Antwaan Randle El facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Antwaan Randle El

Randle El with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005
Chicago Bears
Position:	Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
Personal information
Born:	(1979-08-17) August 17, 1979 (age 45) Riverdale, Illinois, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:	Thornton Township (Harvey, Illinois)
College:	Indiana (1998–2001)
NFL Draft:	2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62
Career history
As player:
Pittsburgh Steelers (2002) Washington Redskins (2006) Pittsburgh Steelers (2010)
As coach:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019) Offensive assistant coach Detroit Lions (2021) Wide receivers coach Chicago Bears (2025–present) Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
Career highlights and awards
As a player Super Bowl champion (XL) First-team All-Pro (2005) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2002) First-team All-American (2001) Big Ten Most Valuable Player (2001) Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2001) Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1998) First-team All-Big Ten (2001) 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (1999, 2000) As a coach Super Bowl champion (LV)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 370 Receiving yards: 4,467 Receiving touchdowns: 15 Return yards: 4,316 Passing yards: 323 TD-INT: 6-0
Player stats at PFR

Antwaan Randle El (born August 17, 1979) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL).

Before becoming a coach, Randle El was a talented player. He played college football as a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was even named an All-American in 2001. He also played basketball and baseball for Indiana.

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. For four seasons, he played as a wide receiver and return specialist for the Steelers. He was known for his amazing trick plays. One famous play was when he threw a touchdown pass as a wide receiver in Super Bowl XL. This helped the Steelers win the championship!

After the 2005 NFL season, Randle El joined the Washington Redskins. He scored ten touchdowns there, catching eight and throwing two. He later returned to the Steelers for one more season in 2010.

Early Life and High School Sports

Antwaan Randle El was born in Riverdale, Illinois. His father, Curtis, was a food distributor, and his mother, Jacqueline, worked with children. He grew up as a Christian.

As a kid, he was a big fan of the Chicago Bears. He went to Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. There, he was a star in three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. He played alongside other future professional athletes.

After high school in 1997, the Chicago Cubs baseball team drafted him. But Randle El decided to go to Indiana University for a football scholarship instead. He wanted to play college football, even though some people thought he was too small.

College Football Career

Randle El attended Indiana University Bloomington from 1997 to 2001. He mainly played as a quarterback for their football team.

In his first college game in 1998, he set a new record for freshmen. He threw for 385 yards and rushed for 82 yards, scoring six touchdowns in total. This amazing start earned him an award as the co-Big Ten Player of the Week. He later won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 1998. This award was later renamed partly in his honor.

During his time at Indiana, Randle El made history. He became the first player in NCAA Division I to pass for 40 career touchdowns and also score 40 career rushing touchdowns. In 2001, he won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award. This award goes to the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference.

He finished his college career as one of the top players in NCAA history for total yards. He was the first college football player to gain over 2,500 total yards for four years in a row. He ended with 7,469 passing yards, 3,895 rushing yards, and 92 touchdowns.

A famous coach, Joe Paterno, once said about Randle El, "He is just the whole offense. It is scary to watch him. He is so quick... He is just an amazing athlete."

Besides football, Randle El also played varsity basketball for Indiana. He played under the famous coach Bob Knight. He also played varsity baseball for the university in 2000. In November 2012, Randle El was honored by being inducted into the Indiana Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional Football Career

Playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Antwaan Randle El in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. He was the ninth wide receiver chosen that year. As a rookie, he quickly showed his skills. He had 47 catches for 489 yards and two touchdowns. He was also named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

In 2003, he had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Steelers then made him their main kickoff and punt returner in 2004. He even threw his first professional touchdown pass that year.

The 2005 season was a big one for Randle El. He threw another touchdown pass to Hines Ward. This helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL. He became the first wide receiver in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl. This was his only championship title as a player.

Time with the Washington Redskins

In March 2006, Randle El signed a contract with the Washington Redskins. He continued to make big plays. He returned an 87-yard punt for a touchdown. He also threw his first touchdown pass as a Redskin.

In 2007, he had a career-high 162 receiving yards in one game. He was also the Redskins' emergency quarterback. He missed only one game in his six-year NFL career due to a hamstring injury. This ended a streak of 91 games played in a row.

Randle El at Redskins 2008 Training Camp.

In January 2010, Randle El was recognized as one of the best punt returners of the decade. The Redskins released him in March 2010.

Return to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Just a few days later, Randle El signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers again. He played in all sixteen regular season games. He even threw two more touchdown passes that season. His career passer rating of 157.5 was the highest for any player with more than twenty completed passes.

In Super Bowl XLV, he scored a two-point conversion. He was released by the Steelers in July 2011.

Retirement from Playing

After not playing in 2011, Randle El announced his retirement from professional football on July 13, 2012. In 2013, he became the athletic director at Virginia Academy. This is a Christian high school he helped start.

In 2016, he shared that he had some memory problems and difficulty walking. He said he sometimes regretted playing football because of these issues. He wondered if he should have chosen baseball instead.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

Coaching Career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Assistant Coach

On January 16, 2019, Randle El joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive assistant coach. He worked with his former coach, Bruce Arians. He was part of the coaching staff when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV.

Detroit Lions Wide Receivers Coach

On February 9, 2021, Randle El was hired by the Detroit Lions. He became their new wide receivers coach under Head Coach Dan Campbell. He held this position until 2024.

Chicago Bears Assistant Head Coach

As of January 24, 2025, Randle El is the new wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears. He works under the new head coach Ben Johnson.

Personal Life

Antwaan Randle El is married and has four children with his wife. He also has three children from previous relationships, making him a father of seven. He is a Christian.

His younger brother, Marcus, played wide receiver for the University of Wisconsin. His older brother, Curtis, played defensive back at Indiana University.

Randle El has also worked as a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network. He also appeared in television commercials for a car dealership group.