(I apologize if I misled you into thinking that this piece was about Roger "Rocket" Clemens joining the Blue Jays in free agency.)
In the early 90's, the University of Notre Dame had a player who had college football experts and fans gushing over with his electrifying play. That player, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, struck fear into the nation's opposing secondaries and special team units. Ismail's impact in college football turned the Fighting Irish into title contenders. In the 1990 Orange Bowl, Notre Dame faced Colorado and the "Rocket" was the difference and became the game's MVP in an Irish win that ended the Buffaloes' title hopes. The next year, the two teams faced off in a rematch that had national championship implications at the 1991 Orange Bowl. Rocket could have been the difference again. See the words, could have been. He returned a punt 92 yards for the touchdown to win the game and end the Buffaloes' chance at a championship once again. However, the touchdown was called back due to a clipping penalty and paved the way for Colorado to take the game and a share of the National Championship (Georgia Tech also had a share). Raghib Ismail's decorated career at Notre Dame came to an end.
(Photo by Google)
This, above is the iconic cover of Beckett Football Card Monthly with Ismail. That's right, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail was about to become the next big star in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys held the #1 pick in the 1991 NFL Draft and was in the middle of a rebuild with their future franchise quarterback in place with Troy Aikman, a young playmaker at receiver, apting nicknamed "The Playmaker", in Michael Irvin and a workhorse running back in Emmitt Smith. Imagine adding a Rocket Ismail in that offense to complement those big three was a scary thought. He clearly was the sure fire top prospect in a less-than-stellar draft class. Nothing was going to get in the way of the Cowboys drafting Ismail.
Then, it happened.
Right before the draft, Ismail reversed his field (I know) and decided to sign a 4 year, $18 million contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It was then the largest yearly salary in Canadian and American football history. The Argonauts were owned by "businessman" Bruce McNall, who also owned the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. He had business partners in "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky and actor/comedian extraordinaire John Candy. The CFL wanted a superstar to have fans attract to the league, even though they did have one in Doug Flutie. It reminded me of Donald Trump when he owned the New Jersey Generals in the USFL and decided to throw money at Herschel Walker and.....what do you know, Doug Flutie. In his first season in the CFL, Ismail didn't disappoint. He was an All-Star, second in rookie of the year and had the chance to play in the Grey Cup, the championship game in the CFL. He returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and won the game's MVP, shades of the 1990 Orange Bowl. His first season was a massive success.
His second season, however, was a total disaster. The Argonauts were terrible (6-12), Bruce McNall was not the legit businessman that everyone thought and Ismail was involved in a brawl that resulted in a player getting his face stomped on. Behind the scenes, Ismail was unhappy and wanted to leave for the NFL. Funny thing about it, that same 1991 draft, the Los Angeles Raiders decided to draft him with the 100th pick and hold his rights. In 1993, the Rocket made his NFL draft.
After three subpar seasons in the Silver and Black, Ismail was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 1996. I also want to point out that he was in a 1-800 COLLECT commercial that year, which I can't find for some reason.
Once again, he was subpar until 1998 when he recorded his best season in the NFL (69 catches, 1024 yards and eight TDS). Want to hear something else funny? Rocket signed a contract in 1999 with.....the Dallas Cowboys. He scored the game-winning touchdown in Week 1 of the 1999 season against the former Redskins on a 76-yard play that showed his game-breaking speed. He played in the NFL until his retirement in 2003.
I mean, you look back and say "Rocket Ismail is kind of a bust, right?" Personally, I expected him to have a solid career, not be one of the greatest players in NFL history. He didn't have to be. In college, his play was larger than life. His accomplishments at Notre Dame earned him an induction in the College Football Hall of Fame. He is now a motivational speaker and his son, Raghib Jr. is a receiver on the Wyoming Cowboys football team. As for the Cowboys and the #1 pick, they selected Miami DT Russell Maryland and Tennessee WR Alvin Harper with the 13th pick to complement the Big Three and both contributed to multiple Super Bowl championships in the next few years.
The CFL and "Rocket" Ismail gambled.....and they both won and lost at the same time.
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