PAINFUL PAST GIVES WAY TO BRIGHT FUTURE AS A CHILD, SHAR POURDANESH FLED HIS NATIVE IRAN AND FOUND PREJUDICE IN AMERICA. NOW, HE SEEKS A HOME ON THE SKINS' LINE.
Shar Pourdanesh had a normal childhood in Teheran, Iran, in the late 1970s.
As normal a childhood, that is, as one could have in a nation that was imploding.
He rode his bike and his skateboard. He played video games. He also obeyed martial law because he saw the bodies of those who didn't. He saw the riots. He saw the fear on his parents' faces.
At 6-foot-4, 326 pounds, he almost certainly will make it as a left offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins and the NFL's first native Iranian.
He has become one of the most popular players on the team. The other night, players began chanting ``Shar ... Shar ... Shar,'' the unofficial call for rookies to stand and sing their alma mater.
Reluctantly, Pourdanesh stood, then told the team he would sing the Russian national anthem instead. Pourdanesh uttered some gibberish, but did it with such gusto that his teammates loved it. He speaks three languages. Who knew Russian wasn't one of them?
``He's a fun-loving guy,'' quarterback Gus Frerotte says. ``The guys have really taken to him.''
And he to them. But Pourdanesh clearly remembers his roots and the pain that came with being of Iranian descent.
His family left Teheran when he was 9. Now 26, he hasn't seen nearly 40 of his relatives since.
His two sisters arrived in California in 1979 to attend Catholic school. He, his father and mother hopscotched through Europe for 3 1/2 years before getting visas to join them in the United States.
But leaving Iran behind was no simple task. Once, Pourdanesh was leaving a building in Hamburg, Germany, on a holiday similar to our 4th of July. When he heard fireworks, Pourdanesh threw himself to the ground, hands covering his head, reflexively quaking at what might come next.
``The worst part was that I knew they were firecrackers,'' he says, ``and this was a year after I had left Iran. I thought, `Boy, am I really messed up.' ''
In 1983, the family arrived in Costa Mesa, Calif. Pourdanesh, who was in the eighth grade, barely spoke English. Changing classes one day, a student bumped into him. Instead of apologizing, he asked Pourdanesh if he was from Iran. Pourdanesh said yes and ducked an instant before his face was used for a punching bag.
Daily for the next couple of years, Pourdanesh says, kids challenged him to fight.
``I had so much pride I'd tell myself I couldn't back down,'' Pourdanesh said. ``I'd get one guy, then his older brother would come up with his friends and we'd go. I finally developed a plan. I'd go right at the biggest guy. The others would join in, but I figured if I had the biggest guy in my hands, there wasn't much the rest would do.
``One time, there were three of them, and one guy stripped the cover off an umbrella. I was on the ground with the biggest guy, rolling, and this guy with the umbrella would whip that at my head.
``It was like, `punch, punch, duck . . . punch, punch, duck.' I developed a pretty good sense of timing.''
From eighth grade until his sophomore year in high school, Pourdanesh had no friends, just bitter, faceless enemies. Sometimes, teachers would escort him between classes for protection. Sometimes, they just let him go. When school administrators did anything, he says, they suspended him for fighting.
``I've never disliked this country. I did dislike the people who were doing that to me, because they didn't know me,'' he says of his classmates.
Pourdanesh never asked his parents to leave America because ``you don't go through four years of living in hotels, then leave a country that offers what this one does.''
In middle school, Pourdanesh stood 5-9. As a high school sophomore in Irvine, Calif., however, he was 6-4, 180 pounds and an excellent wrestler. He went to the weight room one day and asked the attendant if he could join a friend who was pumping iron.
``Turns out he was the football coach,'' Pourdanesh says, laughing. ``He suddenly put his arm around me and began telling me that I should play football for him. I could get a college scholarship. I could someday sign a big professional contract. It was all bull.''
Except that it came true.
Pourdanesh had two college scholarship offers for wrestling and one for football - from Nevada-Reno. In wrestling, his father reminded him, the Olympics were the end of the line. In football, there was the NFL.
Only it wasn't that easy.
After college, Pourdanesh had a tryout with the Cleveland Browns, but was cut. He went back to Reno, finished his degree and figured he was done with football.
That was fine. He missed his Reno friends too much to devote his life to a game.
Then he watched a friend on the Browns play ``and I said, `Oh my God, what have you done?' It was the first time I realized how much I loved football, that I wanted to have a career.''
An opposing coach he knew from college had just accepted a job as offensive line coach for the Canadian Football League's Baltimore franchise. He saw Pourdanesh's name on the waiver wire and called.
``He told me, `You stay here two years and they'll be begging for you back in the NFL,' '' Pourdanesh said.
He was right. Pourdanesh was All-CFL two straight years and the league's lineman of the year in '94.
The Redskins found him when they he was in Washington to process papers to play for the London Monarchs of the WLAF. They asked him to come by Redskin Park before he left the country. Tight ends coach Russ Grimm gave him a workout. Pourdanesh never made it to the airport.
``I really like him, but you're always concerned about a lineman until you see him perform in pads,'' offensive line coach Jim Hanifan said. ``He's held up his end. He's got a tremendous work ethic, is very smart and coachable and he's some kind of tough. He's an excellent prospect.''
Pourdanesh is closing the gap behind starter Joe Patton. He soon could win the job as starting left tackle. At worst, he's the first sub.
``Sure, I think I'm living a dream,'' he says. ``Two years ago, I thought I was out of football for sure. Now, I'm getting paid to do something I love. God willing, for this season and many more to come, I'll get paid for having fun.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Shar Pourdanesh had a normal childhood in Teheran, Iran, in the late 1970s.
As normal a childhood, that is, as one could have in a nation that was imploding.
He rode his bike and his skateboard. He played video games. He also obeyed martial law because he saw the bodies of those who didn't. He saw the riots. He saw the fear on his parents' faces.
At 6-foot-4, 326 pounds, he almost certainly will make it as a left offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins and the NFL's first native Iranian.
He has become one of the most popular players on the team. The other night, players began chanting ``Shar ... Shar ... Shar,'' the unofficial call for rookies to stand and sing their alma mater.
Reluctantly, Pourdanesh stood, then told the team he would sing the Russian national anthem instead. Pourdanesh uttered some gibberish, but did it with such gusto that his teammates loved it. He speaks three languages. Who knew Russian wasn't one of them?
``He's a fun-loving guy,'' quarterback Gus Frerotte says. ``The guys have really taken to him.''
And he to them. But Pourdanesh clearly remembers his roots and the pain that came with being of Iranian descent.
His family left Teheran when he was 9. Now 26, he hasn't seen nearly 40 of his relatives since.
His two sisters arrived in California in 1979 to attend Catholic school. He, his father and mother hopscotched through Europe for 3 1/2 years before getting visas to join them in the United States.
But leaving Iran behind was no simple task. Once, Pourdanesh was leaving a building in Hamburg, Germany, on a holiday similar to our 4th of July. When he heard fireworks, Pourdanesh threw himself to the ground, hands covering his head, reflexively quaking at what might come next.
``The worst part was that I knew they were firecrackers,'' he says, ``and this was a year after I had left Iran. I thought, `Boy, am I really messed up.' ''
In 1983, the family arrived in Costa Mesa, Calif. Pourdanesh, who was in the eighth grade, barely spoke English. Changing classes one day, a student bumped into him. Instead of apologizing, he asked Pourdanesh if he was from Iran. Pourdanesh said yes and ducked an instant before his face was used for a punching bag.
Daily for the next couple of years, Pourdanesh says, kids challenged him to fight.
``I had so much pride I'd tell myself I couldn't back down,'' Pourdanesh said. ``I'd get one guy, then his older brother would come up with his friends and we'd go. I finally developed a plan. I'd go right at the biggest guy. The others would join in, but I figured if I had the biggest guy in my hands, there wasn't much the rest would do.
``One time, there were three of them, and one guy stripped the cover off an umbrella. I was on the ground with the biggest guy, rolling, and this guy with the umbrella would whip that at my head.
``It was like, `punch, punch, duck . . . punch, punch, duck.' I developed a pretty good sense of timing.''
From eighth grade until his sophomore year in high school, Pourdanesh had no friends, just bitter, faceless enemies. Sometimes, teachers would escort him between classes for protection. Sometimes, they just let him go. When school administrators did anything, he says, they suspended him for fighting.
``I've never disliked this country. I did dislike the people who were doing that to me, because they didn't know me,'' he says of his classmates.
Pourdanesh never asked his parents to leave America because ``you don't go through four years of living in hotels, then leave a country that offers what this one does.''
In middle school, Pourdanesh stood 5-9. As a high school sophomore in Irvine, Calif., however, he was 6-4, 180 pounds and an excellent wrestler. He went to the weight room one day and asked the attendant if he could join a friend who was pumping iron.
``Turns out he was the football coach,'' Pourdanesh says, laughing. ``He suddenly put his arm around me and began telling me that I should play football for him. I could get a college scholarship. I could someday sign a big professional contract. It was all bull.''
Except that it came true.
Pourdanesh had two college scholarship offers for wrestling and one for football - from Nevada-Reno. In wrestling, his father reminded him, the Olympics were the end of the line. In football, there was the NFL.
Only it wasn't that easy.
After college, Pourdanesh had a tryout with the Cleveland Browns, but was cut. He went back to Reno, finished his degree and figured he was done with football.
That was fine. He missed his Reno friends too much to devote his life to a game.
Then he watched a friend on the Browns play ``and I said, `Oh my God, what have you done?' It was the first time I realized how much I loved football, that I wanted to have a career.''
An opposing coach he knew from college had just accepted a job as offensive line coach for the Canadian Football League's Baltimore franchise. He saw Pourdanesh's name on the waiver wire and called.
``He told me, `You stay here two years and they'll be begging for you back in the NFL,' '' Pourdanesh said.
He was right. Pourdanesh was All-CFL two straight years and the league's lineman of the year in '94.
The Redskins found him when they he was in Washington to process papers to play for the London Monarchs of the WLAF. They asked him to come by Redskin Park before he left the country. Tight ends coach Russ Grimm gave him a workout. Pourdanesh never made it to the airport.
``I really like him, but you're always concerned about a lineman until you see him perform in pads,'' offensive line coach Jim Hanifan said. ``He's held up his end. He's got a tremendous work ethic, is very smart and coachable and he's some kind of tough. He's an excellent prospect.''
Pourdanesh is closing the gap behind starter Joe Patton. He soon could win the job as starting left tackle. At worst, he's the first sub.
``Sure, I think I'm living a dream,'' he says. ``Two years ago, I thought I was out of football for sure. Now, I'm getting paid to do something I love. God willing, for this season and many more to come, I'll get paid for having fun.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
