Abdul-Karim played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning second-team All-American honors in 1995.
Despite leaving school with one season of eligibility remaining, he ranks third on the Bruins' all-time rushing list with 3,030 yards on 482 carries (5.2 avg.)
In 1999, he started the first three games for the Dolphins before getting deactivated and benched for rookies Cecil Collins and J.J. Johnson.
On July 13, 2000, the Colts signed Abdul-Karim to a one-year contract to replace the late Fred Lane, who was murdered by his wife the week before.
The name controversy was periodically spoofed on postgame recaps, such as in 1996 when Chris Berman of ESPN called an Abdul-Jabbar touchdown rush with an imitation of Marv Albert, who was famous for announcing basketball as well as football games.
The lawsuit led to the football player changing his legal name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar.