Touraj (T.J.) Houshmandzadeh, Jr. (born September 26, 1977 in Victorville, California,) is an American-born wide receiver for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the Bengals. September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... See also: 1976 in sports, other events of 1977, 1978 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto racing Stock car racing: NASCAR Championship - Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500 USAC Racing - Tom Sneva wins the season championship Indianapolis 500 - won by A.J. Foyt. ... Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County, California, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureaus 2000 census, the city has a total population of 64,029. ... Jerry Rice holds many career records for wide receivers in the National Football League. ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities and regions. ... City Cincinnati, Ohio Team Colors Black, Orange and White Head Coach Marvin Lewis Fight song {{{song}}} Mascot Who Dey League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1968-1969) Western Division (1968-1969) National Football League (1970-present) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC Central (1970-2001) AFC North (2002-present) Team... See also: 2000 in sports, other events of 2001, 2002 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Michael Waltrip won the Daytona 500, a race that also saw the death of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt in an unspectacular crash during the... The NFL Draft (officially the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting) is an annual sports draft in which National Football League in the U.S.A. (NFL) teams take turns selecting amateur football players and other first-time eligible players. ...

T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a high school dropout who later earned his GED and enrolled at a Cerritos College where he helped his team win two national championships. Believing he was too tall to play running back, he voluntarily moved to wide receiver. Based on his junior college performance, Houshmandzadeh was offered a scholarship at Oregon State, where he and current Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson were teammates. The GED, or General Educational Development Test, is a test that certifies the taker has attained American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. ... Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955. ... High school running back A running back, halfback or tailback is the position of a player on an American and Canadian football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. ... Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public research and degree-granting four-year university located in Corvallis, Oregon. ... Chad Johnson (born January 9, 1978 in Miami, Florida) is an American football player who plays wide receiver for the National Football Leagues Cincinnati Bengals. ...

After a modest rookie season (21 receptions for 228 yards,) questions about Houshmandzadeh's speed and quickness led to him slimming down to his current playing weight of about 200 pounds, which increased his on-field performance markedly. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is more of a "possession" receiver (football parlance for a receiver who's not a particularly fast runner,) than Chad Johnson, but has shown an ability to gain yards after the catch and has displayed a willingness to make catches in the middle of the field, which often leaves him vulnerable to hard tackles. He's been called one of the NFL's most underrated players by many pundits.

"They're both unique," says Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer of his primary receivers. "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 (the Pittsburgh Steelers') Hines Ward." [1] The quarterback is a position in the offensive backfield of American and Canadian football, directly behind players of the line. He is generally the leader of the offensive team when it is on the field, responsible for initiating play by receiving the snap of the ball from the center. ... Carson Palmer (born December 27, 1979 in Fresno, California), is an American football quarterback who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . ... City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Other nicknames {{{nicknames}}} Team colors Black and Gold Head Coach Bill Cowher Owner Dan Rooney Fight song {{{song}}} Mascot {{{mascot}}} Local radio Flagship stations: WDVE (102. ... 2004 Sports Illustrated cover featuring Hines Ward (left) and then-teammate, Plaxico Burress. ...

Houshmandzadeh missed almost all of the 2003 season with a severe hamstring injury. In 2004 he was listed as the team's third receiver behind Chad Johnson and primary receiver Peter Warrick. However, Warrick went down with an injury and Houshmandzadeh was promoted to number two receiver for the first time in his professional career. He took full advantage of his opportunity to prove himself, recording 73 receptions for 978 yards and 4 touchdowns while also adding another 51 yards on the ground with 6 carries on receiver reverse plays. With the release of the talented but troubled Warrick during the 2005 training camp (he would later sign with the Seattle Seahawks,) T.J. Houshmandzadeh was promoted to the starting lineup where he and Chad Johnson have gained notoriety for being among the NFL's most exciting receiving tandems. Houshmandzadeh is credited as one of the reasons for the Bengals' resurgence and was rewarded by the Bengals' organization with a 5-year, $13 million contract and an undisclosed bonus. See also: 2002 in sports, other events of 2003, 2004 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Michael Waltrip wins rain-shortened Daytona 500 Winston Cup Championship won by Matt Kenseth for Ford. ... Hamstring refers to the common tendon of the muscles making up the ham in animals, primarily the semitendinosus and biceps femoris. ... Peter Warrick (born June 19, 1977 in Bradenton, Florida) is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the NFLs Cincinnati Bengals. ... See also: 2004 in sports, 2005 in baseball, other events of 2005, 2006 in sports, list of years in sports. // Athletics Mens 100 metres - Asafa Powell of Jamaica sets a new world record of 9. ... City Seattle, Washington Other nicknames {{{nicknames}}} Team colors Seahawks Blue, Seahawks Navy, Seahawks Bright Green Head Coach Mike Holmgren Owner Paul Allen Fight song {{{song}}} Mascot Blitz Local radio Flagship stations: KIRO (710 AM) Announcers: Warren Moon and Steve Raible League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1976-present) National Football...

Early in the 2005 season, T.J. Houshmandzadeh suffered an injury to his right hand, which limited his effectiveness for several games, and he's currently battling a recurring minor foot injury.

The pony-tailed T.J. Houshmandzadeh is of mixed Persian and black ancestry. He is named after his father, a native Iranian, who left his family and returned to Iran in the mid-1980's. Houshmandzadeh says he recalls nothing of his biological father and knows only what he looks like from photographs. Despite being raised by his mother, he took on his father's surname rather than his mother's, which, ironically, is "Johnson," which is a common surname on the Bengals team, shared by not only by Chad Johnson, but running backs Rudi and Jeremi and linebacker Landon. Persian may refer to more than one article: the Western name for Iranian (see Iran/Persia naming controversy) Persian, an Iranian language the Persians, an ethnic group a Persian, a breed of cat Persian, a Pokémon character Etymology English Persian < Old English, < Latin *Persianus, < Latin Persia, < ancient Greek Persis... An African-American (also Afro-American, Black American, or black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson Rudi Ali Johnson (born October 1, 1979 in Petersburg, Virginia) is an American football running back who currently plays for the National Football Leagues Cincinnati Bengals. ... Bengals running back Jeremi Johnson. ... A linebacker is a position in American and Canadian football. ... Landon Tremone Johnson (born: March 13, 1983) is an NFL linebacker with the Cincinnati Bengals. ...

In the offseason, Houshmandzadeh resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Kaci, and his two daughters, Karrington and Kennedi.

Although he tends to keep his faith private, Houshmandzadeh has mentioned that he is a Christian.[2]

External links

• TJ84.com, T.J. Houshmandzadeh's Official Website
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh's page at Bengals.com
• Yahoo! Sports - NFL - T.J. Houshmandzadeh