What Is The Ickey Shuffle?

Though I was alive and watching football (and by "watching" I mean "most likely napping in the living room while my family watched football") when former Cincinnati Bengals fullback Ickey Woods was in the league, I do not remember it. For I was but a little one. A youngin'. My memory has its limits. So, when I saw that new Geico commercial that cuts to Woods breaking out the Ickey Shuffle when it is his turn to place an order at the deli counter, the dance didn’t ring a bell. Ugh, way to be a Millennial, Kristie. I love a touchdown dance, so of course I researched the Ickey Shuffle. I mean, hi. That finger point twirl move is everything.

Both the Ickey Shuffle and Woods made their NFL debut in 1988. Woods' first year in the league was quite the rookie season: He scored 15 touchdowns, helped take the Bengals to the Super Bowl, and shared the Ickey Shuffle with the world.

In a slideshow tribute to the best touchdown celebrations in NFL history, Sports Illustrated for Kids breaks down the steps of the Ickey Shuffle: “three hops to the left, three to the right, three hops back, a spike of the ball, and a finger twirl.”

Would you like to watch a step-by-step Ickey Shuffle tutorial led by Woods? Get your dancing cleats on:

Now you can do the Ickey Shuffle in the grocery store, too! (A word of advice: Don't do it if you're holding something like a carton of eggs or a pint of milk. Ickey Shuffle responsibly.)

Image: GEICO Insurance/YouTube