Background and career
Theodore Ginn Jr. (born April 12, 1985) is an American former professional football player and coach who currently serves as the head coach for the Columbus Aviators of the United Football League (UFL). He was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears. Ginn played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Dolphins with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. In 2024, he was inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame.
Ginn played for his father, Ted Ginn Sr., in high school at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he played defensive back, quarterback, and wide receiver for the football team. Ginn was selected as the 2004 USA Today Defensive Player of the Year, a 2004 Parade All-American, and named the 2004 SuperPrep National Defensive Player of the Year. He also participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a member of the East team, along with future Dolphins teammates Ryan Baker and Chad Henne, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Ginn intercepted eight passes as a senior, returning five of them for touchdowns. One of his interception returns went for a state-record 102-yard touchdown, while another went for a 98-yard score. Ted has two siblings, Tiffany Ginn and Jason Lucas in Akron, Ohio.
In addition to football, Ginn was a standout track athlete for the Glenville track team. As a junior, he became the national champion in the 110 meter hurdles and recorded the best time in the nation as a senior when he won the state title for the second consecutive year. He captured the state title in the 200 meters in a time of 21.51 seconds, after posting a time of 21.44 seconds in the preliminary rounds. He also helped the track team to take the 4 x 400 metres relay crown in a time of 3:15.04 minutes. He was timed at 10.5 in the 100 meters as a high school junior. As a senior, he ran the 60 meter hurdles in 7.98 seconds, 200 meters in 21.16 seconds, 400 meters in 46.57 seconds and posted personal bests of 13.26w seconds and 13.40 seconds in the 39" 110 meter hurdles Ohio State University track coach Russ Rogers recruited Ginn to run track, believing that he could qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, his track career was put on hold in order to focus on football. He was timed at 10.2 in the 100 meters in his freshman year.
Ginn was recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State University.
As a freshman, Ginn saw moderate playing time at wide receiver and finished the 2004 season with 25 receptions for 359 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, led the nation with a 25.6 yards per punt return average, and returned four punts for touchdowns (which broke a Big Ten Conference record first set by Gene Derricotte in 1947 that was later tied twice). One of the most memorable moments in his freshman season was in the 30–7 win over Indiana. A pass at the beginning of the first quarter was tipped by a diving Buster Larkins, only to be grabbed by Ginn. He then broke four tackles on his way to a 59-yard touchdown.
Ginn was converted to wide receiver in his sophomore year of 2005, and was named a starter. He finished the season with 51 receptions for 803 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned 18 kickoffs for 532 yards, along with 25 punts for 250 yards.
