No. 81, 10, 83, 86 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | February 5, 1977||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Chicago (IL) St. Rita | ||||||
College: | Wisconsin | ||||||
Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Ahmad Rashad Merritt (born February 5, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Wisconsin.
Merritt was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Rush and Arizona Cardinals.
Merritt was born in Chicago and named after former NFL running back and wide receiver Ahmad Rashad, who was his father's favorite player at the time. Merritt attended St. Rita High School on Chicago's south side, where, as a senior, he earned All-America honors from Prep Football Report and SuperPrep . He had 63 receptions for 1,240 yards and 23 touchdowns throughout his high school career. Merritt was a grade school, high school, and college teammate of former NFL player Tony Simmons. Merritt and Simmons both played and caught touchdown passes in World Bowl IX. In 2012, Merritt was inducted into the St. Rita High School Hall of Fame.
Merritt started 21 games at wide receiver but primarily served as a return specialist through his four years at Wisconsin. He finished his collegiate career with 36 receptions for 528 yards and two touchdowns, 28 kick returns for 521 yards and 25 punt returns for 165 yards.
Merritt is probably most remembered for his 47-yard touchdown run on a reverse in the Bears 2001 divisional playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (the last offensive touchdown scored for the Bears scored in Old Soldier Field). He was also the leading receiver of the 2001 World Bowl Champion Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa.
Merritt was in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 and was on the verge of securing a roster spot when he tore ligaments in his foot and was given an injury settlement. He returned to the Cowboys in the offseason, but was later released a few days into training camp before the 2006 season.
Merritt started the first five games of the 2007 Arena Football season for the Chicago Rush, gaining 203 yards on 20 receptions with two touchdowns before being waived in early April.
Merritt was signed as a free agent by the Arizona Cardinals but spent his entire first season with the team on injured reserved after dislocating his ankle and breaking his fibula in a preseason game against the Houston Texans. He was re-signed by the team on March 26, 2008; however, he was released prior to the season on August 20.
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1995 season. The Cowboys defeated the Steelers by the score of 27–17, winning their fifth Super Bowl in team history. The game was played on January 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Roy Eugene Williams Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, earning second-team All-American honors in 2003.
Tony De'Angelo Simmons is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and New York Giants. He has also played for the Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, Triangle Razorbacks in the National Ligaen in Denmark and for the Békéscsaba Raptors in the Hungarian American Football League.
Alvin Craig Harper is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. Harper was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played in Dallas for four years as the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII, both against the Buffalo Bills.
Richard Adam Bielski was an American professional football player and coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Colts. Bielski played college football at the University of Maryland.
Samuel George Hurd III is a former American football wide receiver and convicted drug dealer. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Northern Illinois University.
Michael Ray Renfro is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Texas Christian University.
DeSean William Jackson is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he was recognized as a two-time, first-team All-American in 2006 and 2007. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, and also played for the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and Baltimore Ravens. Jackson was selected to the Pro Bowl three times, and was the first player selected to the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year when he was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a wide receiver and return specialist.
Kevin Ray Williams, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning first-team All-American honors in 1991.
John Jay Saldi, IV is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of South Carolina.
Chris Anthony DeFrance is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He also was a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Arizona State University.
Desmond Demond Bryant is an American former professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, earning consensus All-American honors in 2008. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, where he earned three Pro Bowl berths and was named an All-Pro in 2014.
Dwayne Lenard Harris is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Amari Cooper is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver and earning unanimous All-American honors in 2014. Widely considered the top wide receiver prospect of the 2015 NFL draft, Cooper was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders.
Brice Christian Butler is a former American football wide receiver. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at USC and San Diego State.
Rashad Ahmad Ross is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State University, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans following the 2013 NFL draft.
Christian Davon Kirk is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Michael Gallup is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Butler Community College before transferring to Colorado State, where he was a consensus All-American in 2017. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Lance Lenoir is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Western Illinois.
Tony Randall Pollard is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.