T. J. Houshmandzadeh

Touraj Houshmandzadeh Jr. (born September 26, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL).

In his two seasons with the Cerritos College Falcons in 1998 and 1999, he was a two-time First-Team Mission Conference selection at wide receiver and kickoff returner.

He wanted to play as running back his freshman year, but believing he was too tall to play running back, he voluntarily moved to the wide receiver position.

He finished his Cerritos College Falcons career with 1,152 receiving yards on 65 receptions.

He also had two 103-yard kickoff returns and a 92-yard punt return.

Based on his junior college performance, Houshmandzadeh was offered an athletic scholarship at Oregon State University by then head coach Dennis Erickson.

In his sole season as a starter for Oregon State in the 2000 season, Houshmandzadeh caught 42 passes for 656 yards and six touchdowns.

He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft.

He previously played college football at Oregon State.

He helped his team defeat Notre Dame in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.

Houshmandzadeh contributed a receiving touchdown, assisting his team to a 41–9 victory.

At Oregon State, he played with Chad Johnson, who would later be his teammate in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Houshmandzadeh was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 204th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Houshmandzadeh made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2001 season against the San Diego Chargers.

As a rookie, Houshmandzadeh had recorded 21 receptions for 228 yards, while also being used to return punts and kickoffs.

His most notable achievement was in a game against the Cleveland Browns, in which he set a franchise record with 126 punt return yards.

In Week 13 of the 2002 season, against the Baltimore Ravens, Housmandzadeh scored his first professional touchdown on a four-yard reception.

In the 2002 season, Houshmandzadeh had 41 receptions for 492 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 16 games and five starts.

Houshmandzadeh missed the 2003 season with a severe hamstring injury.

In 2004, he was listed as the team's third receiver behind Peter Warrick and Chad Johnson.

However, Warrick became injured and Houshmandzadeh was promoted to the starting lineup with Johnson.

In Week 3 of the 2004 season, against the Baltimore Ravens, Housmandzadeh had seven receptions for 116 receiving yards.

In Week 12, against the Cleveland Browns, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 58–48 victory.

In Week 13, in another game against Baltimore, he had ten receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown in the 27–26 victory.

In Week 14, against the New England Patriots, he had 12 receptions for 145 receiving yards.

In the 2004 season, Houshmandzadeh had 73 receptions for 978 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts.

"They're both unique", says former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer of Johnson and Houshmandzadeh.

"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."

With the release of Warrick during the 2005 training camp, Houshmandzadeh retained the starting position and he and Johnson soon earned recognition for being among the NFL's most exciting receiving tandems.

In March 2005, the Bengals rewarded Houshmandzadeh with a four-year, $13 million contract and an undisclosed bonus.

In Week 4 of the 2005 season, Houshmandzadeh had eight receptions for 105 yards in a 16–10 victory over the Houston Texans.

In Week 12, against the Baltimore Ravens, he had nine receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown in the 42–29 victory.

In Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 38–31 victory.

In the 2005 season, Houshmandzadeh had 78 receptions for 956 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

In the Wild Card Round against the Steelers, he had a receiving touchdown in the 31–17 loss.

Houshmandzadeh played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, the Baltimore Ravens in 2010 and the Oakland Raiders in 2011.

In 2016, he joined Long Beach Poly High School as a wide receivers coach and was elevated to Varsity Offensive Coordinator in 2018.

Houshmandzadeh also works as a football analyst for FS1.

Houshmandzadeh dropped out of Barstow High School in Barstow, California.

He later enrolled at Cerritos College.