Andre Rison

Lore & Background

Rison was selected to the Pro Bowl four consecutive times from 1990 to 1993 and once again in 1997. He won a Super Bowl championship with the Packers in 1997 over the New England Patriots, scoring the first points of the game on a 54-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Brett Favre. He also won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. He is one of the few players to win professional football championships in both the United States and Canada. He holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with 7 teams.

In Their Own Story

The Pontiac Silverdome hummed with that particular electric tension that only a late-fourth-quarter Lions game could produce. The crowd was on its feet, a sea of blue and silver swaying in unison. The ball was snapped, the quarterback dropped back three steps, and for a heartbeat the pocket held. Then he rolled right, eyes scanning, and found the big silhouette running a shallow cross. Rison was already there, shoulders squared, arms extended, and the defender—smaller, faster, desperate—could not get his hands on the ball. Rison caught it high, turned his back to the safety, and was met by two hits before the whistle. He rolled, got up, and the Silverdome erupted. He did not celebrate. He just shook the defenders off, pointed to the hash marks, and jogged back to the line. The crowd roared anyway. That was Andre Rison. You did not need a highlight reel. You needed to be in that building, feeling the floor shake under the stomp of forty thousand feet.

Reader's Guide

Rison was a star player at Flint Northwestern High School and at Michigan State University. As a senior at Michigan State, he had 30 receptions for 709 yards and 5 touchdowns and was a prominent contributor to the 1987 Michigan State squad that won the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1988. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1989 NFL draft. His NFL career spanned from 1989 to 2000, with his final season played for the Oakland Raiders.

Did You Know?

• Rison received the nickname 'Bad Moon' Rison from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, alluding to the song 'Bad Moon Rising' by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
• During his stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, Rison was nicknamed 'Spiderman' and would fake shooting a web after scoring a touchdown.
• Rison is one of the few players to win professional football championships in both the United States (Super Bowl) and Canada (Grey Cup).