Raghib Ismail, also known as Rocket, was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended grade school at Sister Clara Muhammad Elementary and Martin Luther King Elementary in Newark, New Jersey until his father died when he was 10 years old. He and his brothers moved to Detroit, Michigan for six months to live with their maternal grandmother who was 60 years of age while their mother secured several jobs to make ends meet. They moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with their paternal grandmother who was 77 years old at the time, where he attended Elmer L. Meyers junior and senior high school before attending the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship. Rocket was a consensus All-American and is a College Football Hall of Famer. After his collegiate career he went on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. He has since retired and now resides in Dallas, Texas where he is peacefully married to his wife Melani (pronounced Muh – Lah – Knee). They have four children, two boys and two girls. Rocket is currently a coordinator in the central south region for the NFL Legends Community and does motivational and inspirational speaking when his time allows.