Tai Streets

As a sophomore, Streets briefly played halfback for the football team, but he broke his ankle in a freak accident after the second game, and vowed never to return.

[2] As a sophomore in 1992–93, Streets scored 20 points and posted 12 rebounds in his first varsity basketball game for Rich South on January 22, 1993.

[9] That spring he was also selected as one of the ten best football prospects in the Chicago area by high school athlete expert Tom Lemming for his play at wide receiver.

[12] During the summer between his junior and senior year Streets was selected as to the All-Tournament team for the AAU 17 & under men's basketball National Invitational Tournament held in Kenner, Louisiana.

[21] Streets and sophomore quarterback Antwaan Randle El helped Thornton snap Homewood-Flossmoor High School's 44-game conference winning streak in the SICA East in football.

[24] Although Streets accumulated nine receptions for 145 yards in the playoff game, he only had one touchdown in the waning moments and was kept from making gamebreaking plays when it mattered.

[26] In high school, he aspired to have a broadcasting career after athletics like his role model Ahmad Rashad and also had visions of Olympic Games competition.

[27] As late as December of his senior year, he was considering Michigan, Illinois, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and South Carolina.

[28] In January 1995, he selected the University of Michigan because of its tradition of producing National Football League wide receivers such as Anthony Carter, Derrick Alexander, Desmond Howard and Chris Calloway.

[39][40] In the championship game, Streets had a game-high 15 rebounds in a losing effort against Manual High School as Thornton finished with a 30–2 record.

[47] He was part of a Michigan Wolverines men's basketball incoming number-one ranked recruiting class with three McDonald's All-Americans: Robert Traylor, Albert White, and Louis Bullock.

[50][51] The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) championship meet record of 24 feet 6.25 inches (7.47 m) set in 1969 seemed in jeopardy.

His high school basketball teams included future professional athletes Randle El, Melvin Ely, and Napoleon Harris.

[60][61] Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Illinois said that Streets would have won their Athlete of the Year award had he competed in their coverage area.

As a true freshman in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season, Streets only caught five passes for the 1995 Michigan Wolverines football team: he caught three in the 52–17 October 28 Little Brown Jug rivalry game victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and two in the 31–23 November 25 Michigan – Ohio State rivalry game with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

[63] All five athletes who had more receptions than him that season went on to play professional football (Mercury Hayes − 48, Amani Toomer – 44, Jay Riemersma – 41, Chris Howard – 14 and Jerame Tuman – 9).

[64] Hayes, Toomer and Riemersma, who accounted for 75 percent of the team's yardage,[65] were all selected in the 1996 NFL draft,[66] leaving Streets as the leading returning wide receiver (Howard was a running back and Tuman was a tight end).

[67] In 1996, Michigan dealt with a starting quarterback returning from a season-ending injury and a depleted receiving group: Scott Dreisbach had missed the final two-thirds of the season, leaving Brian Griese as the starter and freshman Tom Brady served as an understudy.

[71][72] His best statistical performance came at home in Cook County, Illinois in front of a large gathering of friends and family against Northwestern when he recorded 12 receptions for 150 yards in an October 5, 17–16 loss.

[73] Although Streets and Russell Shaw were the starting receivers, it was understood that Charles Woodson, who was regarded as one of the most versatile athletes in college football,[86] was expected to play on offense that season.

[92] During the season, Streets dislocated both thumbs, with the second injury occurring in the November 1 Little Brown Jug game against Minnesota.

[63][106] In the game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of the 1999 Florida Citrus Bowl victory over Arkansas, Streets caught a 15-yard completion on third-and-11 and the 8-yarder on fourth-and-2 on his way to a career-ending 7-catch 129-yard effort.

[114] Streets remains second to Jack Clancy on the all-time Michigan single game receptions yardage list with 192.

[125] The San Francisco 49ers, who had Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, and J. J. Stokes, did not need a wide receiver right away and gambled on the projected 2nd-round selection with their sixth round pick.

[126][127] Head coach Steve Mariucci said that the team had evaluated his prospect as an injured athlete and had determined him to be a good selection for later rounds despite his injury.

[129] Just before the season started, Streets was placed on the reserve non-football injury list in order to make roster space for Na'il Benjamin and Damon Griffin.

[148] It included a 52-yard overtime catch on 3rd-and-5 in the game-winning drive, the longest reception of Streets' career and more yards than he would accumulate in any single game the rest of the season.

[151] Streets caught a fourth-quarter touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion in the game,[144] but the 49ers yielded ten fourth quarter points to lose 25–15.

[151] In the 2002 NFL season, Stokes often performed the role of a tight end,[152] and got injured clearing the way for Streets to start in some games for the 2002 49ers.

[148] The following week on the final Monday Night game of the regular season, Streets posted his first and only two-touchdown effort in a losing cause against the St. Louis Rams.