 Houshmandzadeh with theCincinnati Bengals in 2006 | |||||||||
| No. 84 | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1977-09-26)September 26, 1977 (age 48) Barstow, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Barstow | ||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 2001: 7th round, 204th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Touraj Houshmandzadeh Jr.[1] (/ˌhʊʃmənˈzɑːdə/HUUSH-mən-ZAH-də;[2] born September 26, 1977) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOregon State Beavers and was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the2001 NFL draft. Houshmandzadeh played for theSeattle Seahawks in 2009, theBaltimore Ravens in 2010 and theOakland Raiders in 2011.[3]
Following his playing career, he became a coach atLong Beach Poly High School. Houshmandzadeh also works as a football analyst forFS1.[4]
Houshmandzadeh dropped out ofBarstow High School inBarstow, California.[5] He later enrolled atCerritos College.[6][7] In his two seasons with the Cerritos College Falcons in 1998 and 1999, he was a two-time First-Team Mission Conference selection at wide receiver and kickoff returner. He wanted to play asrunning back his freshman year, but believing he was too tall to play running back, he voluntarily moved to the wide receiver position. He finished his Cerritos College Falcons career with 1,152 receiving yards on 65 receptions. He also had two 103-yardkickoff returns and a 92-yardpunt return.[8]
Based on hisjunior college performance, Houshmandzadeh was offered an athleticscholarship atOregon State University by then head coachDennis Erickson.[9]
In his sole season as a starter for Oregon State in the2000 season, Houshmandzadeh caught 42 passes for 656 yards and six touchdowns.[10] He helped his team defeatNotre Dame in the2001 Fiesta Bowl. Houshmandzadeh contributed a receiving touchdown, assisting his team to a 41–9 victory.[11]
At Oregon State, he played withChad Johnson, who would later be his teammate in the NFL with theCincinnati Bengals.[12]
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) | 211 lb (96 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values from Pro Day[13] | ||||||||||||
Houshmandzadeh was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 204th overall pick in the2001 NFL draft.[14]
Houshmandzadeh made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2001 season against theSan Diego Chargers. As a rookie, Houshmandzadeh had recorded 21 receptions for 228 yards, while also being used to return punts and kickoffs.[15] His most notable achievement was in a game against theCleveland Browns, in which he set a franchise record with 126 punt return yards.[16]
In Week 13 of the 2002 season, against theBaltimore Ravens, Housmandzadeh scored his first professional touchdown on a four-yard reception.[17] In the 2002 season, Houshmandzadeh had 41 receptions for 492 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 16 games and five starts.[18]
Houshmandzadeh missed the 2003 season with a severehamstring injury.[19] In 2004, he was listed as the team's third receiver behindPeter Warrick andChad Johnson. However, Warrick became injured and Houshmandzadeh was promoted to the starting lineup with Johnson.
In Week 3 of the 2004 season, against theBaltimore Ravens, Housmandzadeh had seven receptions for 116 receiving yards.[20] In Week 12, against theCleveland Browns, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 58–48 victory.[21] In Week 13, in another game against Baltimore, he had ten receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown in the 27–26 victory.[22] In Week 14, against theNew England Patriots, he had 12 receptions for 145 receiving yards.[23] In the 2004 season, Houshmandzadeh had 73 receptions for 978 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts.[24]
"They're both unique", says former BengalsquarterbackCarson Palmer of Johnson and Houshmandzadeh. "They do completely different things well and complement each other perfectly. T. J.'s a physical guy; a physical blocker, physical when he gets the ball. He's like (thePittsburgh Steelers')Hines Ward."[25]
With the release of Warrick during the 2005 training camp, Houshmandzadeh retained the starting position and he and Johnson soon earned recognition for being among the NFL's most exciting receiving tandems. In March 2005, the Bengals rewarded Houshmandzadeh with a four-year, $13 million contract and an undisclosed bonus.[26]
In Week 4 of the 2005 season, Houshmandzadeh had eight receptions for 105 yards in a 16–10 victory over theHouston Texans.[27] In Week 12, against theBaltimore Ravens, he had nine receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown in the 42–29 victory.[28] In Week 13 against thePittsburgh Steelers, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 38–31 victory.[29] In the 2005 season, Houshmandzadeh had 78 receptions for 956 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[30] In theWild Card Round against the Steelers, he had a receiving touchdown in the 31–17 loss.[31]
In the 2006 season, Houshmandzadeh battled a recurring minor foot injury that kept him out of the first two games of the regular season.[32] In Week 3 of the 2006 season, Houshmandzadeh had nine receptions for 94 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against thePittsburgh Steelers.[33] He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against Pittsburgh.[34] In Week 6, he had ten receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown against theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[35] In Week 10, he suffered a mild concussion during the Bengals 49–41 loss to theSan Diego Chargers from an early hit by Chargers free safetyMarlon McCree.[36] In Week 13 against theBaltimore Ravens, he had ten receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown in the 13–7 victory.[37] In the following game, he had eight receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown against theOakland Raiders in the 27–10 victory.[38] He finished the 2006 season with 90 receptions for 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs. His 90 receptions and nine touchdown catches led his team.[32][39] He and Chad Johnson also became the first Bengals teammates ever to each record over 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.[40]
Houshmandzadeh opened the 2007 season by scoring a touchdown against theBaltimore Ravens in a 27–20 victory and two touchdowns in the 51–45 loss to theCleveland Browns in Week 2.[41][42] Against theSeattle Seahawks in Week 3, Houshmandzadeh totaled 141 yards on 12 receptions for one touchdown in the 24–21 loss.[43] In Week 4, against theNew England Patriots, he had 12 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.[44] In the following week, he had eight receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns against theKansas City Chiefs.[45] He ended up having a streak of eight games with at least one touchdown to start the season. By the end of the year, he finished with a franchise record 112 receptions for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns.[46] His 112 catches tied him withWes Welker of the Patriots for the most in theNFL.[47] He was also selected to thePro Bowl for the first time in his career.[48]
In Week 3 of the 2008 season, Houshmandzadeh recorded 12 receptions for 142 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 26–23 loss to theNew York Giants.[49] In Week 5, against theDallas Cowboys, he had two receiving touchdowns.[50] In Week 11, in a 13–13 tie to thePhiladelphia Eagles, he had 12 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown.[51] In2008, Houshmandzadeh had 92 catches for 904 yards and four touchdowns.[52] He did this whileCarson Palmer was out with injury for most of the year.[53]
Houshmandzadeh was signed by theSeattle Seahawks on March 2, 2009, to a five-year $40 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.[54] He had also been courted by theMinnesota Vikings.[55] The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly gave him an offer, but he countered the statement saying "Cincinnati's offer wasn't enough for me to continue to play there, I think I should be able to start fresh." He jokingly went on to say "I want to win some games for once", which is a reference to the Bengals' history of losing. The Bengals swept theAFC North on their way to a 10–6 record, while Seattle finished 5–11.[56][57] Houshmandzadeh, however, had a decent year statistically, with 79 catches for 911 yards for an 11.5 yard receiving average, but only scored three touchdowns.[58] On September 4, 2010, the Seahawks released Houshmandzadeh.[59]
Houshmandzadeh signed a one-year deal with theBaltimore Ravens on September 6, 2010, for the veteran league minimum of $855,000.[60] However, since his $7 million salary with the Seahawks was guaranteed in his previous contract, Seattle paid him the remaining $6.15 million for 2010.[61][62] During his short tenure in Baltimore, Houshmandzadeh recorded only 30 receptions for 398 yards.[63] He managed to score only three touchdowns, although one of them won the Week 4 divisional matchup against thePittsburgh Steelers.[64] In the 2010Divisional Round loss against the Steelers, Houshmandzadeh dropped a critical pass which would've converted a fourth down and potentially changed the outcome of the 31–24 loss.[65][66][67] That, combined with his frequent complaining and general poor play, led to him not being re-signed. "If I go to the right team I'll shock a lot of people", he said while he was a free agent.[68]
TheOakland Raiders signed Houshmandzadeh on November 1, 2011.[69] The signing reunited Houshmandzadeh with former Bengals quarterbackCarson Palmer, as well as head coachHue Jackson, who was a former assistant with the Bengals.[70]
On December 4, 2011, against theMiami Dolphins, he caught his first touchdown as a member of the Oakland Raiders, a 40-yard pass from quarterback Carson Palmer, which was his only catch in the 34–14 rout by Miami.[71] He finished 2011 with 11 catches for 146 yards for a 13.3 yard receiving average and one touchdown.[72] This would end up being his final season in the NFL, as he later retired.
Andy Furman, a sports commentator on Cincinnati's700 WLW was fired on November 1, 2006, for referring to Houshmandzadeh as aracist on the air. On October 5, 2006, Houshmandzadeh failed to appear for a paid appearance on the show. The next evening, Furman, aNew York City native, alleged that he heard from another source that Houshmandzadeh called him a "punk-ass white boy" for criticizing the no-show. Houshmandzadeh denied making the comment.[73]
On December 4, 2023, Houshmandzadeh filed for a restraining order against a woman who had allegedly been so obsessed with him that she changed her last name to Houshmandzadeh. It was also claimed that the woman had posed as the mother of his kids online and had sent harassing mail and personal items to his home.[74]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kick returns | Punt returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2001 | CIN | 12 | 1 | 21 | 228 | 10.9 | 23 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 185 | 18.5 | 23 | 0 | 12 | 163 | 13.6 | 86 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2002 | CIN | 16 | 5 | 41 | 492 | 12.0 | 31 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 288 | 22.2 | 44 | 0 | 24 | 117 | 4.9 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2003 | CIN | DNP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | CIN | 16 | 13 | 73 | 978 | 13.4 | 62 | 4 | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 227 | 22.7 | 32 | 0 | 11 | 88 | 8.0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | CIN | 14 | 12 | 78 | 856 | 12.3 | 43 | 7 | 8 | 62 | 7.8 | 17 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 | CIN | 14 | 13 | 90 | 1,081 | 12.0 | 40 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 13 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | CIN | 16 | 15 | 112 | 1,143 | 10.2 | 42 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 2.8 | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| 2008 | CIN | 15 | 15 | 92 | 904 | 9.8 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 79 | 9.9 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 79 | 911 | 11.5 | 53 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| 2010 | BAL | 16 | 2 | 30 | 398 | 13.3 | 56 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | OAK | 9 | 0 | 11 | 146 | 13.3 | 40 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 146 | 92 | 627 | 7,237 | 11.5 | 62 | 44 | 23 | 142 | 6.2 | 17 | 8 | 33 | 700 | 21.2 | 44 | 0 | 56 | 447 | 8.0 | 86 | 0 | 12 | 11 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2005 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | BAL | 2 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 16.5 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 8 | 91 | 11.4 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
After retiring from football, Houshmandzadeh became a football analyst forFox Sports 1.[4]
During the 2015 offseason, he interned as a coach for the Bengals as part of the Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship Program.[75] He became the wide receivers coach atLong Beach Polytechnic High School in 2016, serving two years before being named the varsity offensive coordinator in 2018.[76]
In 2024, Houshmandzadeh partnered withSnoop Dogg to create the Snoop & Housh Flag Football League.[76]
Houshmandzadeh was born to anIranian American father and anAfrican American mother.[77]
His surname was often shortened to "Housh" or "Hoosh"[78] by fans.
InElectronic Arts'Madden NFL series of games, Houshmandzadeh's surname was shortened to "Houshmandz". The game limited last names to 12 characters. The limit was increased to allow his and other players' names to be displayed in full beginning withMadden NFL 2010.
Houshmandzadeh appeared in a popularfantasy football television commercial from 2006 where a fantasy player struggled to pronounce his surname, stumbling with words like "Houshamazilla", "Houshmazode", "Houshvadilla" and "Houshyomama". That season, former teammateChad Ochocinco introduced him as "T. J. Who's-your-momma" on television during anESPNMonday Night preseason game on August 28.[79] Houshmandzadeh would have a career season that year.ESPN later referenced Houshmandzadeh's 2006 season in 2011 in a similar fantasy football commercial with the "Karaoke Draft of '06", with a fantasy football fan singing Houshmandzadeh's name to the tune of the 1977 hit songBarracuda byHeart.[80]
Players have gotten a kick out of an NFL.com fantasy football commercial centered on wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. In the commercial, a fantasy team owner attempts to select Houshmandzadeh in his league's draft but repeatedly mispronounces Houshmandzadeh's name, calling him "Who's-your-momma" at one point. Johnson has taken to calling his long-time friend by the mispronunciation.