Zakary A. Keasey (born March 19, 1982) is a former professional

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 ...

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, p ...

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 ...

. Keasey played collegiate football for

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, and professional football for 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 ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, and the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

High School and College

Keasey attended Lake Orion High School in

Lake Orion, Michigan Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of wh ...

. Keasey attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, and was awarded the Poe-Kazmaier Trophy, the highest award given to a Princeton football player. As a linebacker, he was named to First Team All-

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

in both his junior and senior seasons. Keasey finished his senior season with 127 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 4 pass-breakups, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. He was subsequently named a FCS second team All-American.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Keasey signed with the

as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2005. He was offered a contract after a successful mini-camp tryout at the invitation of Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams' son, Blake, was a college teammate of Keasey. Keasey went on to make the initial regular season 53 man roster as a reserve

. He later participated on the Redskins

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, ...

San Francisco 49ers

In 2006, Keasey signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he made the transition from

. He spent the 2006 season on the practice squad. Keasey entered the 2007 season as a member of the 49ers practice squad, and was signed to the active roster on September 21, 2007; taking the roster spot of injured linebacker Manny Lawson. Keasey was cut and then resigned several times, ultimately appearing in 13 games. Keasey entered the

2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now." Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009, w ...

as a challenger for the starting fullback position with the 49ers. On August 30, 2008, Keasey was named starting fullback over veteran

Moran Norris Torrance Moran Norris (; born June 16, 1978) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas. Norris has also played for the Hou ...

, who was subsequently released. After starting the first 7 games of the 2008 season, Keasey 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 ...

in week 8 with a torn

biceps The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join ...

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

. He was replaced in the 49ers starting lineup by all purpose back Michael Robinson. Keasey broke his

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is most often used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anat ...

in the first preseason game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

on August 14, 2009. He was expected to miss eight weeks with the injury. On August 19, 2009, Keasey was released by the San Francisco 49ers with an injury settlement to make room for more roster depth on the training camp squad.

New Orleans Saints

Keasey signed a future contract with the

on February 23, 2010. He was released during final roster cuts on September 4, 2010.

References

External links

Zak Keasey, NFL.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Keasey, Zak 1982 births Living people Players of American football from Detroit American football fullbacks American football linebackers Princeton Tigers football players Washington Redskins players San Francisco 49ers players New Orleans Saints players People from Lake Orion, Michigan Players of American football from Oakland County, Michigan