Jamal Anderson
Encyclopedia
Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey
) is a former American football
running back
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons
in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft
. He played high school football
at El Camino Real High School
, where he was named to the CIF
Los Angeles City Section 4-A All-City first team in 1989. He went on to play college football
at Moorpark College
for the Moorpark College Raiders before playing at Utah
.
Anderson earned a Pro Bowl
selection in 1998
, leading the NFC
in rushing and helping the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII
. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2001 while finishing his eight-year career with 41 touchdowns and nearly 7,000 yards of offense.
in 2001.
His best season came in 1998 when he carried the ball an NFL single-season record 410 times (surpassed by Larry Johnson in 2006) for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was the second best running back
in 1998 but lost the rushing championship to NFL MVP Terrell Davis
. All of his efforts helped lift the 14-2 Falcons to the Super Bowl
before losing to the Denver Broncos
, who were led by John Elway
and league MVP Terrell Davis. He rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons playoff win against the San Francisco 49ers
, and 96 yards in the Super Bowl.
He was well known for his "Dirty Bird" touchdown celebration, in which he flapped his arms like hickens and gyrated in the crowd's direction. The dance has been widely copied; in a press conference Anderson stated that “people break out and do the Dirty Bird in the strangest places.”
, often promoting his alma mater
the University of Utah
, and the Mountain West Conference
. He is a big proponent of the non-BCS schools gaining more access to the same opportunities as BCS
schools.
From mid-August to late-October 2009, Jamal appeared as a regular phone-in guest on "Morency" on Hardcore Sports Radio (HSR) to recap/discuss the week that was and the week that was coming up in the NFL with Gabriel Morency
and Cam Stewart
. After two week period from late-October to early-November, 2009, where HSR dropped "Morency" (the person and the show) from their programming line-up, Jamal returned as a regular weekly guest again on HSR's replacement show "Red Heat" hosted by Cam Stewart.
In October 2010, Jamal began appearing as an analyst for the CNN NEWSROOM, providing insight on current NFL issues as well as news and highlights from the major sports leagues.
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
) is a former American football
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
of 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...
. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at El Camino Real High School
El Camino Real High School
El Camino Real Charter High School is a public secondary school located in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California...
, where he was named to the CIF
CIF
CIF is an abbreviation that may stand for:* California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports in California* Caltech Intermediate Form, geometry language for VLSI design, in which the primitives are coloured rectangles * Canada India Foundation, Canadian lobbying...
Los Angeles City Section 4-A All-City first team in 1989. He went on to play college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Moorpark College
Moorpark College
Moorpark College is a California state college located on a property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. It was established in 1967 and as of 2006, had an enrollment of 16,580 students and 175 full-time faculty members....
for the Moorpark College Raiders before playing at Utah
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
.
Anderson earned a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection in 1998
1999 Pro Bowl
The 1999 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 7, 1999 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final score was AFC 23, NFC 10. Keyshawn Johnson of the New York Jets and Ty Law of the New England Patriots were the game's MVPs. This game was also the last game in the career of Denver Broncos...
, leading the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
in rushing and helping the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...
. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2001 while finishing his eight-year career with 41 touchdowns and nearly 7,000 yards of offense.
Atlanta Falcons
Anderson played eight seasons with the Falcons, amassing 5,336 rushing yards, 156 receptions for 1,645 yards, and 41 touchdowns before he suffered what became a career-ending tear of his ACLAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in 2001.
His best season came in 1998 when he carried the ball an NFL single-season record 410 times (surpassed by Larry Johnson in 2006) for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was the second best running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in 1998 but lost the rushing championship to NFL MVP Terrell Davis
Terrell Davis
Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...
. All of his efforts helped lift the 14-2 Falcons to the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...
before losing to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who were led by John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
and league MVP Terrell Davis. He rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons playoff win against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, and 96 yards in the Super Bowl.
He was well known for his "Dirty Bird" touchdown celebration, in which he flapped his arms like hickens and gyrated in the crowd's direction. The dance has been widely copied; in a press conference Anderson stated that “people break out and do the Dirty Bird in the strangest places.”
Sports broadcasting career
He appears as an analyst on ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, often promoting his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
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...
, and the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
. He is a big proponent of the non-BCS schools gaining more access to the same opportunities as BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
schools.
From mid-August to late-October 2009, Jamal appeared as a regular phone-in guest on "Morency" on Hardcore Sports Radio (HSR) to recap/discuss the week that was and the week that was coming up in the NFL with Gabriel Morency
Gabriel Morency
Gabriel Morency aka "The Late Night Anger Management Professor" is a Canadian sports broadcaster, who previously hosted daily shows Morency and Covers Experts on Hardcore Sports Radio and Sports Rage on both Hardcore Sports Radio The Score Television Network Team 1040 in Vancouver and Team 990 in...
and Cam Stewart
Cam Stewart (sportscaster)
Cam Stewart , is a Canadian sports broadcaster who hosts the radio program Red Heat on The Score Satellite Radio, and co-hosts the radio simulcast 24in30 on The Score Television Network...
. After two week period from late-October to early-November, 2009, where HSR dropped "Morency" (the person and the show) from their programming line-up, Jamal returned as a regular weekly guest again on HSR's replacement show "Red Heat" hosted by Cam Stewart.
In October 2010, Jamal began appearing as an analyst for the CNN NEWSROOM, providing insight on current NFL issues as well as news and highlights from the major sports leagues.