College
Ismail grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and attended Elmer L. Meyers Junior/Senior High School.[2][3][4] He first came to prominence as a receiver for the University of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame won the College Football National Championship in 1988, placed second in 1989 winning the 1990 Orange Bowl against Colorado, and again went to the 1991 Orange Bowl, losing to Colorado 10–9. In that game, he returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown that would have won the game for Notre Dame and stopped Colorado from winning a share of the National Championship, however the play was called back on a controversial clipping penalty sealing the Irish defeat. After the 1990 season, Ismail finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy as the top college football player, losing to Brigham Young University Quarterback Ty Detmer.
During the 1989 regular season game against Michigan, Ismail returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, a feat never before accomplished by a Michigan opponent. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice, and received numerous awards, including All-American status.
The projected first overall selection in the 1991 NFL Draft, Ismail decided at the last minute to sign a record contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League starting during their 1991 season. As a result, he was chosen by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 100th overall pick in the draft.
[edit]Canadian Football League
It would have been difficult to offer Ismail enough money to join the CFL, but Bruce McNall, who with hockey player Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy had recently purchased the Toronto Argonauts, tried. The Argonauts made Ismail a then unheard of offer for a CFL player: $18.2 million over four years. The average value of his full contract, $4.55 million per season, was more than the anticipated 2006 CFL salary cap of $3.8 million per team. The CFL had a salary cap in place since 1991, but the rules contained an exemption for a "marquee player" who would not count against the cap. Doug Flutie of the BC Lions was about to be paid a million dollars under the exemption, but Ismail's contract was more than anything North American football had ever seen, as his yearly salary was then the largest in Canadian or American football history.
Ismail joined the Argonauts in time for the 1991 season, and in his first game, returned a kick 73 yards on a reverse with Michael Clemons. Ismail ended his rookie season at the 79th Grey Cup. He recorded an 87-yard touchdown on a kickoff return and was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player as his Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 36–21. He came within fifty yards of breaking his teammate Clemons' franchise record for single-season kickoff return yardage, and made the 1991 All-Star team as a wide receiver, finishing runner-up to Jon Volpe for rookie of the year.
In 1992 Ismail broke Clemons' franchise record for single-season kick return yards. Ismail was unhappy in Canada as the Argonauts slumped to a 6–12 record, missing the playoffs. He was also remembered for his participation in a sideline brawl against the Stampeders where he stomped an opposing player's helmeted face. He later apologized on Speaker's Corner. With the huge contract around Toronto's neck and McNall facing increasing financial trouble, Ismail left the CFL, and, after the season, signed with the Los Angeles Raiders.
[edit]National Football League
In 1993 as a rookie in the National Football League Ismail recorded 353 yards. The next year, he recorded 513 yards and five touchdowns. In 1995 he recorded 491 yards.
After 1995, Ismail was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round pick. In 1996 the Panthers, under Head coach Dom Capers, finished 12–4, but Ismail recorded a career-low 214 yards, without a single touchdown. In 1997 he recorded 419 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
In 1998, Ismail recorded 69 receptions for 1,024 yards, two yards short of doubling his previous career high, and eight touchdowns.
Then in 1999, Ismail signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent and wore #81. He recorded a career-high 1,097 yards and six touchdowns. In 2000, injuries caused by a collision with teammate Dat Nguyen during training camp limited Ismail to eight games, and he recorded 350 yards. The 2001 season marked Ismail's last season. Ismail was released by the Cowboys in 2002, ending his NFL career.
[edit]Life after retirement
Ismail has frequently appeared on ESPN "College Game Day." Ismail was also a contestant on Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge on CMT.
In February 2008, Ismail appeared as a Pro in the third season of Spike TV's Pros Vs Joes.
On March 2010, it was announced that Ismail would be a correspondent on Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, interviewing the contestants about their lives outside of the competition.[5]
He has most recently been coaching in the extreme sports league Slamball.
