Isaac Curtis Isaac Fisher Curtis ( born October 20 , 1950 in Santa Ana , California ) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played his entire National Football League career with the Cincinnati Bengals ( 1973 – 1984 ) . College career . Curtis attended University of California , Berkeley for three years . He excelled as a member of Cal ' s track team , but was running back and kick returner for the football team . After he finished his junior season , Curtis transferred to San Diego State University because of the controversy surrounding the probation of Cal ' s football team . He excelled as a slot wide receiver during his senior season under the famed Aztecs coach Don Coryell , catching 44 passes for 832 yards and 7 touchdowns . Draft . Entering the 1973 NFL Draft , the Cincinnati Bengals needed a wide receiver who had speed to spread the field and opposing defenses for their franchise quarterback Ken Anderson . Isaac Curtis had world - class speed , running a 9 . 30 seconds in the 100 - yard dash as a member of Cal ' s track team , making him faster than Jesse Owens , who ran it in 9 . 40 seconds . Given all the variables , that would indicate his 40 - yard dash time would be around a 4 . 17 , which meant he would easily be one of the most athletic people to ever wear an NFL uniform . Although Curtis had played only one year at wide receiver , Paul Brown decided to take a chance on him and drafted Curtis in the first round ( 15th overall selection ) . Later on in his career Paul Brown would say that what he liked the most about Isaac Curtis was not so much his athleticism but his always quietly confident personality , saying " He ' s a very gentle person . . . no jumping up and down , spiking it , or trash talking " . Professional career . Isaac Curtis made the starting lineup as a rookie and had a superb season , recording 45 receptions for 843 yards and 9 touchdown s , an average of 18 . 7 yards per catch . Curtis continued to be a major contributor for the Bengals until his retirement after the 1984 season . Although he never reached the 1 , 000 receiving yards milestone during a season , he was known as a superb clutch player and excelled at gaining extra yards after making a catch . In 1974 and 1975 , he averaged more than 21 . 1 yards per reception . He was a Pro Bowl selection four times ( 1973 – 1976 ) and was selected 2nd Team All - Pro for three consecutive seasons ( 1974 – 1976 ) . Curtis assisted the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in the 1981 season and had a solid performance in Super Bowl XVI , catching 3 passes for 42 yards . Years after his retirement his quarterback for his career Ken Anderson said that Isaac Curtis was " The Jerry Rice before Jerry Rice " . In his 12 NFL seasons , Curtis recorded 416 receptions for 7 , 101 yards and 53 touchdowns , while also gaining 76 rushing yards on 25 carries . His 17 . 1 yards per catch average is a Bengals record and his 7 , 101 receiving yards was a franchise record until broken by Chad Ochocinco on September 16 , 2007 . His 53 touchdown receptions were a Bengals record until surpassed by Carl Pickens in the late 1990s . The Isaac Curtis rule . " The Isaac Curtis rule " should not be confused with the " Mel Blount rule " , which was a more stricter revising of " The Isaac Curtis Rule " . Because Isaac Curtis had world - class speed , there weren ' t defensive backs that could keep up with Curtis and all teams would double and sometimes even triple cover him . In 1973 in his first year , the Bengals won the Central Division and faced the eventual Super Bowl Champions , the Miami Dolphins . Don Shula ' s defensive backs didn ' t have the speed to cover Curtis and decided that he would have them push , bump , and hold him down the field . After that game , the NFL defenses including the Steelers started doing the same thing to stop Isaac Curtis . Paul Brown wanted the rule changed , telling the NFL Competition Committee " What good is it for us to have performers , if they aren ' t allowed to perform . " " The Isaac Curtis Rule " : A defender is allowed to block a receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage . After the initial 5 yards , any contact will be considered holding , which is a 5 - yard penalty and an automatic first down . After football . Curtis is a sales executive for Winegardner and Hammons , Inc . , a hotel management company in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash . He has remained good friends with former teammate Louis Breeden .