William Fredrich Schroeder (born January 9, 1971) is a former

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 wi ...

wide receiver in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He attended Sheboygan South High School and then went on to the

University of Wisconsin–La Crosse The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 un ...

, where he starred 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 eve ...

. Schroeder joined the UW-La Crosse football team in only his fifth year of college after exhausting his eligibility to compete in track. Despite playing only one year, Schroeder's athleticism (4.26 second 40 yard dash and 44 inch vertical leap) drew the attention of NFL scouts. Schroeder was drafted in the sixth round (181st overall) of the

1994 NFL Draft The 1994 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Ma ...

by the Green Bay Packers. He would wear jersey number 84. Schroeder spent the 1994 season on the practice squad, but was activated in the playoffs, though he did not have any receptions. The following year, he was traded to the New England Patriots, but suffered a broken foot before he was able to play a single down and was released. Then he went back to Green Bay, and after making the practice squad, he spent some time playing for NFL Europe before he finally made the active roster in the 1997 season. That year, he was the team's leading punt and kick returner as they advanced to Super Bowl XXXII. He went on to play until 2004. His best statistical season was 1999, when he caught 74 passes for 1,051 yards and 5 touchdowns. He last played with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

in 2004, wearing number 11 with the team as Joey Galloway had worn his traditional number of 84. On May 22, 2008 Schroeder informed Green Bay Packers general manager

Ted Thompson Ted Thompson (January 17, 1953 – January 20, 2021) was an American professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He was the general manager of the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2017. Thompson had a 10-y ...

that he would like to retire as a Packer. He signed with the Packers on May 21, 2008 and retired the next day.http://www.madison.com/wsj/blogs/Packers/287729 Schroeder retires a Packer. In 2001, Schroeder lead the all NFC players in yards per reception. Schroeder was affectionately known as "The Sheboygan Flash", La Crosse Lightning, "Pro Bowl Bill" to many Packer fans.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schroeder, Bill 1971 births Living people American football wide receivers Detroit Lions players Green Bay Packers players New England Patriots players Rhein Fire players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles football players Sportspeople from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin