was later achieved by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in the
2008 season).
[Fialkov, Harvey. "Baltimore Ravens saved 2007 Miami Dolphins embarrassment of 0-16 season," ''Orlando Sentinel'', Sunday, October 19, 2008.](_blank)
Retrieved May 14, 2018
Early years
Camarillo is Jewish.
His mother is also Jewish, and her family immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary.
His father was born in California, and is a professor of Mexican-American history and culture at Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. His Catholic paternal grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. Camarillo was raised Jewish and celebrating both Christmas and Chanukah
or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
, nickname =
, observedby = Jews
, begins = 25 Kislev
, ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
, celebrations = Lighting candles each night ...
.
Camarillo attended Menlo-Atherton High School
Menlo-Atherton High School (known as M-A to locals) is a four-year public charter secondary school located in Atherton, California. Menlo-Atherton is part of the Sequoia Union High School District. in Atherton, California, where he was a letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in football and basketball. In football, he was a four-year letterman and as a senior, he was a first-team All-Peninsula Athletic League honoree and an All-San Mateo County selection. In basketball, he was a second-team All-Peninsula Athletic League selection.
College career
He turned down Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and chose Stanford, where he walked on as a punter, red-shirted his first year in 2000 and later played wide receiver for four seasons, totaling 46 receptions for 614 yards, and played on special teams for the Cardinal. He earned Academic All-Pac-10 honors for three years, graduating with a degree in product design engineering.
As a junior, Camarillo caught 18 passes for 225 yards (a 12.5 per-catch average), and posted similar but slightly better statistics as a senior (19 catches for 294 yards and a 15.5 per-catch average).
Professional career
San Diego Chargers
Camarillo was signed as an undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
in 2005.
Miami Dolphins
On September 2, 2007, the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
claimed Camarillo off waivers. On December 16, 2007, Camarillo caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Cleo Lemon
Cleo Lemon Jr. (born August 16, 1979) is a wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and former American football quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. He most recently played for the Toronto Arg ...
in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, clinching the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
' first and only win of the 2007 NFL season. It was the longest offensive play for the Dolphins in 2007. Camarillo had a career-high 109 receiving yards and one touchdown. This was Camarillo's first touchdown since high school, since he failed to score during his four seasons at Stanford. In the following week, a 28–7 loss to the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Camarillo recorded his second professional touchdown when he scored on a 21-yard pass reception.
Camarillo's third pro touchdown came on October 5, 2008, on a 17-yard second-quarter pass from Chad Pennington
James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was select ...
, in a 17–10 victory over the San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
.
On November 20, 2008, Camarillo signed a three-year, $6 million contract extension. Three days later, he caught what would be his fourth and final touchdown of the season, as later on he suffered a torn ACL against the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
.
In the 2009 NFL season, Camarillo did not drop a single pass thrown to him, earning him a reputation as a safe pair of hands in a pinch.
Minnesota Vikings
On August 25, 2010, the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
traded Camarillo to the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
for cornerback Benny Sapp
Benjamin Lee Sapp, II (born January 20, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Northern Iowa.
Sapp also played for the Miami Dolph ...
due to the Vikings' injury problems at wide receiver. He became a free agent after not being re-signed at the start of the 2012 offseason.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
signed Camarillo on August 19, 2012. He was released as part of the final roster cuts before the start of the 2012 regular season. He was re-signed on September 11, 2012 following injuries to the saints receiving corps on the first game of the regular season. His contract with the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
was terminated on October 20, 2012 to make room for Linebacker Jonathan Vilma
Jonathan Polynice Vilma (born April 16, 1982) is a former American football linebacker and current Fox NFL analyst. He played college football at the University of Miami, winning a National Championship in 2001. He went on to be drafted by the N ...
who was activated off of the PUP list.
See also
* List of select Jewish football players
References
External links
Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camarillo, Greg
1982 births
Living people
People from Redwood City, California
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
American sportspeople of Mexican descent
Jewish American sportspeople
American football wide receivers
Stanford Cardinal football players
San Diego Chargers players
Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
Miami Dolphins players
Minnesota Vikings players
New Orleans Saints players
Players of American football from California
21st-century American Jews