Ahmad Rashad - Football

Ahmad Rashad played his way into the hearts of Oregonians as a standout running back and receiver for the University of Oregon, as a receiver in the NFL and then as a broadcaster on NBC.

Born in Portland in 1949, Rashad grew up in Tacoma, Wash., under his birth name, Bobby Moore. He moved to the University of Oregon in 1967, the year Autzen Stadium opened, and played on the varsity team from 1969-71. In those three years, the Ducks were a combined 16-15-2 and Moore set the school record for rushing (2,306 yards), receptions (131), all-purpose yardage (3,898) and scoring (226 points). He was named All-American in 1971.

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Moore with the fourth pick of the ’72 NFL Draft and shortly thereafter he converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Rashad.

Rashad played 10 seasons with four teams in the NFL and was voted to the Pro Bowl four times, including 1979 when he was a second-team All-NFL selection while with the Minnesota Vikings. In his 10 seasons, he caught 495 passes for 6,831 yards and scored 44 touchdowns.

After retiring, Rashad became a regular on NBC’s coverage of the NFL and then moved into the network’s coverage of the NBA.

 Rashad was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the University of  Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.