Players

Goodman (6-0, 192) is a second-year wide receiver in his second season with the Chargers. He signed a one-year contract Feb. 11, 2011.

Richard Goodman, or “Goody” as he’s known by teammates, saved his best for last in 2011. He closed out the season in grand fashion, earning the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award after a team-record 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that helped the Chargers to a 38-26 season-ending win over their arch rivals, the Oakland Raiders. Goodman played every game last season and ranked fourth in the NFL with a 27.5-yard kickoff return average.  

An admitted gym rat, Goodman loves to bowl, work out and stay in shape. He plays football with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after almost being overlooked to play in college. At powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Goodman didn’t become a full-time starter until his senior year. By then, most of the major colleges had doled out their scholarship offers, but when Goodman began to beat some of the top prep recruits in the state during the playoffs his senior season, colleges began to take notice. Florida State was one of the first to offer a scholarship and the sincerity of former Coach Bobby Bowden is what led Goodman to Tallahassee to play for the Seminoles.  

One of Goodman’s childhood heroes was Michael Irvin, another alum of St. Thomas Aquinas. The two men grew up in the same area and Goodman has tried to train, compete and approach the game the same way that the Hall of Fame receiver did during his illustrious career.  

Goodman is the oldest of four children who was raised by a single mom with help from his paternal grandmother, Olinthia, who passed in 1998. Now that he’s grown, Goodman has ambitions of starting a foundation to assist single moms. Goodman has a teardrop tattooed below his right eye in memory of his late grandmother and another on his left forearm that’s a tribute to his mother.  Goodman’s best friend is Chicago Bears safety Major Wright.