Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draft. He played high school football at El Camino Real High School, where he was named to the CIF Los Angeles City Section 4-A All-City first-team in 1989. He went on to play college football at Moorpark College for the Moorpark College Raiders before playing for the Utah Utes.
Anderson earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1998, leading the NFC in rushing and helping the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII. He suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2001 while finishing his eight-year career with 41 touchdowns and nearly 7,000 yards of offense.
College career
Anderson attended Moorpark College in 1990–1991, where he had over 2,800 rushing yards and was named First Team All-Western State Conference in both years. He then attended the University of Utah on a scholarship, where he had 1,275 rushing yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns in his two years on the team.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
Anderson played eight seasons with the Falcons, amassing 5,336 rushing yards, 156 receptions for 1,645 yards, and 41 touchdowns before he suffered what became a career-ending tear of his ACL in 2001. He broke the 1,000-yard barrier in four different seasons between 1996 and 2000. His best season was 1998, when he set an NFL record with 410 carries, and finished with 1,846 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, both totals second in the league that year behind Terrell Davis.
Anderson was well known for his "Dirty Bird" touchdown celebration, in which he flapped his arms as if they were wings and rhythmically bouncing side to side. The dance has been widely copied; in a press conference Anderson stated, “people break out and do the Dirty Bird in the strangest places.”
NFL statistics
Rushing Stats
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Team !! Games !! Carries !! Yards !! Yards per Carry !! Longest Carry !! Touchdowns !! First Downs !! Fumbles !! Fumbles Lost
|-
| 1994 || ATL || 3 || 2 || -1 || -0.5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| 1995 || ATL || 16 || 39 || 161 || 4.1 || 13 || 1 || 10 || 0 || 0
|-
| 1996 || ATL || 16 || 232 || 1,055 || 4.5 || 32 || 5 || 46 || 3 || 3
|-
| 1997 || ATL || 16 || 290 || 1,002 || 3.5 || 39 || 7 || 54 || 3 || 1
|-
| 1998 || ATL || 16 || 410 || 1,846 || 4.5 || 48 || 14 || 90 || 5 || 2
|-
| 1999 || ATL || 2 || 19 || 59 || 3.1 || 20 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0
|-
| 2000 || ATL || 16 || 282 || 1,024 || 3.6 || 42 || 6 || 53 || 6 || 4
|-
| 2001 || ATL || 3 || 55 || 190 || 3.5 || 14 || 1 || 8 || 1 || 1
|-
| Career || || 88 || 1,329 || 5,336 || 4.0 || 48 || 34 || 262 || 18 || 11
|}
Receiving Stats
Anderson was arrested for DUI on June 24, 2012. He was arrested in DeKalb county, just northeast of Atlanta.
Anderson was banned from a QuikTrip store in Suwanee, Georgia on December 14, 2016, after allegedly exposing himself and appearing intoxicated. He was not arrested, but was issued a warning for criminal trespass, effectively a warning that he will be arrested if he returns to that QuikTrip location.
Anderson was arrested on December 23, 2018, after refusing to pay his limo driver $50. He was arrested by Gwinnett County Police where he was released on $213 bail. The limo driver did not press charges. Anderson was intoxicated.
On November 5, 2025 Anderson was arrested on "suspicion of felony domestic violence" at his Los Angeles home in San Fernando Valley. Police said that Anderson was involved in a verbal disagreement that escalated into violence where Anderson allegedly strangled the victim. He was released from custody on a $50,000 bond.
His son, Jamal, is a linebacker for the Clemson Tigers.