Ahmad Rashād |
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| Born | November 19, 1949 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
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| Career information | |||
| Year(s) | 1972–1982 | ||
| NFL Draft | 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||
| College | Oregon | ||
| Professional teams | |||
| Career stats | |||
| Receptions | 495 | ||
| Receiving yards | 6,831 | ||
| Touchdowns | 44 | ||
| Stats at NFL.com | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Ahmad Rashād | |
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| Born | Robert Earl Moore Jr. November 19, 1949 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Years active | 1984-present |
| Spouse | Deidre Waters (m. 1969–1971) Matilda Johnson (m. 1976–1979) Phylicia Rashād (m. 1985–2001) Sale Johnson (m. 2007–present) |
Ahmad Rashād (born November 19, 1949) is an American 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 Arizona 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.
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Born Robert Earl Moore in Portland, Oregon, he graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Washington, in 1967 and accepted a football scholarship to the University of Oregon.
In 1972, Moore converted to an offshoot of Islam, United Submitters International, and changed his name to Ahmad Rashād, which means "Admirable One Led To Truth" in Arabic. His last name comes from his mentor in St. Louis, Rashad Khalifa.
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 6,831 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.
Rashād replaced the same receiver, John Gilliam, in both St. Louis and Minnesota.
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. He starred in an episode of Monsters. 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. Rashad worked on the NFL on NBC with O.J. Simpson.
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 1986) 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.[2] It was a third marriage for both. Unlike many actresses, she adopted his surname shortly after the wedding, and 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 and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. He has gained three stepdaughters from this marriage.
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