(Notre Dame Media Relations)
In 1988 a young man born in Newark, NJ showed up on campus boasting incredible 4.12 speed in the 40. Rocket Ismail’s nickname could not have been more appropriate because this athlete while small in stature, was a threat to go off at any moment and to do so with devastating effectiveness.
Lou Holtz lined him up all over the field, wide receiver, running back, kickoff and punt return. Any time he touched the ball, the whole stadium held their breath with anticipation.
He played a key role as a freshman in the 1988 National Championship season. Frequently he provided the spark that put the Irish over the top in key games. During that championship season he returned two kickoffs for TDs and caught two TD passes.
In 1989 he famously returned two kickoffs for TDs in the same game against Michigan. Thus, leading the #1 ranked Irish to victory over the 2nd ranked Wolverines.
Perhaps his most famous play was a touchdown that didn’t count, and it took place in the last game he played at ND. With less than a minute remaining in the 1991 Orange Bowl, against #1 ranked Colorado, Rocket returned a punt 92 yards for what looked to be dramatic game winning touchdown. But the play was nullified on an illegal block in the back penalty.
In his Notre Dame career Rocket scored 15 touchdowns that combined averaged 61 yards in length. As a pass receiver he averaged 22 yards per catch. As a runner he averaged 7.7 yards per carry.
Raghib Rocket Ismail was a two time first team All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1990. But he was awarded the Walter Camp Award as the Nations best College football player. In his three seasons at ND , the Irish were 33-4.
Projected as the #1 overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, Rocket initially bypassed the NFL and signed the then most lucrative contract in professional football history with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. After two successful seasons in Canada, he went on to 10 year NFL career with the Raiders, Panthers and Cowboys.
In 2019 Ismail was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.