Brandon "Bam" Childress (born March 31, 1982) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

wide receiver. He was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

as an

undrafted 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 ...

in 2005. He 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 ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. Childress was also a member of the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

Early years

Over the course of his junior year playing football at

St. Peter Chanel High School Saint Peter Chanel High School was a Catholic high school located in Bedford, Ohio, United States, from 1957 to 2013. The school was closed by the Cleveland Catholic Diocese following a drastic, decreasing trend in enrollment. Building St. Peter ...

Bedford, Ohio Bedford is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States located to the east of Cleveland. The population was 13,074 at the 2010 census. It is an eastern first ring suburb of Cleveland. Geography Bedford is located at . It is a first ring subu ...

, Childress set school season receiving records for catches (53) and yardage (874). As a basketball player at Chanel, Childress also helped lead the Firebirds to a perfect 26-0 season and the Division III state title averaging 18 points per game. Chanel's football team went 13-1 during Childress' senior season in 1999. The team lost in the Division V state semi-final to Amanda Clearcreek as Childress amassed more than 300 total yards. For the season, he totaled 41 receptions for 754 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added over 700 yards on punt returns and over 600 yards on kickoff returns. Childress closed his career as the school's all-time leader in scoring (202 points), touchdowns (33), receiving yards (2,258), TD receptions (21), punt returns for a touchdown (seven) and all-purpose yardage (7,103). He was named Ohio's Mr. Football in 1999 as the state's top player.

College years

*Signed with OSU as a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

in the 2000 recruiting class of then-head coach John Cooper. *Moved to receiver when coach

Jim Tressel James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American college football coach and university administrator who is currently the president of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. Before becoming an administrator, Tressel was the ...

took over in 2001. *During his five seasons (2000–04) as a member of the Ohio State University football team, Childress made 33 receptions for 392 yards. He also performed as a kick returner during his career and recorded nine returns for 159 yards. *Was a member of the 2002 BCS National Championship team. *He finally got a chance at meaningful playing time as a senior in 2004 but did not play much during the second half of the season. He finished the year with 17 receptions and 205 yards. *He majored in Family Resource Management.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Childress was signed as an

by the New England Patriots out of college in 2005. He signed a short-term deal, participated in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

, and played well in the preseason, both as a wide receiver and extra defensive back. Because of his hard work and determination to make the team he earned a spot on the New England Patriots

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. Childress was activated for the last game of the 2005 season against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

and played well in a losing effort, finishing with three catches for thirty-two yards. Prior to the Patriots' 2006 season opener, the team released him, signed him to their practice squad, and then activated him again. After the opener, he was released, signed to the practice squad, and later activated on December 23. Childress spent all of the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

on the Patriots' practice squad.

Philadelphia Eagles

After Childress' practice squad contract expired following the 2007 season, he signed a two-year contract with the

on February 22, 2008.Philadelphia Eagles (2008-02-22).
Eagles Add 'Bam' To Receiving Corps
. PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. He was waived on August 29, 2008.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Childress was signed by the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

on January 12, 2009. He was a final cut on June 25, 2009.

References

External links

New England Patriots bioSaskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childress, Bam 1982 births Living people American football wide receivers American football cornerbacks Players of American football from Ohio American players of Canadian football Canadian football wide receivers Ohio State Buckeyes football players New England Patriots players Philadelphia Eagles players Saskatchewan Roughriders players