Richard Pearsall Jr. (born September 9, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played

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for the Arizona State Sun Devils and

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. Pearsall was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was shot in the chest during a botched robbery attempt over his

Rolex watch Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

in San Francisco on August 31, 2024, and released the following day. On September 1, 2024, he was placed on the reserve/ NFI list.

Early life and high school

Pearsall was born on September 9, 2000, in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in nearby Chandler, Arizona, and attended

Corona del Sol High School Corona del Sol High School is located in Tempe, Arizona, United States. It was established in 1977 and is a part of the Tempe Union High School District. History The local architecture firm of Michael & Kemper Goodwin Ltd. was hired to design ...

in Tempe, Arizona. As a junior, he set the Arizona High School 6A receiving yard record for a single game with 342 on 14 receptions against Gilbert High School. Pearsall finished the season with 74 receptions for 1,153 yards and 15 touchdowns. Pearsall was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Arizona State over offers from Air Force, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, and UC Davis.

College career

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State. He had seven receptions for 128 yards as a freshman. Pearsall played in all four of the Sun Devils' games in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 Pac-12 season and caught six passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. Pearsall had 48 receptions for 580 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns as a junior. After the 2021 season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal. Pearsall ultimately transferred to Florida after also considering Oregon. He suffered from a foot injury during training camp, but recovered prior to the start of the 2022 season. Pearsall finished the season with 33 receptions for 661 yards and five touchdowns.

Professional career

Pearsall was selected in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers with the 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. On June 21, 2024, Pearsall signed a four-year rookie contract with the 49ers. On September 2, Pearsall was placed on the reserve/ NFI list following a gunshot wound to the chest.

Shooting

On August 31, 2024, a 17-year-old

Tracy, California Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 93,000 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Tracy is located inside a geographic triangle form ...

male allegedly attempting to steal Pearsall's Rolex watch, shot Pearsall in the chest. The robbery occurred afternoon in Union Square, San Francisco. He was reportedly en route to an autograph signing event. There was a struggle for the gun, and both Pearsall and the suspect were shot. He was released from the hospital the next day after his condition was upgraded from serious to fair.

Personal life

Pearsall's father, Ricky Pearsall Sr., is a captain within the

Phoenix Fire Department The Phoenix Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona. The department responded to 186,594 calls during 2014–2015, with 88% being for emergency medical services. ...

and played college football at Northern Arizona.

References

External links

Florida Gators bioArizona State Sun Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearsall, Ricky 2000 births American shooting survivors American football wide receivers Arizona State Sun Devils football players Florida Gators football players Living people Players of American football from Arizona San Francisco 49ers players