Husain Abdullah finally fell asleep about 5:30 the morning after the Vikings' preseason finale at Dallas and was awake two hours later. He was too nervous to sleep. Or do anything except sit and wonder.
A long shot to make the team, Abdullah did enough to put himself on the bubble of making the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie safety from Washington State.
"It was nerve-wracking because you don't know," he said. "All you can do is hope that you did a good enough job during the preseason that they want to keep you. I was trying not to think about it, but the whole time I was thinking about it. I didn't want to put my hardship on anybody else so I was just sitting by myself, nervous."
He was able to exhale later that afternoon when he found out he made the team. The Vikings like his coverage skills, instincts and ability to play special teams.
There's little doubt Abdullah sits near the bottom of the roster, so he can't afford to get too comfortable. Then again, his upbringing never allowed him to take anything for granted.
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One of 12 children
Raised in Pomona, Calif., Abdullah grew up in a family with 12 children. He learned to scrape by on hard work and little else. He knows a thing or two about beating long odds.
"It's been a long struggle for him and me and our family," said older brother Hamza, a backup safety with the Denver Broncos. "I was so proud that he made the team. Like a dad proud of his son. I'm still smiling."
Husain, 23, is the fourth child born to Yusuf and Sa'eeda, who have eight boys and four girls.
"Pretty much everybody is two years apart," Husain said. "It was good planning."
Sa'eeda home-schooled her children until they reached junior high. Yusuf was a carpenter and handyman who often brought his boys along to help with projects.
"We all chipped in and worked to try to make money so we could have a house and food and clothes," Husain said.
Hamza said the family received help from the Muslim community. He said people often brought a "giveaway bag" filled with toys and clothes, and the siblings wore mostly hand-me-downs.
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"We had a sock basket," Hamza said, laughing at the memory. "All the socks in the house were thrown in the basket. If you wanted socks, you grabbed two that almost looked alike."
'He's going to be around the ball'
Hamza probably knows his brother's talent better than anyone, too. He said he's "absolutely exuberant" that Husain made an NFL roster but not surprised.
"Husain is the type of player that if he gets one rep or 50 reps, he's going to make a play," Hamza said. "He's going to be around the ball."
Vikings coach Brad Childress said Husain showed steady improvement throughout camp, and he got more reps as he learned the system. Injuries, including one to Madieu Williams, opened the door a little wider for him to make an impression.
"We saw a guy who is sponge-like," Childress said.
Husain goes about his business quietly. He doesn't say much, preferring to watch and listen and learn.
"Every time I saw myself doing something wrong, I made it a goal to improve and do better the next time," he said. "It went from the coaches calling me out for doing the wrong thing to them calling me out for doing the right thing."
