Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar facts for kids
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||
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| Born: | June 28, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Dorsey (Los Angeles) | ||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1996 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar (born Sharmon Shah; June 28, 1974) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was known as Karim Abdul-Jabbar before changing his name.
Abdul-Karim played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He earned special honors as an All-American in 1995. The Miami Dolphins picked him in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.
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Playing College Football
Abdul-Karim was born in Los Angeles. He went to the University of California, Los Angeles. There, he played for the Bruins from 1992 to 1995. His coach was Terry Donahue.
He set a school record for rushing yards in one season. He was also named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) two years in a row. He was known as Sharmon Shah in 1994 and Karim Abdul-Jabbar in 1995.
Abdul-Karim was a key player for UCLA for three years. He started for two of those years. He left school early but still ranks third in UCLA history for rushing yards. He gained 3,030 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes for 885 yards and 9 touchdowns.
He averaged 110.1 total yards per game in college. He was the only player in UCLA history to rush for over 1,600 yards.
Professional Football Career
Abdul-Karim played for three different teams in the NFL. He started with the Miami Dolphins.
Playing for the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins drafted Abdul-Karim in 1996. He was picked in the third round of the draft. He played for the Dolphins for three and a half seasons.
In his first year, he set many rookie rushing records for the Dolphins. He was only the second Dolphin player to lead the team in rushing in his first two seasons. In 1997, he led the entire NFL with 16 total touchdowns. He also tied for the league lead with 15 rushing touchdowns.
After 1997, his performance slowed down. In 1999, he started the first three games. Then, he was benched for new players. The Dolphins traded him to the Cleveland Browns. At that time, he was second in Dolphins history with 33 rushing touchdowns. He was also fifth in franchise history with 3,063 rushing yards.
Playing for the Cleveland Browns
On October 19, 1999, Abdul-Karim joined the Cleveland Browns. The Dolphins traded him for a draft pick. He started 6 of the 10 games he played in Cleveland. He finished second on the team with 350 rushing yards. He did not sign a new contract with the Browns after that season.
Playing for the Indianapolis Colts
On July 13, 2000, the Indianapolis Colts signed Abdul-Karim. He joined the team to help fill a spot. He played in one game for Indianapolis. He carried the ball one time for a loss of two yards.
Key NFL Career Stats
During his NFL career, Abdul-Karim played in 61 games. He started 52 of those games. He rushed for a total of 3,411 yards. He scored 33 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 90 passes for 586 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.
