Marty Booker

He became the first Bears wide receiver to earn Pro Bowl status since Dick Gordon in 1972.

Marty Montez Booker (born July 31, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Marty Montez Booker was born July 31, 1976, to Vera and Calvin Booker of Jonesboro, La.

Booker attended Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro, Louisiana.

He was a two-sport standout in both football and track.

In football, he was a quarterback and passed for 3418 yd and 48 combined touchdowns as a senior, at a college meet, he was told that he was super athletic, and quarterback wasn't the right spot for him, he chose WR. Following his senior season, he finished as the runner-up for the national Gatorade High School Player of the Year award.

In track, he was ranked second in the state high jump finals as a senior.

Booker also was a standout basketball player.

Marty Booker attended the University of Louisiana-Monroe where he was a three-year starter.

He finished his college career with 178 receptions for 2,784 yards (15.6 avg.) and 23 touchdowns.

He was an All-Independent first-team selection as a senior with 75 catches for 1168 yd and 11 touchdowns, averaging 106.2 yd per game.

He ranks second in school history for career receptions.

He became the first Bears rookie to register a 100 yd receiving game since Willie Gault in 1983.

After playing college football for Louisiana-Monroe, he was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft.

Booker was drafted in the third round (78th overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

He started four of the nine games in which he played during his rookie season, catching 19 passes for 219yd and three touchdowns.

He did not play in each of the first six games of the season, with his first regular season action coming on an October 24 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Booker's first career reception occurred on November 14 against the Minnesota Vikings, when he grabbed seven passes for 134yd and two touchdowns in what was also the first start of his career.

In 2000, Booker started seven of the 15 games in which he played, finishing third on the team with 47 receptions for 490 yd and a pair of scores.

He was inactive for a September 17 game against the New York Giants with a shoulder injury.

He had five catches for 56 yd against the Detroit Lions on September 24 - a game which began his streak of 82 straight games with a reception.

In 2001, Booker started all 16 games and set a Bears single-season reception record with 100, breaking the old mark of 93 set by Johnny Morris in 1964.

That total also ranked second in the NFC and sixth in the NFL.

On the season, he totaled 1,071 receiving yards, good for ninth in the NFC.

He became just the seventh receiver (8th time) in Bears history to post a 1000 yd receiving season.

He collected a season-high nine receptions on five occasions, including each of the first two games.

In a 31–3 win at the Atlanta Falcons on October 7, he had a 63 yd TD catch from Jim Miller and a 34 yd TD pass to Marcus Robinson.

He hauled in seven passes for 165 yd and a career-high three touchdowns in 27-24 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 18, including a career-long 66 yd TD catch (from Miller) in the game.

Booker's reception total was second in team history, trailing only his 100 catches from 2001, while his yardage total was the fourth-best single-season figure.

During his first tenure with the Bears, he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2002.

Booker earned the first Pro Bowl berth of his career in 2002 as he accumulated 97 receptions for 1189 yd and six touchdowns.

His reception total also was third in the NFC and tied for sixth in the NFL in 2002 while yardage figure was seventh in the NFC and ninth in the NFL.

He became just the second Bear to account for multiple 1000 yd receiving seasons in a career, joining Harlon Hill (1954, 1956) Booker tied for fourth in the NFL with 20 receptions of 20 yd or longer, while placing seventh in the NFC with 54 first-down catches and sixth in the conference with 24 third-down receptions.

He amassed a career-high three 100 yd receiving games on the season, including the opener against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8 when he produced 198 yd - tied for the third highest single-game total in Bears history.

His second 100 yd game of the season occurred against the Green Bay Packers on October 7, when he hauled in a career-high 12 passes - the fourth-highest single-game total in team history.

Booker also threw a 44 yd touchdown pass to Marcus Robinson against the New England Patriots on November 10.

Booker all 13 games in which he played in 2003 and was the Bears’ leading receiver for the third straight year, catching 52 passes for 715 yd and four touchdowns.

He was inactive for three games in October and November with an ankle injury.

He also played for the Miami Dolphins from 2004 to 2007, Bears in 2008, and Atlanta Falcons in 2009.

Booker also combined with Marcus Robinson to become the 15th tandem in Bears history to record 100 yd receiving games in the same contest.