Ahmad Rashad is a former wide receiver for the University of Oregon and Minnesota Vikings, four-time Pro Bowl selection and member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Robert Earl Moore was born on November 19, 1949, in Portland. He grew up in Tacoma, graduated from high school there, then earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Oregon. His college teammate was Dan Fouts, a future Chargers legend.
During his college career, Moore played the receiver and running back positions and was named to the Pac-8 Conference All-Star team several times and to the 1971 NCAA All-Star team. At the same time, the Oregon team in those years was not a star-studded team and could hardly be considered even a mid-major.
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Moore's play earned him a place in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. In his senior year, he became interested in Islam and later changed his name to Ahmad Rashad.
Ahmad Rashad was selected at number four overall in the 1972 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. In Rashad's first season in the league the team failed, but he himself was included in the NFL rookie team. Head coach Don Coryell, who took over, didn't have much faith in Ahmad and after the second season the receiver was traded to Buffalo. He didn't do too well with the Bills either.
In 1974, he caught for only 433 yards, and missed the 1975 season entirely because of a knee injury. Rashad was then given a contract in Seattle, preparing for his league debut. He went through preseason training, but was traded to Minnesota a few days before the start of the championship.
With the Vikings, Ahmad failed physical fitness tests and was saved from being waived by quarterback Fran Tarkenton. That year, the player finished with a career-best yards per reception and Minnesota made it to Super Bowl XI. Rashad played six more years as a member of the team. He was a Pro Bowl selection from 1978 through 1981, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark twice in a season. In 1980, his reception after Tommy Kramer's hale-mary brought the Vikings a win against the Browns and a Central Division title. In all, Ahmad gained 6,831 yards and scored 44 touchdowns in his career. He later made the list of the Fifty Greatest Vikings in franchise history. In 2017, he was named to the Vikings' Ring of Honor.
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After his NFL career, Ahmad became widely known as a commentator and broadcaster. He worked for NBC and ABC, commentated on NFL, NBA and MLB games. For sixteen years Rashad hosted the program NBA Inside Stuff. His personal life was no less intense. Ahmad was married five times, and among his former spouses are actress Phylicia Rashad and Seil Johnson, the former wife of billionaire Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets.
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