Lionel Manuel, Jr. (born April 13, 1962) is a former American college and 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 ...

player who was a wide receiver. He was drafted in the 7th round (171st pick overall) of the

1984 NFL Draft The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1–2, 1984, at the Omni Park Cent ...

by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, and played seven seasons in the NFL.

Early life

Manuel was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and attended

Bassett High School Bassett High School is a comprehensive public high school in Bassett, Virginia, USA. The school currently enrolls about 1,200 students in grades 9–12. It is one of two public high schools operated by Henry County Schools. Opened in 1978, the ...

. 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 ...

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora and Monrovia. Founded in 1915 by educato ...

before transferring to the University of the Pacific where he played wide receiver and running back for the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). C ...

Professional career

The 5'11, 180-lb wide receiver was drafted in the 7th round of the 1984 NFL draft by the New York Giants, and played in seven

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

seasons. Manuel spent his entire career with the Giants (1984–1990), including the XXI Giants Super Bowl Team when they beat the Denver Broncos 39-20. His peak performance was during the 1988 season, when he caught 65 passes for 1,029 yards and scored four touchdowns. Manuel's career ended after several injuries in the 1990 season when he played under Head Coach

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

. The Giants finished the 1990 season 13–3, and won the

Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

20–19. Parcells

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...

Manuel in December 1990, citing Manuel's poor attitude after losing his starting position. Manuel then signed with the

as a free agent but was waived due to injuries and did not play for the team. Manuel played

European football UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur assoc ...

with the

Barcelona Dragons Two American football franchises have been referred to as the Barcelona Dragons: * Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe), active in NFL Europe between 1991 and 2003; * Barcelona Dragons (ELF) The Barcelona Dragons are an American football team based in ...

before retiring in 1993.

Life after the NFL

Manuel went on to coach several college football teams including The LaVerne Leopards, and later became a professional chef and restaurateur after attending the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Manuel worked as a high school varsity coach in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regional h ...

. Manuel was inducted into the University of the Pacific Hall of Fame in 2012.

References

External links

Griddle replaces gridiron

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Lionel 1962 births Living people People from Rancho Cucamonga, California Sportspeople from Chandler, Arizona Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California American football wide receivers Pacific Tigers football players New York Giants players Players of American football from California

Early life

Professional career

Life after the NFL

See also

References

External links