Zak DeOssie
Encyclopedia
Zackary Robert "Zak" DeOssie (born May 25, 1984 in North Andover, Massachusetts
) is an American football
linebacker
and Long snapper
for the New York Giants
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Brown
.
A two-time Pro Bowl
selection in 2008
, 2010
as a Long snapper. DeOssie earned a Super Bowl ring
with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII
. He is the son of former NFL linebacker Steve DeOssie
. The two hold the distinction of being the only father-son duo to win Super Bowl
s with the same franchise.
in Massachusetts
where he was named to the All-New England Prep Team. He was the football team captain his senior year and captained the basketball team his senior season.
, which goes to the nation's top FCS defensive player. As a senior in 2006, was a First-team All-America by The NFL Draft Report, earning 3rd-team honors from the Associated Press. As a senior, he was a First-team All-Ivy League for the third consecutive season, he started all 10 games at strongside inside linebacker and he led the Bears with a career-high 110 tackles including 68 solo stops. As a junior, he led Brown with 80 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 5 quarterback sacks, one interception, one blocked kick and three forced fumbles despite missing three games and was a First-team All-Ivy League selection. The prior year, as a sophomore, he was a First-Team All-Ivy selection. He made 98 tackles and intercepted a pass.
was the fifth-best for a linebacker. He had a 34½" vertical leap, a 10'2" broad jump, a 4.00 in the short shuttle, and a 6.89 in the three-cone drill and scored a 24 on the Wonderlic
.
when he was selected in the fourth round by the New York Giants
. DeOssie mostly played on special teams during his rookie season, taking over as the long snapper
when starter Ryan Kuehl
was placed on injured reserve midway through the year. He finished with six tackles for the season as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII
. DeOssie played an extended role on defense in 2008 after Mathias Kiwanuka
moved from outside linebacker to defensive end. He continued to share the long snapping duties with Jay Alford
and was chosen by Philadelphia Eagles
head coach Andy Reid
as a need player in the 2009 Pro Bowl
. In 2008, DeOssie played in all 16 games and the NFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Philadelphia. He served as the long snapper and finished 3rd on the team in special team tackles with 13. For the 2011 season, DeOssie, was selected as the Special Teams Captain.
. Steve is a former NFL player who was a member of the Giants' Super Bowl XXV
-winning team. As a result of the Giants' win in Super Bowl XLII, the DeOssies became the first father-son duo to win a Super Bowl as members of the same franchise. Growing up in North Andover, Massachusetts
, DeOssie was a New England Patriots
fan and served as a ball boy. He would later be on the Giants team that ended New England's undefeated run in Super Bowl XLII.
Zak has a twin sister, Christina, and an older sister, Nichole. He is engaged to Kate Hammond, whom he met at Brown.
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
) 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...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and Long snapper
Long snapper
In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of 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 was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. 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 Brown
Brown Bears
The Brown Bears is a name shared by all sports teams at Brown University, a university located in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. The Bears are part of the Ivy League conference. Brown's mascot is Bruno. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 37 National...
.
A two-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection in 2008
2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
, 2010
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV...
as a Long snapper. DeOssie earned a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. He is the son of former NFL linebacker Steve DeOssie
Steve DeOssie
Steven Leonard DeOssie is a former American football linebacker and long snapper. DeOssie played college football at Boston College, and went on to play in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the New England Patriots...
. The two hold the distinction of being the only father-son duo to win Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s with the same franchise.
Early years
DeOssie attended Phillips Academy AndoverPhillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
where he was named to the All-New England Prep Team. He was the football team captain his senior year and captained the basketball team his senior season.
College career
DeOssie played in 36 games with 29 starts at Brown and recorded 315 tackles (187 solos) with 10.5 sacks, 36.5 stops for losses, 5 quarterback pressures, 5 forced fumbles, 11 deflected passes and 1 blocked kick and 4 interceptions for 60 yards in returns. He was a two-time I-AA All-American at Brown and was twice among the finalists for the Buck Buchanan AwardBuck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was designated solely for offensive players.The trophy was named in honor of the...
, which goes to the nation's top FCS defensive player. As a senior in 2006, was a First-team All-America by The NFL Draft Report, earning 3rd-team honors from the Associated Press. As a senior, he was a First-team All-Ivy League for the third consecutive season, he started all 10 games at strongside inside linebacker and he led the Bears with a career-high 110 tackles including 68 solo stops. As a junior, he led Brown with 80 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 5 quarterback sacks, one interception, one blocked kick and three forced fumbles despite missing three games and was a First-team All-Ivy League selection. The prior year, as a sophomore, he was a First-Team All-Ivy selection. He made 98 tackles and intercepted a pass.
Pre-draft
DeOssie became the first player in Brown's history to be invited to NFL Combine in 2007 and was the only Ivy league player invited that season. His 4.58-second 40-yard dash was eighth-highest among all linebackers - a factor that significantly boosted his draft stock. His 26 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench pressBench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
was the fifth-best for a linebacker. He had a 34½" vertical leap, a 10'2" broad jump, a 4.00 in the short shuttle, and a 6.89 in the three-cone drill and scored a 24 on the Wonderlic
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. The test was developed by industrial psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic...
.
New York Giants
DeOssie become the 116th player chosen in the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
when he was selected in the fourth round by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. DeOssie mostly played on special teams during his rookie season, taking over as the long snapper
Long snapper
In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
when starter Ryan Kuehl
Ryan Kuehl
Ryan Philip Kuehl is an American football long snapper who is currently a free agent.-Early years:...
was placed on injured reserve midway through the year. He finished with six tackles for the season as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. DeOssie played an extended role on defense in 2008 after Mathias Kiwanuka
Mathias Kiwanuka
Mathias Kagimu Kiwanuka is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Boston College. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.-Early...
moved from outside linebacker to defensive end. He continued to share the long snapping duties with Jay Alford
Jay Alford
Jason Jamaal Alford is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State....
and was chosen by Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach Andy Reid
Andy Reid
Andrew Walter "Andy" Reid is the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, a post he has held since 1999. Since 2001, he has also been the team's executive vice president of football operations...
as a need player in the 2009 Pro Bowl
2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
. In 2008, DeOssie played in all 16 games and the NFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Philadelphia. He served as the long snapper and finished 3rd on the team in special team tackles with 13. For the 2011 season, DeOssie, was selected as the Special Teams Captain.
Personal
Zak is the son of Dianna and Steve DeOssieSteve DeOssie
Steven Leonard DeOssie is a former American football linebacker and long snapper. DeOssie played college football at Boston College, and went on to play in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the New England Patriots...
. Steve is a former NFL player who was a member of the Giants' Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
-winning team. As a result of the Giants' win in Super Bowl XLII, the DeOssies became the first father-son duo to win a Super Bowl as members of the same franchise. Growing up in North Andover, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, DeOssie was a New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
fan and served as a ball boy. He would later be on the Giants team that ended New England's undefeated run in Super Bowl XLII.
Zak has a twin sister, Christina, and an older sister, Nichole. He is engaged to Kate Hammond, whom he met at Brown.