William Buckley Conaty Jr. (born March 8, 1973) is a former professional

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 ...

player who played center for nine seasons for the

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

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 ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, and the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. Raised in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, Conaty played prep football at Camden Catholic High School before playing as a

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Milford Academy Milford Academy is a post-secondary school founded in 1916 as Yale Preparatory School. It has been located in New Berlin, New York since 2004. Although founded as a preparatory school, its current focus is as a school for athletes who have th ...

College career

Conaty was a four-year starter along the offensive line for the Hokies, starting a then record 48 straight games. After starting his freshman year at offensive tackle, Conaty shifted over to center where he started his remaining three seasons. Conaty was a two time all Big East selection. During his senior year, he was named team captain and first-team Sporting News All-American.

Professional career

Conaty signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1997. In the 1997 season, he appeared in one game, a 28–22 loss to the New York Jets. In the 1998 season, he appeared in 15 games and started one. In the 1999 season, he appeared in seven games and started one. In the 2000 season, he appeared in all 16 games. In 2001, his fifth NFL year, he became the Bills' starting center, replacing

Jerry Ostroski Gerald Ostroski Jr. (born July 12, 1970) is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. College career After a standout high school career at Owen J. Roberts High School, Jerry ...

. He started and played in all 16 games. After the 2001 season, Conaty was named to the USA Today All-Joe team. In the 2002 season, he appeared in 11 games. In the 2004 season, he played for the Minnesota Vikings and appeared in eight games. He finished his career on injured reserve with the Arizona Cardinals.

Personal life

In 2009, Conaty graduated from Rutgers School of Law and is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

References

External links

1973 births Living people American football centers Virginia Tech Hokies football players Buffalo Bills players Minnesota Vikings players Camden Catholic High School alumni Dallas Cowboys players People from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Players of American football from Camden County, New Jersey {{offensive-lineman-1970s-stub