Ahmad Rashād

Ahmad Rashād

Ahmad Rashād
Position(s) Wide receiver Jersey #(s) 28
Born	November 19, 1949 (1949-11-19) (age 59) Portland, Oregon
Career information
Year(s)	1972–1982
NFL Draft	1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
College	Oregon
Professional teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1972–1973) Buffalo Bills (1974–1976) Seattle Seahawks (1976) Minnesota Vikings (1976–1982)
Career stats
Receptions	495
Receiving yards	6,831
Touchdowns	44
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
4× Pro Bowl selection (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981) 1× Second-team All-Pro selection (1979) 2× First-team All-Conference selection (1979, 1980) 3× Second-team All-Conference selection (1974, 1978, 1981) 1979 Pro Bowl MVP
College Football Hall of Fame

Ahmad Rashād (born Robert Earl Moore November 19, 1949 in Portland, Oregon) is an Emmy award-winning sportscaster (mostly with NBC Sports) and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was the first skill-position player taken, following three linemen.

Rashād was converted back to wide receiver while with the Cardinals, where he played for two seasons. He then played for the Buffalo Bills (1974–1976), the Seattle Seahawks (1976), and, most notably, the Minnesota Vikings (1976–1982), where he earned four Pro Bowl selections from 1978 to 1981.

Rashād graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Washington in 1967 and accepted a football scholarship to the University of Oregon.

Biography

Conversion and football career

In 1972, Moore converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Rashād, which means "Admirable One Led To Truth". His last name comes from his mentor in St. Louis Rashad Khalifa. There are at least three players in the NFL that were named after him, Ahman Rashad Green, running back for the Houston Texans, Ahmad Rashad Merritt, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, and Ahmard Rashad Hall, fullback for the Tennessee Titans. Orlando Magic NBA basketball player Rashard Lewis was also named after Rashad.

Rashād eventually graduated from the University of Oregon, where he played wide receiver as a sophomore in 1969; then was moved to running back where he was an All-American in 1971—playing with quarterback Dan Fouts. Rashād was named to the College Football Hall of Fame on May 9, 2007. ^[1]

During his pro football career, Rashād caught 495 passes for 6831 yards and 44 touchdowns, while also rushing for 52 yards. The standout catch of his career came in a December 1980 game against the Cleveland Browns. Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer threw a Hail Mary pass to Rashād that resulted in a come-from-behind 28-23 victory and a Central Division title for the Vikings. This became known as the Miracle Catch. Rashād 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.

Coincidentally, Rashād replaced the same receiver, John Gilliam, in both St. Louis and Minnesota.

Broadcasting and television career

After his football career, he covered NFL and NBA televised contests as a studio anchor and game reporter for NBC and ABC, as well as hosting NBA Inside Stuff. He also has hosted the video-clip show Real TV in 2000, the reality show Celebrity Mole, the game show Caesars Challenge along with co-host Dan Doherty, and NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad on the ABC network. Rashād has also guest starred on several TV shows, mainly ones that starred his then wife Phylicia. He used to interview long-time friend Michael Jordan frequently while he was at NBC.

Rumored NBA career

There is video footage of Rashad sinking a basket in a real NBA game as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.^[2] The context surrounding his appearance is unknown, but he is seen bragging jestfully regarding his status as the only player in NBA history to shoot 100% for his career (implying this was his one and only appearance in an NBA game). This was during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. ^[2] It has been theorized Rashad participated in only one preseason game for the Sixers, possibly as a celebrity detail.^[3] Reliable pro basketball databases do not identify Rashad as a former NBA player.^[4]

Family life

Rashād has been married four times and divorced three. In 1969, he married his first wife Deidre Waters. They had a daughter, Keva, born in 1970. In addition he has a son, Sean, born out of wedlock also in 1970. In 1976, he married his second wife, Matilda Johnson. They had two children, daughter Maiyisha (born in 1976) and son Ahmad Jr. (born in 1978). They divorced in 1979.

In 1985, Rashād married Cosby Show actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen, to whom he proposed on national television during the pregame show of NBC's broadcast of the Thanksgiving Day football game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets.^[5] It was a third marriage for both. Unlike many actresses, she adopted his surname shortly after the wedding, and still uses the name "Phylicia Rashād" professionally to this day. Out of this marriage, he gained a stepson Billy Bowles (born 1973). After a year of marriage, Ahmad and Phylicia had a daughter, Condola Phylea Rashād (named after his mother). After nearly sixteen years of marriage, Ahmad and Phylicia divorced in 2001.

In 2007, Rashād wed his fourth wife, Sale Johnson, the ex-wife of Johnson & Johnson billionaire Woody Johnson. He has gained a stepdaughter from this marriage.^[6]

References

External links

• Ahmad Rashad at the Internet Movie Database
• Ahmad Rashad, Executive Producer, NBA Inside Stuff
• College Football Hall of Fame - 2007 - Ahmad Rashad - (Bobby Moore)
• 1972 NFL Draft - from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• TV acres.com - 1985 marriage
• NFL Stats - Career NFL Statistics