Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr. (born November 5,1992) is an American Football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Beckham played college football at nearby Louisiana State University (LSU), and was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick. Since entering the NFL, Beckham has been one of the most productive and popular players, but he has drawn media scrutiny for his conduct on and off the playing field.
Beckham started the 2012 BCS National Championships Game in his first year playing for the LSU Tigers, and won the Paul Hornung Award following his junior season in 2013. In his first season with the New York Giants, Beckham broke numerous NFL rookie receiving records, despite missing the first four games of the season due to injury. Beckham became the first player to record more than 75 receptions, 1,100 yards, and ten touchdowns in a rookie season, and broke the rookie record for the most average receiving yards per game, [During Week 12 of his first season, Beckham came to national attention when he made a one-handed touchdown catch whilst falling backwards in a Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys,] which numerous pundits and athletes called the greatest catch ever made. Beckham went on to win the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Early years
Beckham was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, he played wide receiver, quarterback, running back, and cornerback for the Greenies football team. As a junior, he caught 45 passes for 743 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also adding three more scores on the ground. As a senior, he hauled in 50 catches for 1,010 yards and 19 touchdowns, joining Cooper Manning as the only two players in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season. In addition, he rushed for 331 yards and six touchdowns, passed for 90 yards and a score and also averaged 30.0 yards per punt return. He was named to the Times Picayune 2011 Blue-Chip list and to the Louisiana 2A All-State first team as a wide receiver, while he also earned District 9-2A Offensive MVP honors and a spot on The Advocate's Super Dozen.
College career
As a true freshman at LSU in 2011, Beckham started nine of 14 gams. He made his collegiate debut on September 3, 2011 against the Oregon Ducks. Against the Ducks, he had two receptions for 10 yards. Against the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 24, Beckham scored his first career collegiate touchdown, a 52-yard reception from Jarrett Lee. In the SEC Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs, Beckham was held without a catch but did have two punt returns. The Tigers made the BCS National Championship game in Beckham's freshman season. In the game, which was a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Beckham had five receptions for 38 yards in the 21-0 defeat. Overall, in his freshman season, Beckham recorded 41 receptions for 475 yards and two touchdowns. He was named a freshman All-SEC selection.
Personal life
Beckham has a younger brother, Kordell, and a younger sister, Jasmine. Beckham's father, Odell Beckham Sr., was a standout running back at Marshall High School,and was mentioned in Buzz Bissinger's 1990 book friday night lights A Town, a Team, and a Dream. Beckham played running back at LSU from 1989 to 1992. Beckham Jr.'s mother, Heather Van Norman, also attended LSU as a track runner. She is currently the coach of the Ni40-yard cholls state University track and field team. After the NFL Combine, Beckham planned on challenging Van Norman to a race in the dash. Beckham has been great friends with Bayern Munich's star, David Alaba, who is also his favorite soccer player.
On January 29, 2015, during a live ESPN broadcast from Glendale, Arizona, home of Super Bowl XLIX, Beckham, partnering with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, attempted to establish a new world record for the most one-handed catches made in a minute. He shattered the previous record of 10 as he caught 33 passes. However, this achievement was short lived as CFL wide receiver Andy Fantuz recorded 50 one-handed catches in a minute to set the new world record.