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 Anderson in 2007 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1972-09-30)September 30, 1972 (age 53) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | El Camino Real(Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Utah | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 7th round, 201st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back for theAtlanta Falcons of theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of the1994 NFL draft.[1] He playedhigh school football atEl Camino Real High School, where he was named to theCIFLos Angeles City Section 4-A All-City first-team in 1989.[2] He went on to playcollege football atMoorpark College for the Moorpark College Raiders before playing for theUtah Utes.
Anderson earned aPro Bowl selection in1998, leading theNFC in rushing and helping the Falcons to an appearance inSuper Bowl XXXIII. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2001 while finishing his eight-year career with 41 touchdowns and nearly 7,000 yards of offense.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | 246 lb (112 kg) | 30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.80 s | 1.65 s | 2.76 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | 24 reps |
Anderson played eight seasons with the Falcons, amassing 5,336 rushing yards, 156 receptions for 1,645 yards, and 41 touchdowns before he suffered what became a career-ending tear of hisACL in 2001.[3] He broke the 1,000-yard barrier in four different seasons between 1996 and 2000. His best season was 1998, when he set an NFL record with 410 carries, and finished with 1,846 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, both totals second in the league that year behindTerrell Davis.
Anderson was well known for his "Dirty Bird" touchdown celebration, in which he flapped his arms as if they were wings and rhythmically bouncing side to side. The dance has been widely copied; in a press conference Anderson stated, “people break out and do the Dirty Bird in the strangest places.”[4]
Rushing Stats[5]
| Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ATL | 3 | 2 | -1 | -0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | ATL | 16 | 39 | 161 | 4.1 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | ATL | 16 | 232 | 1,055 | 4.5 | 32 | 5 | 46 | 3 | 3 |
| 1997 | ATL | 16 | 290 | 1,002 | 3.5 | 39 | 7 | 54 | 3 | 1 |
| 1998 | ATL | 16 | 410 | 1,846 | 4.5 | 48 | 14 | 90 | 5 | 2 |
| 1999 | ATL | 2 | 19 | 59 | 3.1 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | ATL | 16 | 282 | 1,024 | 3.6 | 42 | 6 | 53 | 6 | 4 |
| 2001 | ATL | 3 | 55 | 190 | 3.5 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 88 | 1,329 | 5,336 | 4.0 | 48 | 34 | 262 | 18 | 11 |
Receiving Stats[5]
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Yards per Reception | Longest Receptions | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ATL | 16 | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | ATL | 16 | 49 | 473 | 9.7 | 34 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| 1997 | ATL | 16 | 29 | 284 | 9.8 | 47 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1998 | ATL | 16 | 27 | 319 | 11.8 | 27 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | ATL | 2 | 2 | 34 | 17.0 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | ATL | 16 | 42 | 382 | 9.1 | 55 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | ATL | 3 | 3 | 111 | 37.0 | 94 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 88 | 156 | 1,645 | 10.5 | 94 | 7 | 65 | 2 | 2 |
Anderson appeared as an analyst on ESPN/ABC, often promoting hisalma mater theUniversity of Utah, and theMountain West Conference. He is a big proponent of the BCS non-AQ conference schools gaining more access to the same opportunities asBCS AQ conference schools.
From mid-August to late-October 2009, Anderson appeared as a regular phone-in guest on "Morency" onHardcore Sports Radio (HSR) to recap/discuss the week that was and the week that was coming up in the NFL withGabriel Morency andCam Stewart. After two-week period from late-October to early-November 2009, where HSR dropped Morency (the person and the show) from their programming line-up, Anderson returned as a regular weekly guest again on HSR's replacement show "Red Heat" hosted by Cam Stewart.
In October 2010, Anderson began appearing as an analyst forCNN Newsroom, providing insight on current NFL issues as well as news and highlights from the major sports leagues.
Anderson was arrested in February 2009 on suspicion of cocaine possession. Atlanta police said that Anderson and another man were snorting cocaine off the toilet bowl in the restroom of the Peachtree Tavern nightclub.[6]
Anderson was arrested for DUI on June 24, 2012. He was arrested inDeKalb county, just northeast of Atlanta.[7]
Anderson was banned from aQuikTrip store inSuwanee, Georgia on December 14, 2016, after allegedly exposing himself and appearing intoxicated. He was not arrested, but was issued a warning forcriminal trespass, effectively a warning that he will be arrested if he returns to that QuikTrip location.[8]
Anderson was arrested on December 23, 2018, after refusing to pay his limo driver $50. He was arrested by Gwinnett County Police where he was released on $213 bail. The limo driver did not press charges. Anderson was intoxicated.[9][10]
On November 5, 2025 Anderson was arrested on "suspicion of felony domestic violence" at his Los Angeles home in San Fernando Valley. Police said that Anderson was involved in a verbal disagreement that escalated into violence where Anderson allegedly strangled the victim. He was released from custody on a $50,000 bond.[11][12]
His son, Jamal, is a linebacker for theClemson Tigers.[13]
