Adam Bisnowaty (born December 14, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tackle who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played college football for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

as a four-year starter at

left tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

, and was First-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

his last two seasons. He played in the NFL for the New York Giants.

Early life

Bisnowaty was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and is Jewish.Nolan Nawrocki (2017)
''NFL Draft 2017''
/ref> His parents are Miron and Randi Bisnowaty. He has a sister, Dana Bisnowaty."Adam Bisnowaty - 2016 Football Roster"
pittsburghpanthers.com. His father is Israeli-born, grew up in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ar ...

, served in the Agaf HaModi'in (the military intelligence unit of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

), and came to the United States at the age of 27.Meet the Giant who wears his Judaism on (and under) his sleeve
/ref>
Ynet. Adam's paternal grandmother is a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

who escaped the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s by hiding in the woods in Poland. Bisnowaty said: "I have a deep connection with Israel, my two parents are Jewish, my father is from Israel, and a large part of my family still lives there." He has a large Hebrew tattoo on his left arm, which translates to "I am what I am," which in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

God said to Moses when Moses asked what to call him. Growing up, he preferred basketball, baseball, and wrestling to football."Adam Bisnowaty, a four-star OT, grew to love football,"
ESPN. In seventh grade, he weighed , and in eighth grade he weighed , and with his size his attention soon shifted to football.

High school career

Fox Chapel Area High School Fox Chapel Area High School (Established in 1961) is a public school located in the Pittsburgh suburb of O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was recognized and honored as a National Blue Ribbon School twice. The ...

in Pennsylvania, Bisnowaty played

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

and tackle, was ranked the country's # 19 recruit by

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

, and was a four-star recruit.Ryan Palencer (2015)
''The Next Wave''
/ref>
NJ.com.
PennLive.com. He was named Pennsylvania Football News All-Class AAAA, and all-conference at

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He also competed in wrestling for the high school, and in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

—throwing discus,

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

, and

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

(for which he holds the school record at 43' 7").

College career

Bisnowaty played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

, choosing them over Florida and 12 other offers. He earned an undergraduate degree from Pittsburgh in communications in 2015, and a master's degree in health and fitness. In 2012, he

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

ed. Subsequently, Bisnowaty was a four-year starter at

. He was named to the ''

Jewish Sports Review ''Jewish Sports Review (JSR)'' is a bi-monthly magazine that was established in 1997. Its editors are Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman. The magazine identifies which star and professional athletes are Jewish. It also covers and has all-time lists ...

'' 2014 College Football All-America Offensive Team. He was a First-team All-

(ACC) selection in each of his final seasons, and was named to the All-ACC Academic team for four consecutive years. As a senior in 2016 he started every game at left tackle. He finished his college career with 43 starts in 45 games.

Professional career

New York Giants

Bisnowaty was drafted by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the sixth round, 200th overall, of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. The Giants traded up seven spots to draft him. He signed with the team in May 2017, on a four-year deal worth $2.5 million with a $147,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. In June 2017, Giants' offensive line coach

Mike Solari Mike Solari (born January 16, 1955) is an American football coach and former player. Solari has previously worked for five other National Football League (NFL) teams, including a stint as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs from 200 ...

said: "It's still early. Right now, we got him at

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

. But he has versatility, he could go to

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

." He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Giants' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 30, 2017. The following day, he was the starting right tackle for the Giants in his NFL debut. On May 14, 2018, Bisnowaty was waived by the Giants.

Detroit Lions

On May 15, 2018, Bisnowaty was claimed off waivers by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He was waived on July 31, 2018.

Carolina Panthers

On August 1, 2018, Bisnowaty was claimed off waivers by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2018.

Minnesota Vikings

On October 23, 2018, Bisnowaty was signed to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

practice squad. He reunited with college teammate Brian O'Neill. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings on January 2, 2019. He was waived on May 8, 2019.

Washington Redskins

On May 23, 2019, Bisnowaty signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, but was waived five days later.

Denver Broncos

On August 9, 2019, Bisnowaty was signed by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019. Bisnowaty was drafted in the 7th round in phase two in the

2020 XFL Draft The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...

by the

Dallas Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne ...

References

External links

Pittsburgh Panthers bioTwitterNew York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisnowaty, Adam 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Pittsburgh American people of Israeli descent American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Jewish American sportspeople Pittsburgh Panthers football players New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Carolina Panthers players Minnesota Vikings players Washington Redskins players Denver Broncos players 21st-century American Jews