Will Sanders Heller (born February 28, 1981) is a former American football tight end. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003. He played college football at Georgia Tech.
 Heller with the Lions in 2011 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 28, 1981 Dunwoody, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 275 lb (125 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Marist (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia Tech (1999–2002) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2003 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Heller also played for the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions.
Early life
editHeller attended Marist High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a student and a letterman in both football and basketball. In football, he played tight end, wide receiver, and defensive back, and was a 2nd Team All-Northside selection under Marist head football coach Alan Chadwick.[citation needed]
College career
editHeller attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, where he played tight end under Coach George O'Leary. Heller arrived at Georgia Tech as a walk-on candidate for tight end after turning down his only football scholarship offer to Division I-AA Furman.[1]
Professional career
editTampa Bay Buccaneers (first stint)
editHeller signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on May 5, 2003, after going undrafted in the 2003 NFL draft. He played in nine games, starting one, in 2003, catching two passes for 15 yards and one touchdown. He appeared in 10 games, starting two, during the 2004 season, recording 12 receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown. Heller was placed on injured reserve on December 13, 2004. He re-signed with the Buccaneers on April 29, 2005. He was waived on September 3, 2005.[2]
Miami Dolphins
editHeller was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins on September 4, 2005. He played in seven games for the Dolphins in 2005, catching one pass for one yard and a touchdown. He was waived on November 5, 2005.[2]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)
editHeller signed with the Buccaneers on December 20, 2005.[2]
Seattle Seahawks
editHeller was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on March 24, 2006. He appeared in all 16 games for the Seahawks in 2006, totaling four receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown.[2]
He re-signed with the team on March 5, 2007. Heller played in 16 games, starting six, during the 2007 season, catching 13, passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns were in one game against the St. Louis Rams.[2]
Heller appeared in 12 games in 2008, recording four passes for 29 yards.[2]
Detroit Lions
editHeller was signed by the Detroit Lions on March 16, 2009.[3] He played in 16 games, starting a career high nine games, for the Lions in 2009, totaling 29 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns.[2]
Heller re-signed with the team on March 8, 2010. He appeared in 16 games, starting five, during the 2010 season, recording four receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown. Heller played in 16 games, starting seven, in 2011, catching six passes for 42 yards.[2]
He was released following the 2011 season on March 12, 2012, but re-signed on March 22, 2012.[4] He appeared in all 16 games for the fourth straight season in 2012, totaling 17 receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown.[2]
References
edit- ^ http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/111402/gat_124-6723.shtml [dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Will Heller". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Lions Sign Free Agent Heller SI.com, March 16, 2009
- ^ Lions ink DE Brown, re-sign two others
External links
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