Joseph David Reitz (born August 24, 1985) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

who played for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2008. He attended

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

where he played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

and not football.

College basketball career

Reitz was an all-state

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

player at

Hamilton Southeastern High School Hamilton Southeastern High School (HSE or HSHS) is a State school#United States, public secondary school in Fishers, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools, Hamilton Southeastern School District. History Durin ...

, but he decided to play college basketball at Western Michigan University. He finished as the third all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Reitz also played in more games than any other player in WMU men's basketball history. In his senior season, Reitz helped lead the Broncos to a

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

West Division title and was named First-team All-MAC for both the regular season and conference tournament. Reitz was also a member of the Academic All-MAC Team.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Reitz was signed by Baltimore with the intention of playing as a tight end but was groomed to play

because of his athleticism. Reitz, undersized for an offensive lineman, left college at , entered training camp at , and wanted to reach by the start of the NFL season. Reitz entered the 2008 NFL season as a member of the Ravens

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. On October 1, 2008, the Ravens placed Reitz 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 ...

with a shoulder injury. While still a member of the Ravens, the move effectively ended his 2008 season. In January 2009, Reitz was re-signed by the Ravens, and he entered the 2009 NFL season as a member of the Ravens practice squad. In January 2010 Reitz re-signed a reserve future contract. He was cut on September 4.

Miami Dolphins

On September 5, 2010, Reitz was claimed off waivers by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. He was waived on September 8.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 8, 2010, Reitz was claimed off waivers by the Colts from the

. He was waived on September 15. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 19. He was signed off the practice squad for the Colts first round playoff game. In 2011, he began to see his first extensive playing time with the Colts. He was named the starter at left guard on August 16, 2011 He ultimately appeared in 11 games with the Colts, nine of which were starts. Reitz entered the 2012 season as competitor for playing time at right guard. After being named the starter, he suffered a knee injury which required

arthroscopic Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

surgery. He also missed time after suffering a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

in Week 13 and then again in Week 17. He ultimately appeared in nine games, starting eight. He appeared in 14 games during the 2013 season, with three starts. He remained with the Colts entering the 2014 season after he signed a one-year, $1.431 million qualifying offer as a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

. He appeared in 10 games that season, four of which he started. On March 10, 2015, he signed another contract extension. On March 7, 2017, he announced his retirement from the NFL.

Personal life

Reitz married his college sweetheart, Jill, in July 2010. Jill is a former

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

and cross country standout for Western Michigan. They have two daughters, Julianna, born in 2011 and Virginia, born in 2014 and two sons, AJ, born in 2013 and John, born in 2017. Reitz and his wife now has six children and two more on the way.

References

External links

Baltimore Ravens bioWestern Michigan Broncos basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reitz, Joe 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Indianapolis Basketball players from Indianapolis Centers (basketball) Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball players American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles American football tight ends Baltimore Ravens players Miami Dolphins players Indianapolis Colts players American men's basketball players