Shaheed family photo: Cassondra, Aysha, Rashid, Amirah, and Haneef.
* * *
SAN DIEGO -- On any fall Sunday, Haneef Shaheed checks the TV listings to see when his son, Rashid, will be playing for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL.
Come winter, he goes through the University of California women's track and field schedule to see where his daughter, Aysha, will be competing indoors for the Golden Bears.
In the spring, he posts the Madison High track schedule to make sure he doesn't miss watching his youngest daughter, Amirah, sprint for the Warhawks.
Talk about a wealth of riches. Most parents would feel blessed just to have one of those choices.
Haneef and his wife, Cassondra, are fully aware not only are the children successful at the highest level, but fate has entered in and allowed Haneef the ability to continue as sprint coach of a youth track team, Havoc, as well as Madison High because he works from home for Anthem Insurance.
"When the Pandemic hit, we all went home to work," said Haneef with a chuckle. "Once that passed, they decided why pay for a building, so we work from home.
"It's a blessing and a curse but on the plus side I'm just glad to be able to help. I'm here for the kids."
Whether it's his own three kids or the club kids, some like 2019 two-event CIF-State champion Kenan Christon, the feeling is the same. Always has been, starting with Rashid.
Although Rashid did compete in track for Mt. Carmel High where he clocked a 48.54 in the 400, Haneef knew that wasn't Rashid's primary interest.
"From the time he was 3-4 years old, he wanted to play football," recalled Haneef. "He might have set records in the 100, 200 and 400 and he still would have chosen football. He was a Pac-12 track athlete, but he wanted to play football, so he went to Weber State.
"I'm glad that was his choice. When he was little, he'd insist on practicing on a regular field, which kept me in shape. We'd go one-on-one and he wanted to get tackled. If I eased up on him, he'd get angry.
"He ran track, but it was always to get better in football."
In his senior year at Weber State, Rashid was getting looks from the pros until the final game of the season when he tore his ACL and MCL. The fact the wide receiver had accounted for 5,478 all-purpose yards, including seven TD kickoff returns, didn't matter.
"Interest immediately dried up," said Haneef. "He missed all the combines, all the camps, all the pro days. But on the sixth round on draft day, he got a call from the Saints, who didn't have very many draft picks, to tell him he'd be the first non-drafted free agent they signed.
"He tried to remain optimistic and when he wasn't drafted, the Saints came through. By the opening of camp, he was about 85 percent healthy and by the end of the season, he was back to 100 percent.
Actually, by the end of the season he was appearing on NFL highlight films along with another football/track rookie player with San Diego roots, Chris Olave.
At 6-foot, 180-pounds, Rashid came on with a rush the final five games of the season, catching 34 passes for 488 yards (17.2 average) with a long of 68 yards, which was one of two touchdowns.
"He always envisioned himself playing in the NFL," said Haneef, "and he made it happen." ''
Aysha and Amirah went 1-2 in the 100m at the 2021 San Diego Section D-3 Finals.
* * *
Aysha's goal was to get a college scholarship and she, too, had to overcome hurdle after hurdle, not the least of which was COVID-19 restrictions.
"While track was a springboard for football for Rashid, track was a social outlet for Aysha," said Haneef. "She really enjoyed being with her friends, no matter what school, and she just loved networking with all the track and field people.
"Practice sometimes was a challenge, but she kept after it."
Aysha missed the entire 2020 season like everyone else because of COVID-19 and even in 2021, her senior year, when she was among the favorites, the state cancelled the championship meet early enough for the section to have an Open championship which led to an unofficial state meet at Arcadia High.
After suffering just one loss in the 100-meter dash, at the Arcadia Invitational (11.76), she won the San Diego Section Division 3 title in 11.71 and then roared to a 24.30 to capture the 200. At the SDS Open championship she clocked a PR of 11.61 in the 100 and 24.14 in the 200.
At the unofficial state meet at Arcadia, which included all of the top girls sprinters, Aysha swept the 100 (11.68) and the 200 (24.07), beating the likes of Carson's Reign Redmond (11.83) and Buchanan's Lauren Fowler (24.37).
Although Aysha and the rest of the women had to adjust to a new assistant women's coach at Cal, Ronnye Harrison, she was right on her best times in the 100 at 11.62 and she equaled her PR in the 200 at 24.07. Where she really opened eyes was in the 4x100 relay where she anchored Cal to a school record 43.99.
"She's really looking forward to this season," said Haneef. "One of the girls on the team improved from 11.40 to 10.98 and she's looking for that kind of improvement.
"Aysha doesn't eat, sleep and breathe track. She has gotten by on natural ability but now she's looking for Coach Harrison to bring out the tiger in her."
Last weekend she tied the school record in the 200m running 23.81 at a meet at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Which brings us to the youngest of the Rasheeds, Amirah, who on Saturday will compete in the sprints at the CA Winter Championships at Arcadia HS.
Her freshman year she was a surprising fourth in the unofficial state meet in the 100 at 12.06 and looked ready to take on the rest of the state last year when at the SDS 100 finals she scorched an 11.66. That ended up being the fourth-fastest time in the state as en route to possibly sweeping the sprints, she pulled up in the 200 with a hamstring injury.
"That's where it was tough being a father-coach," said Haneef. "She noticed some hamstring tenderness during the week, but she didn't say anything. That was a very tough vision for me -- her pulling up.
"It was a catastrophe for college recruiting but it was a great learning experience and not just track.
"Amirah has seen both methods of practicing (Rashid and Aysha) but she wants to go to an SEC school, the upper level of track, and she wants to win the state title. She wants both the section 100 and 200 records and while she has the ability to get the 100 (11.43 by El Camino's Jasmine Gibbs in 2012), that 200 mark is really good (23.16 by three-time Olympian Monique Henderson of Morse in 2001)."
Haneef said he really isn't concerned about what place Amirah gets, as long as she runs the times she wants.
"Place doesn't matter," said Haneef, "we focus on the clock, not other athletes. Her strength is the second half of her race so now we're working on her start and getting her stronger."
Of course, there's a carrot.
"We've already agreed that if she breaks 24 seconds, she can go out for cheerleading," said Haneef, knowing Amirah's best official time is 24.45, where she placed second at Mt. SAC last season.
Don't bet against it with this family.
Steve Brand is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to MileSplit
Photos by Clark Kranz, Angel Pena, and Jeffrey Parenti.