Rashad Emmanuel Unique Barksdale (born May 11, 1984) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL). He was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Albany. Barksdale was also a member of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

College career

At Albany, he led the

Great Danes The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

and

punt return In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final d ...

s in 2006.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Barksdale was drafted by the

in the 6th round (201st overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He is the second player in Albany history to be drafted into the NFL. He was released by the Eagles on September 1, 2007 during the preseason.

Kansas City Chiefs

The next day, Barksdale signed a contract to play for the

, which made Barksdale the first player in the history of the

SUNY Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

to make an NFL 53-man roster. Barksdale made his NFL regular season debut on October 7, 2007, making him the first UAlbany player to appear in an NFL regular season game when he took the field on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

for the opening

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (magaz ...

. He also played on the punt cover and punt return units and made a fourth-quarter tackle with 6:08 remaining. Barksdale was released by the Chiefs during final cuts on August 30, 2008.

New York Giants

Barksdale was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

on September 1, 2008. He was promoted to the active roster on December 30 when

Sam Madison Samuel Adolphus Madison, Jr. (born April 23, 1974) is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is the cornerbacks coach and pass game specialist for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as th ...

was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. He was waived on June 20, 2009.

New York Jets

Barksdale was claimed off waivers by the

on June 25, 2009. He was waived on September 5, 2009.

Arizona Cardinals

The

signed Barksdale to their practice squad on September 8. He was re-signed to a future contract on January 18, 2010. Barksdale was waived on August 6, 2010.

Calgary Stampeders

In March 2011 Barksdale was signed by the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

Kansas City Command

In 2011, Barksdale signed to play with the

Kansas City Command The Kansas City Command (formerly the Kansas City Brigade) were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Kevin Porter ...

in the

Tampa Bay Storm

Barksdale was assigned to the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

in 2013. On September 17, 2013, Barksdale was replaced on retirement by the Storm.

Cleveland Gladiators

Barksdale came out of retirement in July 2014 to help the

Cleveland Gladiators The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cava ...

in their ArenaBowl attempt.

References

External links

New York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barksdale, Rashad 1984 births Living people Players of American football from New York (state) American football cornerbacks Albany Great Danes football players Philadelphia Eagles players Kansas City Chiefs players New York Giants players New York Jets players Arizona Cardinals players Kansas City Command players People from Hudson, New York Tampa Bay Storm players Cleveland Gladiators players University at Albany, SUNY alumni