Mayor Ras J. Baraka celebrated the renaming of the Tahir Whitehead Sports Complex at Nat Turner Park in honor of former NFL linebacker Tahir Whitehead, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Saturday, April 11. The mayor was joined by Department of Recreation, Cultural Affairs, and Senior Services Director Donnell M. Redding, as well as municipal council members, inspirational coaches and community guests to recognize Whitehead’s accomplishments as an international sports star and champion for the wellbeing of Newarkers.
“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,” said Mayor Baraka. “This is just a small token of our appreciation here in the City of Newark.”
Tahir Whitehead was born and raised in Newark’s West Ward by his mother Quadira Whitehead. The second of five children, he was nine 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.
“The Tahir Whitehead Sports Complex is named today in his honor to recognize his outstanding legacy as a Newark native who distinguished himself through athletic excellence,” said Director Redding. “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.”
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 the Key to the City of Newark, had his #4 football jersey retired at West Side High School and the school fitness center named in his honor.
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. Ahead of 2020 season, the Newark Housing Authority honored him by renaming a recreation center the Tahir Whitehead TREC. 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. Since retiring, Tahir has been inducted into both the West Side High School and Newark Hall of Fame.
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,” said Mr. Whitehead. “Everything I’ve ever done, I kept that at the forefront of my mind. 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.”
For photos, click here. Photos courtesy of MAC Media.
For video, click here.