Chad Hayes (born January 26, 1979 in

Old Town, Maine Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, but its boundaries extend beyond it. The island is su ...

) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

. He graduated from Old Town High School before playing football for the University of

Maine Black Bears The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of Maine. A member of the America East Conference, the University of Maine sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's Col ...

. In 2001, he was a second-team I-AA All American with Maine. Hayes went undrafted in the

2002 NFL draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted ...

but played in the National Football League in either the preseason or on the practice squad with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. Prior to the 2002 Draft, Hayes was ranked the 17th best tight end prospect, ahead of future NFL players

Jeb Putzier Jebediah Lee Putzier (pronounced PUTT-zeer) (born January 20, 1979) is an American former professional American football, football tight end. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft. Putzier also played for ...

, John Owens,

Kori Dickerson Kori Markese Dickerson (born December 6, 1978) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. Pre-professional career Dickerson prepped at Washington Preparatory High School, and he played ...

and John Gilmore. In 2003, Hayes played for the Berlin Thunder in

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

and caught 12 passes for 122 yards. In 2004, Hayes competed for the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe and made 11 catches for 144 yards during the regular season. In the World Bowl XII, Hayes caught two passes for 18 yards though the Galaxy lost to the Berlin Thunder 30–24.

References

External links

JustSportsStats profile
1979 births Living people Maine Black Bears football players American football tight ends Cincinnati Bengals players San Diego Chargers players Frankfurt Galaxy players Berlin Thunder players Tennessee Titans players People from Old Town, Maine Sportspeople from Penobscot County, Maine Players of American football from Maine 20th-century American sportsmen {{Tightend-1970s-stub