Steve Freeman (American football)

Last updated

Steve Freeman
No. 22
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1953-05-08) May 8, 1953 (age 71)
Lamesa, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school: Whitehaven (Memphis, Tennessee) [1]
College: Mississippi State
NFL draft: 1975  / round: 5 / pick: 117
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:23
Fumble recoveries:8
Defensive TDs:3
Player stats at PFR

Steven Jay Freeman (born May 8, 1953) is a former American football defensive back, and currently serves as an American football game official for the National Football League (NFL).

Freeman played college football at Mississippi State University, becoming the Bulldogs' leader in interceptions during the 1973 and 1974 seasons. [2] He was later named as one of the Southeastern Conference Football Legends. [3]

He was selected by the NFL's New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL draft. [4] However, he was released by the Patriots before the start of the regular season, and eventually signed with the Buffalo Bills. [5] Freeman spent 12 season with Buffalo, compiling 23 career interceptions and three touchdowns. [6] In 1980 alone, he intercepted seven passes for 107 yards and one touchdown. He spent his last NFL season, 1987, with the Minnesota Vikings after being traded by the Bills. [7]

After retiring as a player, Freeman became an American football official, working in college football's Southeastern Conference and NFL Europe before joining the NFL in 2001 as a back judge. As an official, he wears uniform number 133 and is on the officiating crew headed by referee Alex Kemp.

One of Freeman's teammates in Buffalo was linebacker Jim Haslett, who later became head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Although the two were teammates for seven seasons, Freeman was not prohibited from working Saints' games during Haslett's tenure (2001–05; Haslett's first season was 2000), nor St. Louis Rams games during Haslett's stint as interim coach in 2008. While in the SEC, Freeman was prohibited from working Mississippi State games, as league rules do not allow officials to work games involving any school which they attended.

Freeman resides in Mississippi, is married and has three children. Freeman's son, Brad, was a four-year letterman on the Mississippi State baseball team and helped the Bulldogs reach the College World Series in 1997 and 1998, and in 2014, he was hired to join the NFL as a field judge after serving as a field judge in the SEC. Brad Freeman, who wears uniform No. 88, was the field judge for the 2015 playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium, where the kickoff temperature of −6 °F (−3 °C) made it the third coldest game in NFL history.

Freeman chose to opt out of the 2020 NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Manning</span> American football player (born 1949)

Elisha Archibald Manning III is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982. He also had brief stints with the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning is the patriarch of the Manning football dynasty, having preceded sons Peyton and Eli as successful NFL quarterbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Seymour</span> American poker player and football player (born 1979)

Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL draft.

Sammy Dye Knight Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Knight was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants. He was also an assistant coach for USC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarvaris Jackson</span> American football player (1983–2020)

Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama State Hornets. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft.

Johnie Earl Cooks was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Cooks was selected by the Baltimore Colts as the second overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft. He played from 1982 to 1991 for the Colts, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns. He was a member of the Giants when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 20–19 in Super Bowl XXV. Cooks played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Flynn (American football)</span> American football player (born 1985)

Matthew Clayton Flynn is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft. Flynn was a member of the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Spikes</span> American football player (born 1987)

Brandon Spikes is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, was recognized as a consensus All-American twice and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Munnerlyn</span> American football player (born 1988)

Captain Lesean Munnerlyn is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks for three years. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. Munnerlyn also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Peterson</span> American football player (born 1990)

Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country, and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back. He is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era.

Edgar Thomas Chandler, Jr. was an American football player who played linebacker professionally for six seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL), and for the NFL's New England Patriots. Chandler was a two-time All-American at the University of Georgia, in 1966 and 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephon Gilmore</span> American football player (born 1990)

Stephon Stiles Gilmore is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected tenth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL draft. Gilmore spent his first five seasons with the Bills and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2016 before joining the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Davis (American football)</span> American football player and coach (1934–2021)

Arthur Ganong Davis was an American professional football player who played collegiately at Mississippi State from 1952 to 1955 and for one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Collins (American football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

Jamie Lee Collins Sr. is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. As a member of the Patriots for seven non-consecutive seasons, Collins earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 when he led the league in forced fumbles and also won Super Bowl XLIX. Outside of his New England tenure, he played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dak Prescott</span> American football player (born 1993)

Rayne Dakota Prescott is an American professional football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Prescott ranks fifth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts, and is sixth in the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tre'Davious White</span> American football player (born 1995)

Tre'Davious White Sr. is an American professional football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning consensus All-American as a senior in 2016. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. Since earning a starting position as a rookie, White became one of the league's top cornerbacks as part of a resurgent Bills defense, having garnered two Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors. Following three injury-riddled seasons and his subsequent release, White signed with the Rams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Allen</span> American football player (born 1996)

Joshua Patrick Allen is an American professional football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys and was selected seventh overall by the Bills in the 2018 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Fromm</span> American football player (born 1998)

William Jacob Fromm is an American professional football quarterback for the Detroit Lions (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Fromm has also been a member of the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac Jones</span> American football player (born 1998)

Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones is an American professional football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Jones played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he set the NCAA season records for passer rating and completion percentage as a junior en route to winning the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashad Fenton</span> American football player (born 1997)

Rashad Fenton is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Cameron Dantzler Sr. is an American professional football cornerback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

References

  1. ↑ Rea, Larry (April 18, 1971). "Freeman Rules Meet With One-Man Show". Memphis Commercial Appeal.
  2. ↑ "Four named to MSU Sports Hall of Fame". Mississippi State University. 2000. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Past SEC Football Legends". Southeastern Conference . Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "1975 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ Brady, Erik (September 23, 2020). "As Bills safety and official, Steve Freeman loved the middle of the field". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  6. ↑ Miller, Jeffrey J. (2012). "75: From Red, White and Blue to Black and White". 100 Things Bills Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. ISBN   978-1600787287.
  7. ↑ "Where Are They Now: Steve Freeman". BuffaloBills.com. March 12, 2003. Archived from the original on November 27, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
  8. ↑ Patra, Kevin (August 14, 2020). "Five on-field, two replay officials opt out of 2020 season". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.