Lehigh University Athletics
Abdullah flying high as member of the Patriots
2/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Morning Call Staff Writer
On Sunday, Abdullah will become only the second
By playing in Super Bowl XXXIX here on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles — who hold training camp on the same fields where he used to practice at Lehigh — Abdullah will join Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Steve Kreider as the only Lehigh alumni to play in the Super Bowl.
Still, Abdullah would not utter the line that Kreider made famous of the biggest game in pro football that began, ''It's not Lehigh/Lafayette,'' which Kreider said back when the Bengals met the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI (1982).
''This is a great, indescribable feeling,'' said Abdullah, a seventh-year pro who joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1998. ''This is it. As an athlete, of course this is something you dream about. As athletes, we always have huge aspirations, and this is the top.''
Abdullah played mostly special teams in
The Chicago Bears picked him up after the 2001 season and released him this past preseason. He signed with the Patriots on Sept. 11, was released on Nov. 22 and re-signed a month later.
To make it as a special teamer in the NFL, a player has to be willing to do whatever it takes to make the team better.
''Rabih is a young man who really works hard,'' said Patriots special-teams coach Brad Seely. ''You can see his effort and intensity on every play. He's one of those players who tries to do right on the field all the time, and he's pretty darn close to doing that.
''You know, he came in here after training camp, had never been with most of these guys, and they embraced him. They really did. He's a great guy.''
Abdullah had a breath-taking career at Lehigh. His original senior season got cut short by a knee injury, but he returned after a medical red-shirt for a final season, one in which he rushed for 1,225 yards and 15 touchdowns on 244 carries. He also owns Lehigh's single-season high of 1,536 yards, set during his junior year in 1995.
''He was always an athletic wonder for everything I have ever seen him do,'' said former Lehigh quarterback Phil Stambaugh, who recalled a play against
''Rabih, on this one particular play, jumped from I swear it was the 5-yard line and landed 2 yards over the goal line,'' Stambaugh said. ''It was just an amazing effort. … He was just a beast of an athlete and it was a pleasure to get the opportunity to play alongside him for the Brown and White.''
Abdullah, whose father played preseasons for the Giants and the Packers under the name Richard Soules, misses the opportunity to be a feature back, but accepts his role as an NFL player.
''I've been playing special teams in this league for so long now, I feel very comfortable with it,'' the 6-foot, 225-pounder said. ''I'm a wing on the kickoff team. I play on the second punt team. Players on this team are willing to play anywhere just to play.
''The coaches ask a lot from the players, and to be effective, we are willing to do a lot. I haven't been asked to play defense, but if I was asked, I would be doing it.''
Abdullah lives in
Even though he's not aware of it, Abdullah can have a very special first if the Patriots win on Sunday. While Kreider beat him to playing in the big game by 23 years, if
Story originally appeared on Friday, February 4, 2005 edition of The Morning Call. Used with permission.
