Naaman Roosevelt facts for kids
Roosevelt with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2024
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| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |||||||||
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| Position: | Receivers coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 24, 1987 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute (Tonawanda, New York) |
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| College: | Buffalo | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2010 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||
Naaman I. Roosevelt (born December 24, 1987) is an American former professional football player. He used to play as a wide receiver, catching passes from the quarterback. Today, he is a receivers coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
During his playing career, Naaman was part of several teams. These included the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Montreal Alouettes, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Naaman Roosevelt grew up in a tough part of East Buffalo. He once said it was hard to imagine a future beyond the next day. Many of his friends didn't think about going to college. This changed when he got a chance to attend St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. This was a private school in suburban Tonawanda.
At St. Joseph's, Naaman played both basketball and football. In football, he was a quarterback and a kick returner. As a senior in 2005, he set a record in Western New York. He threw 35 touchdown passes that year. The Buffalo News newspaper even named him their Player of the Year.
College Football Career
The University at Buffalo was the only school that offered Naaman a scholarship to play offense. Another school, New Hampshire, wanted him to play cornerback on defense. Naaman was the first player recruited by new head coach Turner Gill. He accepted the offer, but only if he could try out for the starting quarterback position.
Naaman didn't get the quarterback job. It went to Drew Willy, who was already a sophomore. So, Naaman became a wide receiver in his first year. He started seven games and caught 31 passes. He also scored 2 touchdowns. In his second year, he caught 63 passes and 4 touchdowns. His junior year was even better. He caught 104 passes, mostly from Drew Willy.
On September 13, 2008, Naaman made an amazing play. He caught a "Hail Mary pass" from Drew Willy. This is a very long pass thrown at the end of a game. It helped them beat the Temple Owls right as time ran out. In his junior season, Buffalo also won the 2008 MAC Championship Game. Naaman's 104 catches were almost a conference record. His 13 touchdowns in 2008 set a new school record.
In 2009, Naaman caught 70 passes and scored 9 touchdowns. He even threw a 34-yard touchdown pass once. This was to tight end Jesse Rack against Central Florida. Even though he was a star quarterback in high school, this was his only touchdown pass in college.
As of August 2022, Naaman still holds several school records. These include most receiving yards and most catches in a career. He also holds records for a single season. In February 2023, he was honored by being added to UB's athletics hall of fame.
College Statistics
Here are Naaman's college football stats:
| Buffalo Bulls | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Receiving | Kick Return | |||||||
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2006 | 12 | 31 | 429 | 13.8 | 2 | 28 | 724 | 25.9 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 12 | 63 | 766 | 12.2 | 4 | 21 | 471 | 22.4 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 14 | 104 | 1,402 | 13.5 | 13 | 7 | 108 | 15.4 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 70 | 954 | 13.6 | 9 | 6 | 135 | 22.5 | 0 | |
| College totals | 49 | 268 | 3,551 | 13.3 | 28 | 62 | 1,438 | 23.2 | 1 | |
Professional Playing Career
Playing for the Buffalo Bills
Naaman Roosevelt was not chosen in the 2010 NFL draft. This means he was an undrafted free agent. However, the Buffalo Bills signed him on April 24. He was cut from the main team on September 4, 2010. But he then joined their "practice squad" the next day. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but don't play in games unless needed.
On November 27, 2010, Naaman was moved to the active roster. This meant he could now play in games. Coach Chan Gailey said he did an "excellent job" on the practice squad. He played his first NFL game the next day. He made his first and only tackle in the NFL the following week. On December 19, 2010, he caught his first passes in the NFL. He finished the season with 9 catches for 139 yards.
Before the 2011 season, Naaman was again cut and then re-signed to the practice squad. The Bills' General Manager said it was due to "numbers." Naaman played his first game of the 2011 season in the third week. On October 16, 2011, he scored his first professional touchdown. It was a 60-yard catch against the New York Giants. On August 31, 2012, the Bills released him.
Other NFL Teams
On July 23, 2013, the Cleveland Browns signed Naaman. After the 2013 season, he was not re-signed. He then tried out for the Detroit Lions and signed with them on April 23, 2014.
After leaving the Lions, Naaman signed with the Buffalo Bills again on July 21, 2014. However, the Bills released him on August 29, 2014. He was briefly on their practice squad again in October 2014, but was released shortly after.
Playing in the CFL
Naaman then signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on March 14, 2015. In his second CFL season, he had a great year. He played in 11 games before getting injured. Even with the injury, he was named the Riders' Most Outstanding Player. He also signed a new two-year contract. Naaman finished the 2016 season with 1,095 receiving yards.
In 2017, Naaman had another great season with over 1,000 receiving yards. He was named a divisional All-Star. In 2018, he had a tougher year due to injuries to himself and his quarterback. For the 2019 season, Naaman signed a new contract with the Roughriders. He played all 18 games that year, a first for him. He caught 77 passes for 946 yards. This helped him reach over 4,000 career receiving yards. He also made his 300th career catch. After this season, he became a free agent.
Later CFL Teams
On February 22, 2020, Naaman signed with the Montreal Alouettes. He extended his contract with them in December 2020. However, he was released on July 26, 2021.
On August 30, 2021, Naaman signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was released from their practice squad on November 19, 2021. He did not play in any games for the Blue Bombers.
CFL Statistics
Here are Naaman's statistics from his time in the Canadian Football League:
| Receiving | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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| Year | Team | Games | Rec. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Games | Rec. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | ||
| 2015 | SSK | 10 | 25 | 488 | 19.5 | 71 | 5 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2016 | SSK | 11 | 76 | 1,095 | 14.4 | 89 | 2 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2017 | SSK | 14 | 75 | 1,035 | 13.8 | 75 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 126 | 14.0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | SSK | 14 | 48 | 570 | 11.9 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 79 | 11.3 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | SSK | 18 | 77 | 946 | 12.3 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 87 | 12.4 | 22 | 0 | ||
| CFL totals | 67 | 301 | 4,134 | 13.7 | 89 | 20 | 4 | 23 | 292 | 12.7 | 26 | 0 | |||
Coaching Career
Coaching for the Roughriders
In 2022, Naaman Roosevelt was a "guest coach" at the Roughriders' training camp. He was then hired as an offensive assistant coach before the 2023 season.
Coaching for the Tiger-Cats
On February 2, 2024, it was announced that Naaman had joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. He now serves as the team's receivers coach.
Personal Life
Naaman Roosevelt went back to the University at Buffalo (UB) and finished his bachelor's degree in sociology in 2022. He said he completed his degree because he wants to become a college football coach.
