Jay Riemersma
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Allen Jay Riemersma (born May 17, 1973) 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 ...
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
. He played for the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
from 1994 to 1995. He next played nine seasons 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) for the Buffalo Bills (1996–2002) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2003–2004). In 2007, he accepted a position as the regional director of the
Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against: access to pornography, emb ...
. He announced his candidacy for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in September 2009.


Playing career


Zeeland

Riemersma was born in
Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
and grew up in
Zeeland, Michigan Zeeland ( ) is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,719 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township. Its name is taken from the Dutch province of Zeeland. Hist ...
. In 1991, he graduated from Zeeland High School, where he was a star athlete in three sports. He became Zeeland's all-time leading scorer in basketball, played baseball for two seasons, and was the quarterback for the football team.


Michigan

Riemersma enrolled at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1991. Originally recruited by Michigan as a quarterback, Riemersma appeared in three games at that position in the 1992 and
1993 season File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
s. On September 26, 1992, he made his debut as a redshirt freshman against the
University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...
. He came into the game as a substitute for Todd Collins in the third quarter and completed all three passes he attempted for 43 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to
Amani Toomer Amani Askari Toomer (born September 8, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner who played his entire career for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He registered over 1,000 receiving yards each ...
in the fourth quarter. He completed a total of six of eleven passes for 79 yards the 1992 and 1993 seasons. In 1994, Riemersma suffered a
rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...
injury, which ended his career as a quarterback. Michigan head coach
Gary Moeller Gary Oscar Moeller (; January 26, 1941 – July 11, 2022) was an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 f ...
switched Riemersma to the
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
position, where he played in the
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
and 1995 seasons. Interviewed in 2009, Riemersma pointed to the rotator cuff injury as "divine intervention," saying, "Some called the injury luck. I called it divine intervention. I never would have played in the NFL as a quarterback. It was an injury that parlayed into an NFL career." During the 1994 season, Riemersma became one of quarterback Todd Collins' favorite targets, finishing as the team's third leading receiver behind
Amani Toomer Amani Askari Toomer (born September 8, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner who played his entire career for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He registered over 1,000 receiving yards each ...
and Mercury Hayes. He caught 33 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns in 1994. His most productive games were against Notre Dame (5 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown) and
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
(8 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown). In 1995, Riemersma added another 41 catches for 370 yards and a touchdown. His best games of the 1995 season came against
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
and
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
. He connected with
Scott Dreisbach Scott Thomas Dreisbach Jr. (born December 16, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. Originally from Mishawaka, Indiana, Dreisbach played college football as a quarterback for the University of Michigan from 1995 Michigan Wolverines fo ...
for seven catches and 71 yards in the Wolverines' come-from-behind 18-17 win over Virginia in the season opener, and he caught a career-high nine passes, good for 70 yards, in a 28-25 loss to the Spartans. The longest reception of his college career was a 35-yard catch in Michigan's 31-23 win over
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 ...
in 1995. In two seasons as Michigan's tight end, Reimersma caught 74 passes for 706 yards. While completing his degree at Michigan, Riemersma twice earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference awards. He also won both the Meyer Morton Award and the Arthur Robinson Scholarship Award while attending Michigan.


NFL


Buffalo Bills

Riemersma was drafted by the Buffalo Bills as the 35th pick of the 7th round (244th pick overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons in Buffalo from 1996 to 2002, appearing in 90 games, 65 as a starter. As a tight end for the Bills, he had 221 receptions for 2,304 yards and 20 touchdowns. As a rookie in 1996, Riemersma did not see any action. In his second season he appeared in all 16 games for the Bills, including eight as a starter. He caught 26 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. In 1998, Riemersma had a career-high six touchdowns in 16 games for the Bills. He had his first career two-touchdown game in a November 2000 win over 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 p ...
. From 1999 to 2001, he missed only six games in four years, and accumulated 1,808 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. In a September 2000 game against the Green Bay Packers, Riemersma had his second career two-touchdown game and 70 receiving yards. After the game, teammate
Eric Moulds Eric Shannon Moulds (born July 17, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Mississippi State Bulldogs, Mississippi State University and was draf ...
said, "A couple of times they tried to double me and left Jay wide open down the field. We'll take that matchup all day. If you're going to leave Jay Riemersma one-on-one with a linebacker, you're going to lose most of the time." He had his best season in 2001. He started 15 games for the 2001 Bills and caught 53 passes for 590 yards. Riemersma was plagued by injuries during his six years with the Bills. He underwent eight surgeries during his NFL career. His offensive production declined in 2002 to 32 receptions for 350 yards, and for the first time in his NFL career, Riemersma did not score a touchdown in 2002. In February 2003, the Bills announced that they intended to release Riemersma unless he accepted a significant pay cut. Bills president Tom Donahoe said the club was asking Riemersma to restructure the final year of his contract, reportedly worth $3.5 million. The Bills officially released Riemersma in late February 2003.


Pittsburgh Steelers

In March 2003, Riemersma signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth almost $4 million. In his first game for the Steelers, a 34-15 win over the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
on September 7, 2003, Riemersma "beat Baltimore safety Ed Reed badly" for a 20-yard touchdown pass from
Tommy Maddox Thomas Alfred Maddox (born September 2, 1971) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played one season each for the New J ...
. On the next drive, Ravens safety Gary Baxter followed Riemersma and left
Hines Ward Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
wide open for a 28-yard touchdown catch. After the game, Steelers coach
Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 se ...
said, "Jay Riemersma adds a dimension we never had. He gives you a guy that you better start thinking about down the middle of the field." He played for Pittsburgh in 2003 and 2004 before rupturing his right
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...
on a 26-yard touchdown reception against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
in December 2004. At the time of the injury, the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' reported, "Jay Riemersma caught a touchdown pass in his first game with the Steelers and his last, but that's about the extent of any good fortune the tight end has had in his two seasons here." Riemersma did not play another game in the NFL after suffering the Achilles tendon injury. In February 2005, the Steelers released Riemersma in a salary cap move required after the Steelers' 15-1 performance in 2004 triggered performance bonuses, including a $2 million bonus to
Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
. Riemersma spent the 2005 season coaching high school football and recovering from his injury. In January 2006, Riemersma announced that he would not attempt a comeback and that he was retiring from the NFL. His agent, said at the time that the nature and severity of the injury would make it too difficult for Riemersma to play again. In nine NFL seasons, Riemersma played in 112 games (85 as a starter) and caught 221 passes for 2,524 yards and 23 touchdowns.


Football coach

In August 2005, while trying to rehabilitate his Achilles tendon, Riemersma returned to western Michigan and took on a one-year assignment as the football coach at Zeeland East High School. After announcing his retirement from the NFL in January 2006, Riemersma returned for two more seasons as the football coach at Zeeland East. In three years as the football coach from 2005 to 2007, Riemersma compiled a record of 1-26. In 2008, Riemersma said, "We won just one game while I was there. I'm really proud, though, of what we tried to accomplish in building character in the kids." In 2009, Riemersma was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.


Politics

In November 2007, Riemersma joined
Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against: access to pornography, emb ...
, a nonprofit organization based in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, as the director of a six-state region that includes Michigan. In September 2009, Riemersma announced that he would run for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
as a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
in
Michigan's 2nd congressional district Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clar ...
. The seat was held by Rep.
Peter Hoekstra Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously serv ...
who is vacating it to run for Governor of Michigan. Riemersma said he would fight against abortion, taxes and big government. He was ultimately defeated in the primary election by
Bill Huizenga William Patrick Huizenga ( ; born January 31, 1969) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving in Congress since 2011. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 2011 to 2023, covers much of Lake Michigan's ea ...
, who would go on to win the general election. In February 2010, Riemersma drew attention when he announced his support for Tim Tebow's Focus on the Family Super Bowl advertisement.


Personal

Jay, his wife Cara, their three children, Sophie, Trip, and Nick, and their dog Penny reside in
Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (formerly known locally as the Black Ri ...
. Riemersma is an active member of Parkside Bible Church in Holland. Riemersma also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Ottawa County Chapter.


External links


The Jay Riemersma For Congress campaign website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riemersma, Jay American people of Dutch descent American athlete-politicians American football tight ends Buffalo Bills players Pittsburgh Steelers players Michigan Wolverines football players Michigan Republicans Sportspeople from Evansville, Indiana 1973 births Living people Players of American football from Michigan People from Zeeland, Michigan