MINNEAPOLIS -- Cris Carter had a grand time after catching his 1,000th career pass in the Vikings' 24-17 win over the Lions. Celebrating his history-making, 4-yard touchdown grab in front of the hometown fans with his wife Melanie and their two children on the Metrodome turf made Carter's memorable night complete.

	Cris Carter gestures to the crowd after catching a TD with his 1,000th career catch.

His career, however, is not.

"It's a tremendous honor," Carter said of joining Jerry Rice in the 1,000-catch club. "But the only thing to polish it up would be a Super Bowl championship."

It's not like Carter's 14-year career, which is more than qualified for Canton, has been lackluster. To comprehend Carter's dissatisfaction, though, one has to understand his passion to be No. 1.

He came close to winning a ring in 1998 when the Vikings, behind the bombs of Randall Cunningham and the precocious skills of a rookie named Randy Moss, rolled to a 15-1 record. Minnesota's miracle season ended abruptly with an upset loss to Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game. Afterward, no one was more distraught in the Vikings' locker room than Carter, not even kicker Gary Anderson whose ill-timed missed field goal made the Falcons' improbable comeback possible.

At the time, a 33-year-old Carter wondered if he'd ever get another opportunity to achieve his dream. A disappointing '99 season and a turbulent offseason in which Cunningham and Jeff George were asked to leave town didn't give Carter any reason to feel 2000 would present him a second chance.

"That's what drives me," said Carter, 35, of bringing the Twin Cities a Super Bowl title. "It's why I do the things that I do and make the sacrifices that I make. Even though I have a lot of teammates whom I've appreciated a long time through the years ... to be able to say that you're the best at what you do that one year is the goal that anyone should have.

"I don't care what you do in life. To say that that year I was the absolute best, especially when you're in a team sport -- and I have more of a personality that I wished I would've played an individual sport -- to win a championship, to get 60 people and focused in one direction and do it over a seven-month period is phenomenal. To me, that's all that is left."

	“	I don't care what you do in life. To say that that year I was the absolute best ... to win a championship, to get 60 people and focused in one direction and do it over a seven-month period is phenomenal. To me, that's all that is left. ”
		— Cris Carter, Vikings wide receiver

His 1,002 receptions, his 12,738 receiving yards and 121 touchdowns confirm it. His seven straight Pro Bowls have further cemented his place among the NFL's greats.

Certain sacrifices the past three seasons also prove he'll do just about anything to fulfill his dream.

He showed a brash and cocky Moss the ropes two years ago, then stepped aside to let his pupil enjoy the spotlight as the offense's main weapon. This season, under the behest of head coach Dennis Green, Carter practiced patience with first-year starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who needed time to find his bearings in the Vikings' offense. Carter didn't catch his first touchdown of the season until Minnesota's sixth game.

A troubled youngster early in his career with the Eagles, Carter became the NFL's poster boy for second-chances-made-good. If the league office wants to trumpet a veteran's John Elway-like quest for a Super Bowl crown, it need not look any further than Carter.

Carter wouldn't hesitate to break the postgame celebration rules, too. "If we win the Super Bowl, they can't stop my family from getting on the field," Carter said. "We'll be all right. I've got about $80,000 in fine money that I'll be able to afford."

"I've always wanted to have a career that my kids would be able to see me play and understand what I did," he added. "Now I'm to the point where they're nine and seven, and they understand."

They now know how much this Super Bowl ring thing means to dad, too.

Joe Lago is the NFL editor for ESPN.com.