Ahmad Rashad
![]() Rashad in January 2009 | |||||||
No. 28, 27 | |||||||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Portland, Oregon,U.S. | November 19, 1949||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Mount Tahoma (Tacoma, Washington) | ||||||
College: | Oregon(1968–1971) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1972/ Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats atPFR | |||||||
Ahmad Rashad(/əˈmɑːdrəˈʃɑːd/ə-MAHDrə-SHAHD;bornRobert Earl Moore;November 19, 1949) is an Americansportscasterand former professionalfootballwide receiver.He was the fourth overall selection of the1972 NFL draft,taken by theSt. Louis Cardinals.He was known asBobby Moorebefore changing his name in 1973.
Recruited after high school as a wide receiver by theUniversity of Oregon,he played for theOregon Webfoots.He moved to therunning backposition and was named to the1971 College Football All-America Teamat that position.
He became professional after being drafted by the Cardinals. Rashad returned to playing as wide receiver, and played for the Cardinals for two seasons. After being traded to theBuffalo Billsin 1974, and sitting out the 1975 season with a knee injury, he signed with theSeattle Seahawksbefore the 1976 season. They traded him shortly thereafter to theMinnesota Vikings(1976–1982), where he earned fourPro Bowlselections from1978to1981.
Following his retirement from football, Rashad transitioned to television. He worked as a studio analyst, game reporter, and anchor for several sports. Rashad was a panellist on theNFL Livepregame show for NBC, and also notably hosted theNational Basketball Associationweekly digest showsNBA Inside Stuff(1990–2004) andNBA Access with Ahmad Rashad(2005–2011). He has appeared as a fictionalized version of himself as a television sports personality in several films and television shows. In addition, he has hosted several non-sports related game shows and reality television shows. As of 2021[update],he was a member of the digital content team for theNew York Knicks,filming videos for their YouTube channel as well as emceeing events for the team inMadison Square Garden.
Early life
[edit]Born Robert Earl Moore in 1949 inPortland, Oregon,he moved with his family toTacoma, Washington.There he playedhigh school football.Rashad graduated fromMount Tahoma High School[1]and accepted anathletic scholarshipto theUniversity of OregoninEugene.He playedfootballfor theDucksunder head coachJerry Frei,became a member ofOmega Psi Phifraternity,and majored in elementary education at Oregon.[2]
During his junior year in college, Rashad had legal issues in Portland. He was charged withfelonytheft in November 1970.[3][4][5]He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, amisdemeanor,in early 1971.[6]
In 1972, Moore converted fromPentecostalismtoIslam.He had started to study Islam in college.[7]A year later, Bobby Moore legally changed his name to Ahmad Rashād, which means "admirable one led to truth" in Arabic.[8][9]He adopted his last name from his Egyptian-American mentor, biochemistRashad Khalifa,[10]with whom he studied Arabic.[11]Khalifa was assassinated in 1990.[10]
Football career
[edit]At Oregon, Moore playedwide receiverand wingback as a sophomore in1969and made theall-conference team.[12]He moved to running back, where he was anAll-Americanin1971—in the same backfield withquarterbackDan Fouts.[1]In his final season with the Ducks (1971), he rushed for 1,211 yards, caught 32 passes for 324 yards, and scored 10 touchdowns. He finished his three seasons of college football with 2,036 rushing yards, 131 receptions for 1,565 yards, and 36 touchdowns.[13]At the time Moore left Oregon, his rushing yards, receptions, and 226 points were all school records.[14]
Moore was the fourth player selected in the1972 NFL draft,[2]taken by theSt. Louis Cardinals.[15]He made the UPI all-rookie team in1972,[16]but second-year head coachBob Hollwaywas fired after a 4–9–1 season.Don Coryellwas the new head coach in1973.
He traded Rashad, as he was then known, after that season to theBuffalo Billsfor backup quarterbackDennis Shaw.[17]In Buffalo, Rashad roomed on the road withO. J. Simpsonin1974.He missed the1975season after a knee injury in the final pre-season game.[18]
Rashad was in the training camp of the expansionSeattle Seahawks,after signing as a free agent. He was traded days before the start of the1976regular season, sent to theMinnesota Vikingsfor a future draft pick.[19]He failed the Vikings' physical, but was kept on the team due to the actions of quarterbackFran Tarkenton.[8]The Vikings made it back to theSuper Bowlthat season, their last appearance to date.
During his professional football career, Rashad caught 495 passes for 6,831 yards and 44 touchdowns, while also rushing for 52 yards. The standout catch of his career came in a December1980game against theCleveland Browns.Vikings quarterbackTommy Kramerthrew aHail Mary passto Rashad that resulted in a come-from-behind 28–23 victory and aCentral Divisiontitle for the Vikings. This became known as "TheMiracle at the Met",or, alternatively," The Miracle Catch ". Rashad also has the distinction of the longest play from scrimmage that didn't score a touchdown: 98 yards in a 1972 game against the Rams.
Rashad replacedJohn Gilliamas receiver with both the St. Louis and Minnesota teams. In 1992 Rashad was named to Oregon's Hall of Fame and to theCollege Football Hall of Fameon May 9, 2007.[20]
NFL career statistics
[edit]Legend | |
---|---|
Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
[edit]Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
1972 | STL | 14 | 13 | 29 | 500 | 17.2 | 98 | 3 |
1973 | STL | 13 | 10 | 30 | 409 | 13.6 | 65 | 3 |
1974 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 36 | 433 | 12.0 | 29 | 4 |
1976 | MIN | 13 | 11 | 53 | 671 | 12.7 | 47 | 3 |
1977 | MIN | 14 | 14 | 51 | 681 | 13.4 | 48 | 2 |
1978 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 66 | 769 | 11.7 | 58 | 8 |
1979 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 80 | 1,156 | 14.5 | 52 | 9 |
1980 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 69 | 1,095 | 15.9 | 76 | 5 |
1981 | MIN | 16 | 15 | 58 | 884 | 15.2 | 53 | 7 |
1982 | MIN | 7 | 6 | 23 | 233 | 10.1 | 21 | 0 |
139 | 131 | 495 | 6,831 | 13.8 | 98 | 44 |
Playoffs
[edit]Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
1974 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 | 0 |
1976 | MIN | 3 | 3 | 7 | 116 | 16.6 | 35 | 0 |
1977 | MIN | 2 | 2 | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 25 | 0 |
1978 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 7 | 84 | 12.0 | 31 | 1 |
1980 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 |
8 | 8 | 21 | 303 | 14.4 | 35 | 1 |
Broadcasting and television career
[edit]After his football career, Rashad coveredNFL,NBA,andMLB[21]televised contests as a studio anchor and game reporter forNBCandABC,and hostedNBA Inside Stufffor 16 seasons. He also has hosted the video-clip showReal TVin 2000, the reality showCelebrity Mole,thegame showCaesars Challengealong with co-host Dan Doherty,NBA Access with Ahmad Rashadon the ABC network, and the first season ofGame Show Network'sTug of Words.Samantha Harrisreplaced him for the second season ofTug of Words.[22][23]
He starred in an episode ofMonsters.Rashad has also guest starred on several TV shows, mainly ones that starred his then-wife Phylicia Allen Rashad. In 1988, he filled in forRobb Welleron the weekend edition ofEntertainment Tonight(then known asEntertainment This Week). He used to interview long-time friendMichael Jordanfrequently while he was at NBC. In early 2013, he became a panelist on the daily talk showMorning Driveon theGolf Channel,but left that summer. Rashad has narrated the yearly highlight films for NBA championship teams since 2012.
As of May 2021, Rashad now works for theNew York Knicksas a member of their digital content team, making videos for the team's YouTube channel (including sit-down interviews with members of the roster as well as historical retrospectives) as well as emceeing events for the team atMadison Square Garden.[24]
Basketball career
[edit]Right before the launch of NBA Inside Stuff in 1990, Rashad, who was 40 years old at the time, signed a two-day contract with thePhiladelphia 76ers.[25]As the show wanted to use Rashad playing in the NBA as a promotion, he was allowed to practice with the team and play in anNBA preseason gameagainst theMinnesota Timberwolvesthe next day. Rashad was known for his athleticism, as evidenced by him playing multiple offensive positions in his football career. He became a multi-sport athlete, albeit 8 years after his retirement from pro sports. It was the first preseason game ever to be played at the newly builtTarget Centerand was in front of a crowd of 18,296. Many fans came to the game to support Rashad because of his career as a Viking.[25]
He was subbed on forHersey Hawkinsand, in the first play of his NBA career, he gave up anand-one shooting foultoTony Campbell.During a ensuing timeout, head coachJim Lynamdrew up a play for Rashad to run across thebaselinefor an open look. Rashad knocked down the 20-foot shot and scored the first and only points of his NBA career. Remembering the moment in a voiceover, Rashad was ecstatic, "I definitely replayed this one in my head for quite some time. My teammates set me up on the left side, and when everything was on the line, I nailed it."[26]Rashad was not as good defensively, as he allowed Campbell and the Timberwolves to bring an 11-point deficit down to 5. But the 76ers pulled off a 102–96 win, giving Rashad a perfect record in the NBA, as well as a perfect 1.000 FG%, as he technically made every single shot he ever took.[27][28]
After the game, Rashad's performance was applauded by multiple teammates and coaches, includingHall of FameteammateCharles Barkley.He had previously expressed doubts about Rashad, but said that "he made it, and that's all that matters."Rick Mahorn,another teammate, said "What the hell, his two points really made a difference."[26]
In a post-game interview, Rashad announced his retirement from the game of basketball, and he was waived from the team.
NBA career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goalpercentage | 3P% | 3-point field goalpercentage | FT% | Free throwpercentage |
RPG | Reboundsper game | APG | Assistsper game | SPG | Stealsper game |
BPG | Blocksper game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Preseason
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990–91 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
Crypto Enthusiast and NFT Collector
[edit]In 2017, Rashad started exploring the cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Initially captivated by the potential of digital currencies likeBitcoin.Rashad, being an investor of NBATopshot,became deeply invested in NFTs.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]Rashad has been married five times and divorced four. He has fathered a total of six children, including a son, Geoffrey Simmons, born to his high school girlfriend Melody Neal. The boy was put up for adoption in 1967. After he turned 18, he contacted his father through Amara (formerly the Medina Adoption Agency) in 2005, and the pair met for the first time. Simmons also had learned that his biological mother, Melody Neal, died from cancer in 1991.[29]
In 1969, Rashad married for the first time, to Deidre Waters. They had a daughter, Keva, born in 1970. That year Rashad also fathered a son, Sean, born to another woman.[29]
After divorcing his first wife, in 1976, Rashad married his second wife, Matilda Johnson. They had two children together, daughter Maiyisha (born in 1976) and son Ahmad Jr. (born in 1978). They divorced in 1979.[29]
In 1985, Rashad married actressPhylicia Ayers-Allen,known for her work onThe Cosby Show.He proposed to her earlier that year on national television during the pregame show ofNBC's broadcast of theThanksgivingDayfootballgame, between theDetroit Lionsand theNew York Jets.[30]It was the third marriage for each of them. Rashad gained a stepson Billy Bowles (born 1973 during her first marriage). After a year of marriage, they had a daughter together,Condola Phylea Rashād,named after his mother. In 2001, after nearly sixteen years of marriage, they divorced.[29]
In 2007, Rashad married his fourth wife, Nancy Sale Johnson. (She had divorced fromWoody Johnson,Johnson & Johnsonbillionaire heir andNew York Jetsowner). She brought three daughters to the marriage: Casey Johnson (1979–2010), Jamie Johnson (b. 1982),[31]and Daisy Johnson (b. 1987). After Casey died, the couple adopted her daughter (Sale Johnson's granddaughter), Ava-Monroe Johnson (born August 14, 2006). Rashad and Johnson divorced in 2013.[32]
In 2016, Rashad married Ana Luz Rodriguez-Paz, a psychologist in South Florida.[33]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Moore exciting coaches and fans".Spokane Daily Chronicle.(Washington). October 27, 1971. p. 31.
- ^ab"Moore 4th pick".Ellensburg Daily Record.(Washington). UPI. February 1, 1972. p. 7.
- ^"Moore facing Portland theft attempt charge".Eugene Register-Guard.November 4, 1970. p. 1D.
- ^Cawood, Neil (November 5, 1970)."Bobby Moore suspended for Air Force-Oregon battle".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). p. 1C.
- ^"Moore bound to grand jury".Eugene Register-Guard.November 23, 1970. p. 1C.
- ^"UO's Moore on probation for one year".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). January 5, 1971. p. 3B.
- ^Baker, William J. (2007).Playing With God: Religion and Modern Sport.Harvard University Press. p. 227.ISBN9780674020443.RetrievedDecember 26,2014.
- ^abOlderman, Murray (July 26, 1981)."Rashad made a name for himself...twice".Pittsburgh Press.p. D-2.
- ^"Bobby Moore has changed more than name".The Bulletin.(Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. October 23, 1973. p. 10.
- ^abBrownfield, Paul (January 2, 2013)."Briefly a Rising Star, Forever a Mourning Son".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 17,2013.
- ^Olderman, Murray (July 26, 1981)."Rashad made a name for himself...twice".Pittsburgh Press.p. D-2.
- ^"Bobby Moore all Pacific-8".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). November 30, 1969. p. 1B.
- ^"Bobby Moore College Stats".
- ^"Ahmad Rashad (1992) – Hall of Fame".
- ^"Moore, Drougas taken in first round".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). February 1, 1972. p. 1B.
- ^"Three ex-Ducks get rookie spots".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). UPI. December 24, 1972. p. 4B.
- ^"Cards get Bills' Shaw".Palm Beach Post.Associated Press. January 27, 1974. p. E2.
- ^Baker, Tony (July 21, 1976)."Rashad is on the road back".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.
- ^"Rashad dealt by Seahawks; Picard placed on waivers".Spokane Daily Chronicle.(Washington). Associated Press. September 8, 1976. p. 19.
- ^Ahmad Rashādat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
- ^1987 04 25 NBC GOW Baltimore Orioles at Milwaukee BrewersonYouTube
- ^"Ahmad Rashad".TVGuide.com.RetrievedOctober 6,2023.
- ^Rick Rosner Productions (1993),Caesar's Challenge | Babette/Mike/Heather,retrievedOctober 6,2023
- ^"Ahmad Rashad joining Knicks' digital content team beginning Sunday".
- ^abMoore, Kevin (October 17, 2020)."Ahmad Rashad Did the Unthinkable and Played in an NBA Preseason Game".Sportscasting | Pure Sports.RetrievedJanuary 7,2022.
- ^abAhmad Rashad Plays Game For Sixers‼️,retrievedJanuary 7,2022
- ^Astramskas, David."Remember When The NBA Let Former NFL Player & TV Host Ahmad Rashad Play In A NBA Game?".ballislife.com.RetrievedJanuary 7,2022.
- ^"Remember When The NBA Let Former NFL Player & TV Host Ahmad Rashad Play In A NBA Game?".ballislife.com.RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
- ^abcdReng (April 12, 2022)."Ahmad Rashad Spouses: Meet The 5 Women He Married And All His Kids".WeAfrique.RetrievedOctober 6,2023.
- ^Moses, Gavin (December 16, 1985)."Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad Scores with a Televised Proposal to Cosby's Phylicia Ayers-Allen".People.RetrievedNovember 18,2008.
- ^Vanity Fair,September 2006
- ^"Ahmad Rashad Divorcing Sale Johnson".Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.
- ^MaGee, Ny (May 25, 2016)."Ahmad Rashad Gets Married For Fifth Time".EURweb.RetrievedMay 5,2018.
External links
[edit]- Football legend, NBA anchor, and Executive Producer, Ahmad Rashad,Official Website
- Career statistics and player information fromNFL.com·Pro Football Reference·
- 1972 NFL DraftArchivedSeptember 7, 2006, at theWayback Machine– from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- 2007 – Ahmad Rashad – (Bobby Moore)at theCollege Football Hall of Fame
- Ahmad Rashad, Executive Producer, NBA Inside Stuff
- Ahmad RashadatIMDb
- TV acres.com– 1985 marriage
- 1949 births
- Living people
- African-American game show hosts
- American game show hosts
- African-American male actors
- African-American sports journalists
- African-American Muslims
- American Quranist Muslims
- American football running backs
- American football wide receivers
- American male television actors
- American sports journalists
- American television reporters and correspondents
- American television sports announcers
- Buffalo Bills players
- College football announcers
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Golf commentators
- Major League Baseball broadcasters
- Minnesota Vikings players
- NBA broadcasters
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- National Football League announcers
- Olympic Games broadcasters
- Oregon Ducks football players
- Participants in American reality television series
- Players of American football from Portland, Oregon
- Players of American football from Tacoma, Washington
- Sports Emmy Award winners
- St. Louis Cardinals (football) players
- Women's National Basketball Association announcers
- Converts to Islam from Protestantism
- Former Pentecostals
- Muslims from Oregon