Bakhtiar was born in Tehran, Iran, on January 8, 1934, and emigrated to the United States as a boy.
In September 1956, he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record with 210 rushing yards against VMI.
[4] He later played in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders in 1958 before enrolling in medical school at the University of Virginia.
[5] Following the Iranian Revolution, he fled to Turkey with his family and returned to the United States.
[6] Bakhtiar's sister was Laleh, a scholar, author, translator, and clinical psychologist.