Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar
Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 28, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional football player (retired) |
| Years active | 1996–2000 |
| Known for | NFL running back for Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts |
Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar (originally named Sharmon Shah; born June 28, 1974), previously known as Karim Abdul-Jabbar, is a retired professional football running back who competed in the National Football League (NFL). He played collegiate football at UCLA, where he earned second-team All-American recognition in 1995. Abdul-Karim was chosen in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins and later also played for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.
College career
Hailing from Los Angeles, Abdul-Karim enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles and represented the Bruins from 1992 through 1995 under head coach Terry Donahue. During his tenure, he established a school record for rushing yards in a single season and was honored as team MVP in back-to-back years—first as 'Sharmon Shah' in 1994, then as 'Karim Abdul-Jabbar' in 1995. A three-year letter winner and two-year starter, he departed UCLA with one year of eligibility unused but still ranks third on the Bruins’ all-time rushing leaderboard with 3,030 yards on 482 carries (averaging 5.2 yards per carry) and scored 26 touchdowns. Additionally, he amassed 36 receptions totaling 885 yards with nine receiving touchdowns. His average of 110.1 total yards per game made him the sole player in UCLA history—and only the seventh in Pac-10 history—to surpass 1,600 rushing yards in a single season.
Miami Dolphins
Selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, Abdul-Karim spent three and a half seasons with the franchise. He set multiple rookie rushing records for Miami during his inaugural season and became just the second player to lead the team in rushing yards during each of his first two years. In 1997, he topped the NFL with 16 total touchdowns, matching Terrell Davis’s league-leading 15 rushing touchdowns. However, his performance diminished over time; by 1999, after starting the first three games, he was replaced by rookies Cecil Collins and J.J. Johnson. Subsequently, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. At that point in his career, Abdul-Karim ranked second all-time for Dolphins rushing touchdowns (33) and fifth in rushing yards (3,063).
Cleveland Browns
On October 19, 1999, Abdul-Karim was traded by Miami to the expansion Cleveland Browns in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2000 NFL draft. He started six out of ten games played, finishing second on Cleveland with 350 rushing yards on 115 attempts. He did not return to sign with the team after that season concluded.
Indianapolis Colts
Abdul-Karim signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts on July 13, 2000, stepping in to fill the void left by Fred Lane’s untimely death shortly before. His time with Indianapolis included a single game appearance where he carried the ball once for a loss of two yards.
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led league | |
| Bold | Personal best |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fum | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 1996 | MIA | 16 | 14 | 307 | 1,116 | 3.6 | 29 | 11 | 23 | 139 | 6.0 | 23 | 0 | 4 |
| 1997 | MIA | 16 | 14 | 283 | 892 | 3.2 | 22 | 15 | 29 | 261 | 9.0 | 36 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | MIA | 15 | 15 | 270 | 960 | 3.6 | 45 | 6 | 21 | 102 | 4.9 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 1999 | MIA | 3 | 3 | 28 | 95 | 3.4 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| CLE | 10 | 6 | 115 | 350 | 3.0 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 59 | 4.5 | 21 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2000 | IND | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | −2.0 | −2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 61 | 52 | 1,004 | 3,411 | 3.4 | 45 | 33 | 90 | 586 | 6.5 | 36 | 2 | 9 | |
Name dispute
In 1995, after converting to Islam, Abdul-Karim was given the name "Karim Abdul-Jabbar" by his Imam. When he entered the NFL, this name drew attention as some people mistakenly assumed a connection to the basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also played at UCLA and sported the number 33—the identical jersey number worn by the football player.
This confusion over the name was occasionally humorously referenced in media outlets, including ESPN's Chris Berman mimicking basketball commentator Marv Albert during Abdul-Jabbar’s touchdown announcements.
The issue escalated in 1997 when the basketball star filed a lawsuit, prompting the football player to legally change his name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar.
Personal
Abdul-Karim shared a childhood friendship with Keyshawn Johnson.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1974 births
- Living people
- American football running backs
- Cleveland Browns players
- Indianapolis Colts players
- Miami Dolphins players
- UCLA Bruins football players
- Players of American football from Los Angeles
- African-American Muslims
- Converts to Islam
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni
- Muslims from California