20 years later, the Ickey Shuffle still lives … in contest form

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 | 12:28 p.m.

Some touchdown celebrations never die. They wind up more famous than the plays that put the points on the board in the first place.

And sometimes, that's not such a bad thing.

The Ickey Shuffle, which former Rebel running back Ickey Woods made famous as a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals, swept the nation in 1988, as one of the NFL's perennial lovable loser franchises made its way to Super Bowl XXIII.

Woods, a second-round pick that year out of UNLV, would never duplicate his statistical success from that season (1,066 yards and 15 TDs, 228 yards and 3 TDs in the playoffs) as his career was shortened due to multiple knee injuries. He was out of the NFL by the end of the 1991 season.

But now Woods, currently the head coach of the Cincinnati Sizzle of the National Women's Football League, is back in the Internet spotlight, taking part in a contest called 'Celebration Legends,' presented by Chex Mix.

It takes six players considered legends of celebration, and pits them against one another each week in a running competition, with the winners of each week's head-to-head matchups voted on by viewers.

Each week, the former NFL players must perform the same celebration. Last week's celebration was The Shuffle. Fittingly, Woods is 1-0, having won his clash with former Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard.

The other celebrations (and participants) include ...

-Howard's 'The Pose,' from when he did the Heisman Trophy pose in the end zone in 1991 against Ohio State after running a punt back for a score.

-Rod 'He Hate Me' Smart's 'The Beast', which involves players thumping their chest and howling. He burst onto the national scene playing for the Las Vegas Outlaws in the now defunct XFL.

-Leroy Butler's 'The Leap,' which is also known as 'The Lambeau Leap.' The former Green Bay Packer safety is credited with having started the phenomenon at Lambeau Field, used whenever a Packer crosses the goal line.

-Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson's Funky Chicken,' which, well, really needs no further explanation.

-Maybe the most classic celebration is Barry Sanders' 'The Handoff,' which really isn't a celebration at all. Sanders was known for having never celebrated a score in jubilant fashion during his 10-year career with the Detroit Lions. Instead, he handed the ball to the ref following each of his 109 career scores. The future Hall of Famer has maintained that course so far in two weeks of this competition.

The six 'Legends' will compete for 10 weeks, with the top four moving onto the semifinals in Week 11, and then the final will take place during Week 12.