Andre Rison facts for kids

Andre Previn Rison (born March 18, 1967) is a former professional football player from the United States. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for many teams. These included the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Oakland Raiders. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts.

Andre Rison was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. This happened from 1990 to 1993, and again in 1997. He won a Super Bowl championship with the Green Bay Packers in 1997. In that game, he scored the first points with a 54-yard touchdown catch. He also won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. This makes him one of the few players to win major football championships in both the United States and Canada. He holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with seven different teams.

Rison was a star player in high school at Flint Northwestern High School. He also played very well in college at Michigan State University. As a senior at Michigan State, he helped his team win the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1988. Early in his career, he was nicknamed "Bad Moon" Rison. Later, when he played for the Chiefs, he was called "Spiderman."

Playing in the NFL

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts picked Andre Rison in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft. He was the 22nd player chosen overall. In his first year, he caught 52 passes for 820 yards. He also scored four touchdowns.

Atlanta Falcons

In 1990, the Colts traded Rison to the Atlanta Falcons. This trade helped the Colts get the first pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Rison then had five very successful seasons with the Falcons. During these years, he was one of the best receivers in the NFL. In 1993, he led all NFL players with 15 receiving touchdowns. He was also one of the fastest players to score 60 touchdowns in NFL history.

Cleveland Browns

After the 1994 season, Rison signed a big contract with the Cleveland Browns. It was the largest deal ever for a wide receiver at that time. However, his performance with the Browns was not as strong as before. He had fewer catches, yards, and touchdowns. Rison also had some disagreements with the Cleveland fans. He was released by the team after one season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

In 1996, Rison played his first ten games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He caught 34 passes for 458 yards and two touchdowns. During a game, he had a misunderstanding with his quarterback. This led to some tension, and Rison was released from the team.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers picked up Rison in November 1996. He played in five games for them, catching 13 passes. In the playoffs, he caught seven passes and scored two touchdowns. He famously caught the first touchdown in Super Bowl XXXI, which the Packers won 35-21.

Kansas City Chiefs

Rison joined the Kansas City Chiefs before the 1997 season. He started all 16 games that year, catching 72 passes for 1,092 yards. He also scored seven touchdowns. The Chiefs became the top team in their conference that year. In the playoffs, Rison played well, but the Chiefs lost to the Denver Broncos. He played two more seasons with the Chiefs.

Oakland Raiders

In 2000, Rison played for the Oakland Raiders. He played in all 16 games, catching 41 passes for 606 yards. He scored six touchdowns that season. The Raiders made it to the playoffs, and Rison helped the team.

Andre Rison finished his NFL career with 743 catches for 10,205 yards. He also scored 84 touchdowns.

Toronto Argonauts

In August 2004, Rison signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. That year, his team won the 92nd Grey Cup championship. He was released by the team in August 2005.

Famous Nicknames

Andre Rison is remembered for his life both on and off the football field. He earned the nickname "Bad Moon" Rison from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman. This nickname was a reference to the song "Bad Moon Rising".

When he played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Rison was nicknamed Spider-Man. After scoring a touchdown, he would often pretend to shoot a web, just like Spider-Man. Rison chose this nickname because he saw Spider-Man as a positive character. He wanted people to think of him as less of a problem. His "Spider-Man" nickname has been called one of the best in sports history.

Life After Playing Football

Coaching Career

From 2006 to 2008, Rison was an assistant coach at Beecher High School in Flint, Michigan. The head coach was Courtney Hawkins, who was Rison's former teammate.

In March 2010, Rison became the new head coach for Flint Northwestern High School's football team. For two years, Rison's team played against Courtney Hawkins' team. These games were very exciting because both coaches were former NFL players. The schools were also very close to each other.

In May 2012, Rison announced he was leaving Flint Northwestern. He wanted to finish his college degree and become an assistant coach at Michigan State. In 2014, Andre Rison coached at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was the offensive coordinator there. During the 2023–2024 school year, Rison was the offensive coordinator for University Liggett School. On June 4, 2024, he was named the interim head coach for the University Liggett team.

Other Activities

Rison also trains wide receivers at the Andre Rison Football Academy. He coached in the 2008 Hawaii All-Star Classic. Rison appeared on an episode of the MTV reality show Made. He helped a student become a high school varsity quarterback.

Rison was also featured on the reality show Pros vs. Joes on Spike TV. He appeared in a documentary called Broke in 2012. This film was about professional athletes who lost their money.

Andre Rison was honored in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. This happened in Detroit on September 15, 2017.

Family Life

Andre Rison's son, Hunter Rison, played wide receiver for Michigan State University in 2017. He later transferred to Kansas State University in 2018. Hunter then played at Fullerton College and Grand Valley State University.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats