Raghib Ismail Raghib Ramadian " Rocket " Ismail ( born November 18 , 1969 ) is an American former American and Canadian football player . A wide receiver and kick returner he played in both the Canadian Football League and the National Football League , after playing college football at Notre Dame . Ismail recorded two 1 , 000 - yard receiving seasons in the NFL and was a CFL All - Star in 1991 , as well as the Most Valuable Player of the 79th Grey Cup . In 2004 , " College Football News " named Ismail the No . 75 player on its list of the Top 100 Greatest College Football Players of All - Time . He was also selected by Sports Illustrated to the 85 - man roster of its all - 20th Century college football team . Career . College . Ismail grew up in Wilkes - Barre , Pennsylvania and attended Elmer L . Meyers Junior / Senior High School . He first came to prominence as a receiver for the University of Notre Dame . Notre Dame won the College Football National Championship in 1988 , placed second in 1989 winning the 1990 Orange Bowl against Colorado , and again went to the 1991 Orange Bowl , losing to Colorado 10 – 9 . In that game , he returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown that would have won the game for Notre Dame and stopped Colorado from winning a share of the National Championship , however the play was called back on a controversial clipping penalty sealing the Irish defeat . After the 1990 season , Ismail finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy as the top college football player , losing to Brigham Young University Quarterback Ty Detmer . During the 1989 regular season game against Michigan , Ismail returned two kickoffs for touchdown s , a feat never before accomplished by a Michigan opponent . He was featured on the cover of " Sports Illustrated " twice , and received numerous awards , including All - America n status . The projected first overall selection in the 1991 NFL Draft , Ismail decided at the last minute to sign a record contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League starting during their 1991 season . As a result , he was chosen by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 100th overall pick in the draft . Track and field . Ismail was also a track star at the University of Notre Dame , where he ran the 100 meters in 10 . 2 seconds . He also competed in the 55 meters , with a personal best of 6 . 07 seconds . At the 1991 NCAA Indoor Track Championships , he finished 2nd in the 55 - meter sprint . Canadian Football League . It would have been difficult to offer Ismail enough money to join the CFL , but Bruce McNall , who with hockey player Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy had recently purchased the Toronto Argonauts , tried . The Argonauts made Ismail a then unheard of offer for a CFL player : $ 18 . 2 million over four years . The average value of his full contract , $ 4 . 55 million per season , was more than the anticipated 2006 CFL salary cap of $ 3 . 8 million " per team " . The CFL had a salary cap in place since 1991 , but the rules contained an exemption for a " marquee player " who would not count against the cap . Doug Flutie of the BC Lions was about to be paid a million dollars under the exemption , but Ismail ' s contract was more than anything North American football had ever seen , as his yearly salary was then the largest in Canadian or American football history . Ismail joined the Argonauts in time for the 1991 season , and in his first game , returned a kick 73 yards on a reverse with Michael Clemons . Ismail ended his rookie season at the 79th Grey Cup . He recorded an 87 - yard touchdown on a kickoff return and was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player as his Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 36 – 21 . He came within fifty yards of breaking his teammate Clemons ' franchise record for single - season kickoff return yardage , and made the 1991 All - Star team as a wide receiver , finishing runner - up to Jon Volpe for rookie of the year . In 1992 Ismail broke Clemons ' franchise record for single - season kick return yards . Ismail was unhappy in Canada as the Argonauts slumped to a 6 – 12 record , missing the playoffs . He was also remembered for his participation in a sideline brawl against the Stampeders where he stomped an opposing player ' s helmeted face . He later apologized on " Speaker ' s Corner . " With the huge contract around Toronto ' s neck and McNall facing increasing financial trouble , Ismail left the CFL , and , after the season , signed with the Los Angeles Raiders . National Football League . In 1993 as a rookie in the National Football League Ismail recorded 353 yards receiving . The next year , he recorded 513 receiving yards and five touchdowns . In 1995 he recorded 491 yards receiving . After 1995 , Ismail was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth - round pick . In 1996 the Panthers , under Head coach Dom Capers , finished 12 – 4 , but Ismail recorded a career - low 214 yards receiving , without a single touchdown . In 1997 he recorded 419 receiving yards and two touchdowns . In 1998 , Ismail recorded 69 receptions for 1 , 024 yards , two yards short of doubling his previous career high , and eight touchdowns . Then in 1999 , Ismail signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent and wore # 81 . He recorded a career - high 1 , 097 yards and six touchdowns . In 2000 , injuries caused by a collision with teammate Dat Nguyen during training camp limited Ismail to eight games , and he recorded 350 yards . The 2001 season marked Ismail ' s last season . Ismail was released by the Cowboys in 2002 , ending his NFL career . Life after retirement . Ismail has frequently appeared on ESPN " College Game Day . " Ismail was also a contestant on " Ty Murray ’ s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge " on CMT . In February 2008 , Ismail appeared as a Pro in the third season of Spike TV ' s " Pros Vs Joes " . On March 2010 , it was announced that Ismail would be a correspondent on " Ty Murray ' s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge " , interviewing the contestants about their lives outside of the competition . He has most recently been coaching in the extreme sports league Slamball . Personal . Ismail is the older brother of former Syracuse University and NFL wide receiver Qadry Ismail , nicknamed " The Missile " , and former University of Texas - El Paso and New York Dragons receiver Sulaiman Ismail , nicknamed " The Bomb " . His father , Ibrahim , died when he was 10 ; his mother , Fatma , is known as " The Launch Pad " because of her sons ' nicknames of Rocket , Missile , and Bomb . Ismail is now an inspirational speaker , and speaks at churches . Ismail has been described as a " devout Christian " .