Naaman I. Roosevelt (born December 24, 1987) is a former
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
wide receiver and currently an Offensive Assistant for the
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 ...
. 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
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
. He has been a member of 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. ...
,
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
,
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
,
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 ...
,
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
and
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...
.
Early life and amateur career
Roosevelt was raised in the
East Side of Buffalo in an area which he described as violent. In that environment, he later said, it was difficult to think past the next day and his peers "didn't think about going to college and things like that." Roosevelt said that outlook changed when he was recruited to attend
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, founded in 1861, is an independent Roman Catholic college preparatory school for young men run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Tonawanda, New York. Established by the De L ...
, a private school in suburban
Tonawanda.
At St. Joseph's, Roosevelt played
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and football as a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
and
kick returner
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
. As a senior in 2005, he threw a
Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...
record 35 touchdown passes and was named the ''
Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...
Player of the Year. The
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
was the only school to offer Roosevelt a scholarship to play offense;
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
offered him a scholarship to play
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 ...
. Roosevelt was the first player successfully recruited by new head coach
Turner Gill
Turner Hillery Gill (born August 13, 1962) is an American college athletic administrator and former gridiron football player and coach. He is the Executive Director of Student-Athlete and Staff Development at the University of Arkansas, a positi ...
.
He started seven games as a freshman and was converted into a wide receiver, catching 31 passes and 2 touchdowns. In his second year, the wide receiver caught 63 passes and 4 touchdowns. In his junior season, Roosevelt dramatically increased his production, catching 104 passes, primarily from quarterback
Drew Willy
Drew Willy (born November 13, 1986) is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Buffalo. Willy has also been a member o ...
.
On September 13, 2008, Roosevelt caught a
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
from quarterback Drew Willy as time expired to beat the
Temple Owls
The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.
The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 18 ...
at
UB Stadium
UB Stadium is a stadium in Amherst, New York on the campus of the University at Buffalo. It is primarily used for football, soccer, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Buffalo Bulls. It opened on September 4, 1993, with a ga ...
. Also in his junior season, Buffalo won the
2008 MAC Championship Game
The 2008 MAC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The game featured the winner of each division of the Mid-American Conference. The game featured the Ball State Cardinals, of the West Division, and t ...
against
Nate Davis and the
Ball State Cardinals
The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot.
The Ball State Univers ...
. Roosevelt's 104 receptions was one short of the MAC Conference record at the time. In 2009, he caught 70 passes for 9 touchdowns.
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Roosevelt went undrafted in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
. He was signed 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 ...
by 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. ...
on April 24. Roosevelt was cut by the Bills on final cuts on September 4, 2010, but signed to their practice squad on September 5, 2010. On November 27, 2010, Roosevelt was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. On October 16, 2011, Roosevelt caught his first pro touchdown pass, a 60-yard catch-and-run at
MetLife Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants an ...
against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. On August 31, 2012, he was cut by the Bills.
Cleveland Browns
On July 23, 2013, he was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
.
Detroit Lions
After the 2013 season, he was not re-signed and was signed after a tryout for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
on April 23, 2014.
Buffalo Bills
After being let go by the Lions, Roosevelt resigned with 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. ...
on July 21, 2014. The Bills released Roosevelt on August 29, 2014. On October 3, 2014 the Bills re-signed Roosevelt to the practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on October 4, 2014.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Roosevelt signed with the
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 ...
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 March 14, 2015. Roosevelt had a breakout year for the Roughriders in his second season in the CFL. He played in the first 11 games of the season before being placed on the six-game injured list. Following the season he was named the Riders Most Outstanding Player despite missing 7 games. Additionally, he accepted a two-year contract extension from the Riders. Roosevelt finished the 2016 season with 1,095 receiving yards, the ninth-highest total in the league. In Week 14 of the 2017 season Roosevelt took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Calgary's Tunde Adeleke and was placed on the team's six-game injured list. At the time of the injury Roosevelt was the Riders leading receiver, and had the fifth most receiving yards in the league with 923. Roosevelt was named a divisional All-Star for 2017 after another 1,000 yard season and 8 touchdown catches, but had a down year in 2018 with injuries to both himself, as well as several injuries to new starting quarterback
Zach Collaros
Zachary J. Collaros (born August 27, 1988) is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Collaros won the 107th Grey Cup and 108th Grey Cup as the starting quarterba ...
. The Roughriders offense had already taken hits prior to and during the regular season with the release of experienced pass catchers such as
Rob Bagg
Rob Bagg (born February 3, 1985) is a retired professional Canadian football wide receiver. He played 11 seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2008 to 2018. He is a member of the 101st Grey Cup winnin ...
,
Chad Owens
Chad Owens Sr. (born April 3, 1982) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and kick returner. He was most recently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville Ja ...
,
Bakari Grant
Bakari Grant (born June 24, 1987) is a former Canadian football wide receiver. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2010 NFL season, 2010. Grant played college football at UC Davis Aggies football, UC Davis. He ha ...
, and
Duron Carter
Duron Christopher Carter (born March 22, 1991) is an American professional Canadian football defensive back who is currently a free agent. He was initially a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a wide receiv ...
. Several days into free agency for 2019, Roosevelt turned down an offer from rival Winnipeg to sign a one year extension with the Roughriders for roughly $160,000 Canadian Dollars, as well as performance incentives to increase earnings. Roosevelt rewarded the Riders with a bounce-back year; he played his first season of all 18 games, and despite only one touchdown catch, he caught 77 passes for 946 yards, with which Roosevelt surpassed the 4,000 yard mark for his career, as well as making his 300th catch. Following the season he was not re-signed by the Riders and became a free agent on February 11, 2020.
Montreal Alouettes
On February 22, 2020, Roosevelt signed with the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
. He signed a contract extension with the team on December 18, 2020. He was released on July 26, 2021.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
On August 30, 2021, Roosevelt signed with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...
. He was released by the Bombers' practice roster on November 19, 2021 without having appeared in a game for the team.
Statistics
Personal life
Roosevelt returned to UB and finished his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
in 2022. He said he completed his degree as part of a larger goal of becoming a college football coach.
References
External links
NFL profileCFL profileBuffalo Bills bioBrowns sign Naaman RooseveltDetroit Lions bioWinnipeg Blue Bombers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Naaman
1987 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York
Players of American football from Buffalo, New York
American football wide receivers
Canadian football wide receivers
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
Buffalo Bulls football players
Buffalo Bills players
Cleveland Browns players
Detroit Lions players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute alumni
Montreal Alouettes players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people