Rayshawn Askew (born March 28, 1979) 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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He has played for the

All American Football League The All American Football League (AAFL) was a proposed professional american football minor league. The league, which was to combine a professional pay structure with the requirement that all players be college graduates, had originally been sch ...

United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF ...

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIF ...

and the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, A ...

College career

After planning on going to

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, he decided against it after

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Jim Colletto Jim Colletto (born October 4, 1944) is a former American football player and coach. He attended Monterey High School (1958–1962) where he was an all conference baseball and football player and starter on the varsity basketball team. At UCLA Col ...

resigned, and instead attended

Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Mars ...

. He was a four-year starter and received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

/Pre-

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

, finishing with honors including a 3.6

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

. He was a 2000 2nd Team All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Associatian All-Academic honoree. Tallied 2,134 career rushing yards and led his team in rushing for three years and receiving two years despite being on a team that won just five games in four years.

Professional career

Lincoln Capitols

Askew played with the

Lincoln Capitols The Lincoln Capitols were a professional indoor American football, indoor football team that played their home games at Pershing Center, Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. They originally planned on becoming the Nebraska Kn ...

in 2002, and set a NIFL record with seven touchdown runs in a 120-15 win over the River City Renegades in 2002. He finished that season with 903 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, and added 126 yards and two scores in a playoff game against Billings.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

In 2003, Askew returned to outdoor football by signing with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

of the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

Ohio Valley Greyhounds

In 2004, Askew returned to the NIFL with the

Ohio Valley Greyhounds The Ohio Valley Greyhounds were a professional indoor football team. They began play in 1999 as the Steel Valley Smash, a charter member of the IFL. After the league folded, they moved to the NIFL, became a charter member, and renamed themse ...

. He led the league with 1,047 yards on 215 carries with 31 touchdowns, being named an NIFL All-Star Running Back.

Cincinnati Marshalls

In 2005, he played for the Cincinnati Marshalls of the NIFL. Askew broke or tied many league records that year en route to being named an All-Star. He tied the single season touchdown record of 46 when he scored three touchdowns against Wyoming on July 4, 2005. The three touchdowns allowed Askew to set a new league record for scoring with 282 points, overcoming the mark of 276 points set by Baron Dockery of the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in 2002. Askew finished the regular season leading the league in scoring (282 points), touchdowns (46), rushing yards (719 yards) and all-purpose yards (2236 yards).

Port Huron Pirates

In 2006, he joined the

Port Huron Pirates The Port Huron Pirates were a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Port Huron, Michigan. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL) joining the league in 2006 Great Lakes Indoor ...

, a expansion team that was joining the newly formed

Great Lakes Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLI ...

. He went on to lead the Pirates to a 10-0 regular season record, recording 144 carries for 651 yards and 32 touchdowns, and aided in a 2006

Great Lakes Bowl I The CIFL Championship Game was the annual championship game of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). In 2006, it was the meeting of the two semifinal game winners. Following the 2007 and 2008 season, the game was between the Great Lakes D ...

championship. He was named MVP of the championship game racking up 15 carries for 52 yards as well as 3 touchdowns. He was also named Running Back of the Year for the league

Lexington Horsemen

In 2007, he ran for the

Lexington Horsemen Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

of the

. He had a monsterious season, rushing for 799 yards and 29 touchdowns, receiving 46 passes for 321 yards and 9 touchdowns, as well as throwing a single pass for a touchdown. He was voted into the 2007 UIF Casey's All Star Classic.

Touchdown Record

On July 28, 2007, in a playoff game against

Bloomington Extreme The Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in Bloomington, Illinois. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at Grossinger Motors Arena. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of Unit ...

, he surpassed the best receiver in the NFL

Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...

for most touchdowns by a professional football player, with a total of 209.

Team Michigan

In the

2008 AAFL Draft The 2008 All American Football League Draft took place in Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territ ...

, it was announced that Askew had been drafted Team Michigan of the newly formed,

. He was the 14th round pick by Michigan and the 80th pick overall. The league however, never played a single game, as the launch of the league was constantly put off.

Cincinnati Commandos

In 2011 Askew was signed by the

Cincinnati Commandos The Cincinnati Commandos were a professional indoor football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team suspended operations for the 2013 season, with hope of returning in 2014. They began play in 2010 as an expansion team in the Continental Indo ...

of the CIFL, formerly the

GLIFL The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor American football, indoor American football, football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as ...

, which he played for in 2006. He played in the team's final regular season game where he posted 9 carries for 28 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Dayton Silverbacks

Askew has signed with the

Dayton Silverbacks The Dayton Silverbacks were a professional indoor football team based in Dayton, Ohio. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The franchise started as the Miami Valley Silverbacks and joined the CIFL in 2007 afte ...

of the CIFL for 2012, where he was going to be coached by his brother, Mister Askew. Just weeks before the season started, the Silverbacks had let Mister go as their head coach, and Rayshawn decided to part ways as well.

Family Ties

Askew also has family ties that extend into the NFL and college football ranks. His brother is running back

B. J. Askew Bobby DeAngelo Askew Jr. (born August 19, 1980) is a former American football fullback. He played college football as the University of Michigan. He ranks first all-time among Michigan running backs in reception yards. Askew was selected in t ...

, who played for the New York Jets and was drafted out of the University of Michigan in 2003. Rayshawn’s oldest brother Mister Askew, is currently the running back coach at

Bethany College (West Virginia) Bethany College is a private liberal arts college in Bethany, West Virginia. Founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell of the Restoration Movement, who gained support by the Virginia legislature, Bethany College was the first institution of higher ...

. Mister Askew played football for Alabama A&M and Elizabeth City State University. Rayshawn also has two cousins,

Matthias Askew Matthias Askew (born July 1, 1982) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State. Askew has also been a member o ...

(

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

) and

Tab Perry Tab Wilson Perry (born January 20, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA. Perry has also been a member of the Mi ...

(

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

) both who played for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

External links

Official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Askew, Rayshawn 1979 births Living people American football wide receivers American football running backs Cincinnati Commandos players Port Huron Pirates players Lexington Horsemen players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Dayton Sharks players Elizabeth City State Vikings football players