Lennie Friedman
Encyclopedia
Leonard Lebrecht Friedman (born October 13, 1976, in Livingston, New Jersey
) is an American football
offensive lineman who is currently a free agent
in the National Football League
.
He played college football
at Duke
. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos
in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
. Friedman has also played for the Washington Redskins
, Chicago Bears
, and Cleveland Browns
.
in West Milford, New Jersey
, where he played football and was also co-captain on a track and field team that went undefeated all four years. In high school he also played in the Maccabi Youth Games.
, Friedman was a three-year starter at left guard, and as a senior, he won first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
honors from the Sporting News. He earned a degree in psychology.
in the second round (61st overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
. He saw no action in his rookie season as he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season.
He was allocated to NFL Europe where he played for the Barcelona Dragons
. He returned to training camp and during the season played in all 16 games including eight starts. He made his first NFL start at the Cincinnati Bengals
on October 22.
During the 2001 season Friedman played in 15 games and made 14 starts at the left guard position. He only played in two games for the Broncos in 2002.
as an unrestricted free agent on March 5. He played in all 16 regular season games and made eight starts. He made his first career start at center versus the Seattle Seahawks
on November 9.
He played in five games for the Redskins in 2004 and made two starts. Friedman played in the opening ten games for the Redskins, but was waived on November 23.
as a free agent on November 29 and played in one game at the Minnesota Vikings
on January 1. Friedman was traded by the Bears to the Cleveland Browns
in exchange for a conditional draft choice on August 24, 2006.
in 2009.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jeff_pearlman/08/28/friedman/index.html
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive lineman who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Duke
Duke Blue Devils football
The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...
. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. Friedman has also played for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Friedman attended West Milford High SchoolWest Milford High School
West Milford High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from West Milford, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the West Milford Township Public Schools.As of the 2009-10 school year, the...
in West Milford, New Jersey
West Milford, New Jersey
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 25,850.-History:...
, where he played football and was also co-captain on a track and field team that went undefeated all four years. In high school he also played in the Maccabi Youth Games.
College career
At Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Friedman was a three-year starter at left guard, and as a senior, he won first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
honors from the Sporting News. He earned a degree in psychology.
Denver Broncos
He was selected by the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round (61st overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He saw no action in his rookie season as he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season.
He was allocated to NFL Europe where he played for the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
. He returned to training camp and during the season played in all 16 games including eight starts. He made his first NFL start at the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on October 22.
During the 2001 season Friedman played in 15 games and made 14 starts at the left guard position. He only played in two games for the Broncos in 2002.
Washington Redskins
He signed for the Washington RedskinsWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
as an unrestricted free agent on March 5. He played in all 16 regular season games and made eight starts. He made his first career start at center versus the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
on November 9.
He played in five games for the Redskins in 2004 and made two starts. Friedman played in the opening ten games for the Redskins, but was waived on November 23.
Chicago Bears
He was signed by the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as a free agent on November 29 and played in one game at the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
on January 1. Friedman was traded by the Bears to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in exchange for a conditional draft choice on August 24, 2006.
Cleveland Browns
In 2006, Friedman played in all 16 games and made two starts. He played a number of positions including guard and center as well as making contributions to special teams. In 2007, Friedman played in all 16 games for the Browns. Also used as an extra linemen in goaline packages.Post-NFL career
Friedman is enrolled in the MBA program at Duke University's Fuqua School of BusinessFuqua School of Business
The Fuqua School of Business is the business school of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It currently enrolls 1,340 students in degree-seeking programs...
in 2009.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jeff_pearlman/08/28/friedman/index.html