Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar
Encyclopedia
Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, previously Karim Abdul-Jabbar (born Sharmon Shah on June 28, 1974), is a former American football
player. A 5'11" running back
, he played in the National Football League
(NFL) from 1996 to 2000 with the Miami Dolphins
, Cleveland Browns
and Indianapolis Colts
.
, California
, he played for the UCLA
Bruins from 1992 to 1995 under head coach Terry Donahue
. He set the school record for rushing yards in a season and was named team MVP in consecutive years under the names 'Sharmon Shah' in 1994 and 'Karim Abdul-Jabbar' in 1995. He was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at UCLA. Despite leaving school with one season of eligibility remaining, he ranks third on the Bruins' all-time rushing list with 3,030 yards on 582 carries (5.2 avg.) with 16 touchdowns. He also added 36 receptions for 306 yards with one touchdown. Karim averaged 110.1 total yards per game in college and was the only player in school history (and seventh in Pac 10 annals) to rush for over 1,200 yards
by the Miami Dolphins
, with whom he would play three and a half seasons. In his rookie year, he set many of the Dolphins' rookie records for rushing by a running back. He became only the second Dolphin to lead the team in rushing in each of his first two seasons in the league. In 1997, he led the NFL
in total touchdowns with 16 and tied Denver Broncos
running back Terrell Davis
for the league lead with 15 rushing TDs. Afterwards his productivity decreased. In 1999, the Dolphins traded him to the Cleveland Browns
for a third round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft; while he did put up some decent numbers, it was not enough to earn himself a contract extension. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2574291&type=story.
Sharmon Shah was given the name "Karim Abdul-Jabbar" by his Imam
. The new name he was given quickly garnered major attention upon his NFL
debut. Some commentators mistakenly believed that he was the son of former basketball
great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
. (The latter has a son named Kareem) He also wore number
33, the same number that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had made famous.
The name controversy was periodically spoofed on postgame recaps, such as in 1996 when Chris Berman of ESPN
called an Abdul-Jabbar touchdown rush with an imitation of Marv Albert
, who was famous for announcing basketball as well as football games.
In 1998, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar filed a lawsuit against Karim, stating that there were too many similarities between the two. In the lawsuit, Kareem listed that they both attended UCLA
and both wore the #33. He felt that Karim was making profits and sponging off the name and number he made famous in the 1970s. He won a court order that required Karim to drop the "Abdul-Jabbar" name off his jersey. In addition, all Dolphins jerseys with the "Abdul-Jabbar" name and #33 were immediately pulled from the shelves and merchandising catalogs. Karim complied and had his name changed to simply 'Abdul'. Karim maintains that he chose the #33 as his uniform number not because of Kareem, but because of former Dallas Cowboys
running back Tony Dorsett
. After the lawsuit, he changed his name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar in 2000.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. A 5'11" running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, he played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) from 1996 to 2000 with the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
.
College
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, he played for the UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
Bruins from 1992 to 1995 under head coach Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as...
. He set the school record for rushing yards in a season and was named team MVP in consecutive years under the names 'Sharmon Shah' in 1994 and 'Karim Abdul-Jabbar' in 1995. He was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at UCLA. Despite leaving school with one season of eligibility remaining, he ranks third on the Bruins' all-time rushing list with 3,030 yards on 582 carries (5.2 avg.) with 16 touchdowns. He also added 36 receptions for 306 yards with one touchdown. Karim averaged 110.1 total yards per game in college and was the only player in school history (and seventh in Pac 10 annals) to rush for over 1,200 yards
Professional career
Al-Jabbar was drafted in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, with whom he would play three and a half seasons. In his rookie year, he set many of the Dolphins' rookie records for rushing by a running back. He became only the second Dolphin to lead the team in rushing in each of his first two seasons in the league. In 1997, he led the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in total touchdowns with 16 and tied Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running back Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis
Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...
for the league lead with 15 rushing TDs. Afterwards his productivity decreased. In 1999, the Dolphins traded him to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for a third round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft; while he did put up some decent numbers, it was not enough to earn himself a contract extension. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2574291&type=story.
NFL statistics
- Jersey Number: 33 (Dolphins, Colts) and 27 (Browns)
- Games Played: 60
- Rushing Yards (career): 3,063
- Most Rushing Yards (season): 1,116 (1996)
- Rushing Attempts (career): 888
- Most Rushing Attempts (season): 307 (1996) and 283 (1997)
- Most Rushing Attempts (game): 33 (9/20/98 vs. Pittsburgh)
- Rushing Touchdowns (career): 33
- Most Rushing Touchdowns (season): 15 (1997) and 11 (1996)
- Most Rushing Touchdowns (game): 3 (10/19/97 at Baltimore), 5,5,6 and 3 (11/23/97 at New England)
- Most Consecutive Games with Rushing Touchdowns: 5 (10th through 14th in 1997)
- 100 Yard Games (career): 9
- Most 100 Yard Games (season): 4 (1996)
Name controversy
In 1995, the MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Sharmon Shah was given the name "Karim Abdul-Jabbar" by his Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
. The new name he was given quickly garnered major attention upon his NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
debut. Some commentators mistakenly believed that he was the son of former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
. (The latter has a son named Kareem) He also wore number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
33, the same number that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had made famous.
The name controversy was periodically spoofed on postgame recaps, such as in 1996 when Chris Berman of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
called an Abdul-Jabbar touchdown rush with an imitation of Marv Albert
Marv Albert
Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
, who was famous for announcing basketball as well as football games.
In 1998, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar filed a lawsuit against Karim, stating that there were too many similarities between the two. In the lawsuit, Kareem listed that they both attended UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and both wore the #33. He felt that Karim was making profits and sponging off the name and number he made famous in the 1970s. He won a court order that required Karim to drop the "Abdul-Jabbar" name off his jersey. In addition, all Dolphins jerseys with the "Abdul-Jabbar" name and #33 were immediately pulled from the shelves and merchandising catalogs. Karim complied and had his name changed to simply 'Abdul'. Karim maintains that he chose the #33 as his uniform number not because of Kareem, but because of former Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
running back Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
. After the lawsuit, he changed his name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar in 2000.