Sean Lissemore (born September 11, 1987) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

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

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 divi ...

and San Diego Chargers. He was drafted by the

in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

Early years

Lissemore grew up in

Dumont, New Jersey Dumont is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,479,Dumont High School Dumont High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Dumont, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Dumont Public Scho ...

, where he was a three-year starter, both at

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

and

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, ...

. As a senior, he handled

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (mag ...

duties, recorded 120 total

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, nine sacks and one

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

in his senior season. For his performance, he was selected to the First-team All-league as a linebacker and All-North Jersey Group 2, was invited to the Governor's Bowl and

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

All-Star game and earned honorable mention all-county honors. He was a four-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

and an all-league performer in

track & 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 ...

in the

100 100 or one hundred ( Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

(11.2 seconds) and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

(23 seconds). He also competed in the shot put (51 ft or 15.67m) and the discus (140 ft or 42.67 m). He was also a three-year letter winner in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, where he was an All-league performer and state medalist in the 215 pound weight class. Outside of athletics, he was also a member of Captains for Tomorrows Children and the school's jazz band where he played the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

College career

Lissemore accepted a football scholarship from the

and

majored An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conce ...

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human healt ...

. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

freshman in 2006, he collected 33 tackles (2.5 for loss) and one sack. As a sophomore in 2007, he suffered a torn shoulder labrum and started 10-of-11 games at defensive tackle. He recorded 43 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks and one interception. As a junior in 2008, he started all 11 games, registering 51 tackles (7.5 for loss), and 4 sacks. On the season, he was the W&M QB Club Defensive Player of the Week twice (Towson/Richmond) and Special Teams Player of the Week once (New Hampshire). Against the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...

he had 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. As a senior in 2009, he posted 66 tackles (14 for loss), 2 interceptions, 4 quarterback hurries, 4 passes defensed and one blocked kick, all while starting 14 games. He served as a team captain and along with future NFL player Adrian Tracy, contributed to a defense that allowed 61 rushing yards per game (first in the nation), 229 offensive yards per game (second in the nation), 12 points per game (second in the nation), 27 turnovers (13th nationally), 3.43 sacks per game (third in the nation), 8 tackles for loss per game (eighth in the nation) and a 28.1% conversion rate on 3rd down opportunities. He earned All-American honors from College Sporting News and Sports Network while also being selected to the All-CAA First Team. He played in the

Texas vs The Nation Texas vs The Nation was an American college football all-star bowl game played from 2007 to 2013. Originally played at the Sun Bowl Stadium, the format of the game pitted 50 top-rated college seniors who played college or high school football i ...

All-Star Game.

Professional career

NFL Draft

At his Pro Day, he recorded 36 reps 225 pounds, he also ran a 4.83 second

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a h ...

and record a 30"

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

. In April before the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

, he was invited to a private workout with the New York Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

Lissemore was selected by the

in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was declared inactive for the first 6 games of the season. He appeared in only two games, making his NFL debut in week eight 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 ...

, where he recorded three tackles and half of a sack. He injured his left ankle on the opening kickoff of the ninth game against the Green Bay Packers and missed the next 3 contests before being placed on the

injured reserve list 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 ...

on December 4. In 2011, Lissemore played in all 16 games as a reserve

in the team's

3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs ...

. He finished the year with 39 tackles (2 for loss), 2 sacks and 5 quarterback hurries. He also returned his first career kickoff for 38 yards against the Detroit Lions. Pro Football Focus determined that Lissemore was the third most efficient player on the entire Cowboys' defense in 2011, as well as the team's top run defender, making 14 stops on 107 run plays. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, he played in 10 games, starting 6 at

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

in place of an injured Jay Ratliff. In September, the Cowboys reached a three-year extension with Lissemore. Lissemore’s deal was worth $6 million (plus incentives), had $3.1 million guaranteed and included a $2 million signing bonus. He suffered an ankle injury in the fifth game against 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 ...

, forcing him to miss the next 6 contests with an ankle injury. On the season, he tallied 43 tackles, one sack and one quarterback pressure. He had 10 tackles against the Seattle Seahawks. In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, the team switched to a

4–3 defense In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs). However, ...

and Lissemore was traded to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for a 2015 seventh round pick (#236- Mark Nzeocha) on September 1, because he wasn't seen as a good fit for the new scheme.

San Diego Chargers

, he played in 15 games (2 starts), registering 31 tackles (5 for loss), 2 sacks, 1 interception 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 Amer ...

. Lissemore was productive all season, especially in the run game, posting a PFF score of +5.7 and was named the starting nose tackle in December. Lissemore intercepted a Robert Griffin III pass for a touchdown against the Washington Football Team. He missed the playoffs after suffering a shoulder injury. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, played as the starting

and saw action in 15 games, finishing with 32 tackles and one sack. He recovered a fumble in overtime against the 49ers that helped the Chargers overcome a large second half deficit and win the game 38-35. In 2015, he appeared in 11 games (5 starts), tallying 17 tackles and 3 quarterback pressures, before being placed on the

with a shoulder injury on December 28, after he missed 4 games. On August 15,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, he was placed again on the

after not recovering from his previous shoulder injury. Lissemore was named the team’s 2016 NFL-USAA Salute to Service Award Nomine

In 2017 NFL season, 2017, he wasn't re-signed and announced his retirement on September 15.

Personal life

In 2019, he was named the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

St. Mark's School of Texas The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. History St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lissemore, Sean 1987 births Living people Dumont High School alumni People from Dumont, New Jersey People from Teaneck, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends William & Mary Tribe football players Dallas Cowboys players San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey