Limas Sweed facts for kids
Sweed with the Texas Longhorns in 2006
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| No. 14, 80 | |||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | December 25, 1984 Brenham, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Brenham | ||||
| College: | Texas | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 53 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Limas Lee Sweed Jr. (born December 25, 1984) is a former American football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL is the top professional football league in the United States.
He was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL draft. He was part of the team that won Super Bowl XLIII. In that game, the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals. Before playing professionally, he played college football for the Texas Longhorns. He also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
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Early Life and High School
Limas Sweed grew up in Brenham, Texas. He went to Brenham High School. He was a starting wide receiver for the Brenham Cubs football team.
He helped his team reach the Texas AAAA State Championship. They played against Denton Ryan High School but were defeated. Limas also played basketball and ran track in high school. In track, he placed fourth in the 110 Hurdles at the UIL State Meet during his senior year.
College Football Career
Sweed started his college football journey at the University of Texas. He was a "redshirt freshman" in 2004. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games, so he could save a year of eligibility.
As a sophomore in 2005, Sweed caught 36 passes for 545 yards. He also scored 5 touchdowns. One of his touchdowns was a game-winning catch from quarterback Vince Young. This play helped the Longhorns stay ranked second in the nation. He also had eight catches for 65 yards in the BCS National Championship game against USC.
Sweed's junior year in 2006 was his best season for statistics. He played with new quarterback Colt McCoy. Sweed caught 46 passes for 801 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He even broke a team record by catching a touchdown pass in seven games in a row.
Before the 2007 season, Sweed hurt his wrist. He was still able to play in the first game. However, in the sixth game, the 2007 Red River Shootout, he re-injured his left wrist. He needed surgery to fix the ligaments in his wrist, which ended his season early. He recovered and was healthy for the NFL Scouting Combine.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.50 s | 1.53 s | 2.62 s | 4.33 s | 7.14 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
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| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers
Many experts thought Sweed would be one of the first wide receivers chosen in the 2008 NFL draft. However, his wrist injury caused his draft position to fall. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him as the 53rd player overall. He was the ninth wide receiver picked in that draft.
On July 27, 2008, Sweed signed a four-year contract with the Steelers. It was worth $3.3 million. During training camp, he found out he needed to wear contact lenses because of an eye condition called astigmatism.
Sweed played his first regular season NFL game in Week 7 of 2008. He caught one pass for 11 yards. That season, he helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII.
In 2009, Sweed faced competition for a starting spot. He rarely played in the first few games. In Week 3, he dropped a pass that could have been a touchdown. Later that season, he became the team's fourth wide receiver. On December 21, 2009, he was placed on a special list for personal reasons.
On May 2, 2010, Sweed injured his left Achilles tendon during a team practice. This is a serious leg injury. He had surgery to fix it and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he would miss the entire season. The Steelers released him in September 2011.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
After his time with the Steelers, Limas Sweed signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). This happened on October 25, 2012. He was released by the team on June 4, 2013.
Ottawa Redblacks
On February 10, 2014, Sweed signed with another CFL team, the Ottawa Redblacks. He was released by the team a few months later, on April 16, 2014.
