Alvis James Whitted is an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player who is a free agent. He played two years as a wide receiver at Orange High School

Orange High School (North Carolina)

Orange High School is a high school in the northern area of Orange County, North Carolina.- Students and Faculty :Founded in 1963, Orange County High School educates 1009 students from the area around Hillsborough, NC....

 in Hillsborough, North Carolina

Hillsborough, North Carolina

Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....

 and was also a standout in track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 and was state champion as a senior in the 100 and 200 meters. Played his college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

. Notable for participating in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he finished sixth place in the 200 Meters, running against Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson (athlete)

Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...

 and Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis

Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...

. He was picked in the 1998 NFL Draft

1998 NFL Draft

The 1998 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 April 18-19, 1998...

, being drafted in the seventh round by the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 where he played until he was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in 2002 but he did not make the team. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Jaguars will always be remembered by their fans by his dropped pass in the 1999-2000 AFC Championship Game.

He signed on with the Raiders shortly after and played on special teams during the 2002 NFL season

2002 NFL season

The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...

 (including the team's Super Bowl XXXVII

Super Bowl XXXVII

Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...

 loss) and played as a wide receiver from 2003 onwards (and special teams until 2005).

Whitted is considered a stereotypical Al Davis

Al Davis

Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...

 (GM

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 of the Raiders) player because of his speed. (Often compared to another Olympic contestant turned Raider, James Jett

James Jett

James S. Jett , is a former American football wide receiver and Olympic sprinter who played nine seasons for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders from 1993 to 2002, in the National Football League...

) He has been criticized for his production in the past. Others point out he did play in 15 of the 16 2005

2005 NFL season

The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...

 games and currently he is the 3rd receiver and ranks 3rd on the team in receiving yards.

In the 2006 season, Whitted won a starting job at receiver for the Raiders.

Whitted was cut by the Raiders on September 1, 2007.

Whitted will be remembered as a wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 who could make the big play, but also for his chronic inconsistency.

Trivia

In EA Sports

EA Sports

EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...

' Madden 2005, Alvis Whitted's photo was duplicated and used as the photo for LaTarence Dunbar

LaTarence Dunbar

LaTarence Dunbar is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans of the NFL. He is a 1999 graduate of Dallas' South Oak Cliff High School and went on to play for Texas Christian University.-References:...

.

While at North Carolina State, Whitted was given the nickname of "Popcorn Hair," which was a reference to his hair which looked like popcorn.