Casey Ross Cramer (born January 5, 1982) 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 with ...
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
. He was drafted by 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) NFC South, South divisio ...
in the seventh round of the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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, 2004 at the Theater at ...
. 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 ...
at
Dartmouth.
Cramer has also been a member of the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
,
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
Early years
He went to
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
at
Middleton High School in
Middleton, Wisconsin
Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, and a suburb of the state capital, Madison. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census.
In 2007, Middleton was chosen as the best pla ...
, where he is the son of an English teacher and school psychologist. He lettered in football, basketball and track for the Cardinals, and was one of the captains for varsity football team. He was the starting tight end and middle linebacker, and was the team's punter.
College career
Cramer 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 ...
at Dartmouth College, where he majored in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
, graduating in 2004. He was a brother at
Gamma Delta Chi fraternity and participated in various
community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...
organizations. He primarily played tight end and special teams at Dartmouth. Cramer ranks second in Dartmouth history with 185 catches for 2,477 yards and 21 touchdowns as a tight end. Cramer appeared in 39 games with 33
starts and led all college tight ends with 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns as junior in 2002. He also posted 11 career games with 100 yards or more of receiving. He is Dartmouth's most recent All-American, making three different All-America first-teams in 2002 and also the Associated Press second-team that fall.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cramer was drafted in the seventh round (228 overall) of the
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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, 2004 at the Theater at ...
by 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) NFC South, South divisio ...
.
Casey was later cut.
Carolina Panthers
Casey Cramer was signed to Carolina Panthers Practice Squad after the 2005 training camp.
Second stint with Titans
In the
2006 season Casey saw his most playing time in the
NFL
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 major ...
to date, even blocking a punt and recovering a fumble against 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 ...
. Besides making the highlight reels,
Peter King's ''Monday Morning Quarterback'', and
Chris Berman
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for '' SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Coun ...
's plays of the week, Cramer also earned NFL
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
player of the week for his performance. On August 30, 2008, Cramer was released from the Titans during final cuts.
Miami Dolphins
Following Week 1 of the 2008 regular season, 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 ...
released starting
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
Boomer Grigsby
James Harvey "Boomer" Grigsby (born November 15, 1981) is a former American football fullback. He played college football at Illinois State, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Grigsby was also a me ...
. Cramer was signed to replace him on the roster on September 9. In nine games with the Dolphins including two starts, Cramer caught two passes for three yards and a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
. The Dolphins waived Cramer on December 20 when they promoted
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
William Kershaw from the
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, ...
.
Third stint with Titans
Cramer was re-signed by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on December 31, 2008 after
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
Josh Stamer
Joshua Lee Stamer (born October 11, 1977) the son of Mary Nilles McClaren and Terry Stamer, is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football and colle ...
was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. He was waived on September 4.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, Cramer
1982 births
Living people
Players of American football from Madison, Wisconsin
American football tight ends
American football fullbacks
Dartmouth Big Green football players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
New York Jets players
Tennessee Titans players
Carolina Panthers players
Miami Dolphins players
People from Middleton, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Dane County, Wisconsin