Antwaan Randle El
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| Antwaan Randle El | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | August 17, 1979 |
| Place of birth | Riverdale, Illinois |
| Position(s) | Wide Receiver and Quarterback |
| College | Indiana |
| NFL Draft | 2002 / Round 2 |
| Team(s) | |
| 2002–2005 2006-Present |
Pittsburgh Steelers Washington Redskins |
Antwaan Randle El (born August 17, 1979 in Riverdale, Illinois) is a wide receiver and punt returner for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. A quarterback in college, he is also occasionally called on to pass on trick plays, most notably in Super Bowl XL in which he threw a pass for a touchdown.
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[edit] High school
Randle El attended Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. He starred at football, basketball and baseball. He was a high school teammate of current Minnesota Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, as well as Charlotte Bobcats center Melvin Ely and former NFL wide receiver Tai Streets. He was selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft in 1997 by the Chicago Cubs (424th overall), but elected to attend Indiana University.
[edit] College career
Randle El was a quarterback at Indiana University, where he was considered one of the premier offensive threats in the Big Ten Conference and received some consideration for the Heisman Trophy (coming in 6th in Heisman voting) during his senior season. Randle El was the first player in Division I history to pass for 40 career touchdowns and score 40 career touchdowns. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2001, and was named the first-team All-American quarterback by the Football Writers Association of America. He finished his college career as the fifth on the all-time NCAA total yardage list, and became the first player in college football history to record 2,500 total yards for four consecutive years. He finished his career with 7,469 passing yards, 3,895 rushing yards, and 86 touchdowns running and passing. He is considered to be the second most statistically productive dual-threat quarterback to ever play college football.
[edit] NFL career
[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers
Randel El was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Subsequently, the Steelers moved him to the receiver position. Together with Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, he made up part of what was widely regarded as one of the top wide receiver corps in the NFL, although Burress has since left the Steelers for the New York Giants. Additionally, the Steelers made him their top kickoff returner through the 2004-2005 season, and their top punt returner since he joined the team. His quarterback experience allowed the Steelers to use him as a passer in a variety of trick plays, most notably a game-clinching 43-yard fake reverse touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL. He was the third non-quarterback and the first receiver to throw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl (see below).
[edit] Washington Redskins
On March 12, 2006, Randel El signed a seven-year, $31 million deal to play for the Washington Redskins.[1] In the Redskins' Week 7 matchup in 2006 against the Indianapolis Colts, Randle El returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was his first punt return for a touchdown as a Redskin.
[edit] Miscellaneous
As might be surmised from his name, Randle El is descended from a family with connections to the Black Muslims, although Antwaan is a devout Christian and says he puts his faith before anything.
Randle El's younger brother, Marcus Randle El, is a wide receiver and kick returner for the University of Wisconsin.
