Charles Jordan (American football)
Encyclopedia
Charles Alexander Jordan (born October 9, 1969) is a retired American football
player. The Wide receiver
played professionally for the National Football League
for seven seasons during the period of 1993 through 1999, as well as one season for the XFL
.
, USA. His parents are Charles Jordan, Sr. and Roxie Jordan. Retired NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway
is his cousin.
In addition to playing football at Morningside High School
in Inglewood, California
, he was a wrestler and a track star. Jordan set a CIF Southern Section
2-A State track record in the 200-meters at 21:59 in 1987, the year he graduated. He planned on playing college football at the University of Utah
but felt the student/athlete challenge wasn't a good match, so he enrolled at Long Beach City College
in Long Beach, California
. Surgery put him on the injured reserve list, and with LBCC running an option offense
that didn't match Jordan's talents, he dropped out in 1988.
Jordan became a member of the Family Swans, a Bloods
set. He was shot four times, and he spent time in county jail. At one point, he was charged with murder, though the charges were later dismissed. Jordan also worked as a cook at Little Rascals, his uncle's soul food restaurant in South Central Los Angeles
, and assisted at his aunt's beauty salon. Eventually, Jordan decided to return to college and play out his eligibility.
' mini-camp for draft choices in 1993, he made the team, though he didn't play a single game for the Raiders that season. In 1994 and 1995, he played for the Green Bay Packers
. In 1996, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins
as a restricted free agent, receiving a three-year, $2.6 million contract. Coach Jimmy Johnson cut Jordan in the last of the three seasons following a November 1998 arrest after a nightclub fight that included charges of trespassing, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with and without violence. In his final NFL season, 1999,.he first played for the Seattle Seahawks
and then returned to Green Bay. In 2001, he joined the Memphis Maniax
, an XFL team.
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. The Wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
played professionally for 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...
for seven seasons during the period of 1993 through 1999, as well as one season for the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
.
Early years
Jordan was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, USA. His parents are Charles Jordan, Sr. and Roxie Jordan. Retired NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway
Curtis Conway
Curtis Lamont Conway is a former National Football League wide receiver and was a first round 1993 NFL Draft choice out of the University of Southern California...
is his cousin.
In addition to playing football at Morningside High School
Morningside High School
Morningside High is a public high school in Inglewood, California.-History:In 1951, the first two classes of students came to the Morningside Park area of Inglewood to attend the new Morningside High School. Incoming 9th graders came from the surrounding junior high schools, and a class of 10th...
in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, he was a wrestler and a track star. Jordan set a CIF Southern Section
CIF Southern Section
C.I.F. Southern Section is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation . Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Mono and Inyo counties, as...
2-A State track record in the 200-meters at 21:59 in 1987, the year he graduated. He planned on playing college football at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
but felt the student/athlete challenge wasn't a good match, so he enrolled at Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...
in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Surgery put him on the injured reserve list, and with LBCC running an option offense
Option offense
The option offense is a generic term that is used to describe a wide variety of offensive systems in American football. Option offenses are characterized as such due to the predominance of option running plays employed in these schemes. Option offenses have traditionally relied heavily upon running...
that didn't match Jordan's talents, he dropped out in 1988.
Jordan became a member of the Family Swans, a Bloods
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
set. He was shot four times, and he spent time in county jail. At one point, he was charged with murder, though the charges were later dismissed. Jordan also worked as a cook at Little Rascals, his uncle's soul food restaurant in South Central Los Angeles
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
, and assisted at his aunt's beauty salon. Eventually, Jordan decided to return to college and play out his eligibility.
Career
Invited to the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' mini-camp for draft choices in 1993, he made the team, though he didn't play a single game for the Raiders that season. In 1994 and 1995, he played for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. In 1996, he was signed 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...
as a restricted free agent, receiving a three-year, $2.6 million contract. Coach Jimmy Johnson cut Jordan in the last of the three seasons following a November 1998 arrest after a nightclub fight that included charges of trespassing, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with and without violence. In his final NFL season, 1999,.he first played for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and then returned to Green Bay. In 2001, he joined the Memphis Maniax
Memphis Maniax
The Memphis Maniax was an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was part of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States...
, an XFL team.