Retired NFL Star Returns To Newark For Field Renaming In His Honor: WATCH

NEWARK, NJ — “My family is here; this is where my heart is.” That was the reaction from former NFL linebacker Tahir Whitehead as he presided as the guest of honor at a renaming ceremony in Newark.

City officials, community members and football fans gathered on April 11 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly dubbed Tahir Whitehead Sports Complex at Nat Turner Park.

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Whitehead enjoyed a stellar NFL career that saw him named Detroit Lions 2013 MVP and Pro Bowl 2014 Special Teamer nominee. With the Oakland Raiders, he was voted team captain, named ambassador for the NFL International Games in London, and nominated as the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his efforts directed to his community off the field.

During that time, he was honored with a key to the City of Newark, had his #4 football jersey retired at West Side High School, and saw the school fitness center named in his honor. Since retiring, Whitehead has been inducted into both the West Side High School and Newark Hall of Fame, and the Newark Housing Authority has honored him by renaming a recreation center the Tahir Whitehead TREC.

Whitehead was born and raised in Newark’s West Ward by his mother Quadira Whitehead, and the Brick City played a big role in his early sports career, according to a news release from the mayor’s office:

“The second of five children, [Whitehead] was 9-years-old when he discovered his love of football. Starting in the Newark Pop Warner Football League for the Central Ward Cougars, he went on to play for Newark’s Westside High School, where he earned all-conference honors his junior and senior year. In 2007, under the leadership of head coach Brian Logan, Whitehead helped bring the West Side Rough Riders their first state title in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 3 championship. He received the invite to the NJ/NY All Star Classic, and earned a full athletic scholarship to Temple University where he was a dean’s list student, four-year letterman and team captain while earning his degree in criminal justice… In 2020, Whitehead signed to the Carolina Panthers, where he was again elected captain, and was named to Temple University’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2020… Whitehead went on to play his final season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, and in September of 2022 officially retired after a 10-year NFL career.”

Off the field, Whitehead is a successful entrepreneur – and he hasn’t forgotten his former home, city officials say:

“In 2022, Tahir and his wife Shannon opened their first of many early childcare learning facilities in Metro Atlanta. As a husband and father of five sons, Whitehead considers himself much more than a football star. He is a philanthropist and businessman with the intention to revitalize Newark as he remodels multiple homes in his home town, with many projects currently in the works.”

“My family is here; this is where my heart is,” Whitehead said.

“Everything I’ve ever done, I kept that at the forefront of my mind,” the retired football star said. “It was important to me to never forget about the City of Newark no matter where I was, and to really encourage the youth to understand that you, too, can do it.”

“We applaud Tahir’s excellence on the football field, but more importantly, we applaud his success in life – his ability to be here and give us his time and attention, consistently and continuously throughout his life and career,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

Donnell Redding, director of the city’s Department of Recreation, Cultural Affairs, and Senior Services, also applauded Whitehead for his sports career – and his community service.

“The Tahir Whitehead Sports Complex is named in his honor to recognize his outstanding legacy as a Newark native who distinguished himself through athletic excellence,” Redding said. “His achievements at the highest level of professional football, along with the pride and integrity with which he represented the City of Newark, make this recognition both fitting and meaningful.”

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