David Andrew Baas (born September 28, 1981) is an American former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, where he won the

Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College Football Awards ...

, and was recognized as a consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. He was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the second round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. Baas also played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Early life

Baas was born in

Bixby, Oklahoma Bixby is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma; it is a suburb of Tulsa. Its population was 28,609 at the 2020 census and 20,884 in the 2010 census, an increase of 36.99 percent In 2010, Bixby became the 19th lar ...

. He attended Riverview High School in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, and was a letterman in high school football and track and field for the Riverview Rams. In football, he was awarded ''USA Today'' All-USA honors. During his junior year, he recorded a school-record 70 pancake blocks.

College career

Baas attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he played for coach

Lloyd Carr Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season, replacing Gary Moeller. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolve ...

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

team from 2001 to 2004. He earned first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors three times. He started at

left guard In American football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is an offensive line player who lines up between the center and the tackles. Like other offensive line positions, guards are used primarily for blocking. Right ...

until the middle of his senior season, when he was moved to

. As a senior in 2004, he was the Hugh H. Rader awardee as the Wolverines' best offensive lineman, a finalist for the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...

, given to college football's best interior lineman, and a co-recipient of the

, awarded to college football's top center. He was also recognized as a consensus first-team

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. He majored in general studies.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers drafted Baas in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played in 13 games in 2005 and started in 5 of them. Baas' first game was in the historical

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

game on October 2 against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

as a special teams player. On December 4, he made his first start as a right guard against the same Cardinals team when Eric Heitmann was moved to center. Baas played in all 16 games in 2006, mainly as a special teams player and as an extra eligible tackle on the offensive line. In 2007, Baas started in 8 of the 15 games that he played in at right guard, after then-starter

Justin Smiley Justin Smiley (born November 11, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...

was put on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with a shoulder injury. He was re-signed to a one-year contract on April 13, 2010.

New York Giants

On July 29, 2011, Baas signed with the

as an unrestricted free agent. Baas was the starting center during Super Bowl XLVI in which the Giants defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. In the August 18, 2013 preseason game against the Colts, David Baas sprained his MCL in the first quarter and underwent an MRI and additional tests. The Giants reported Baas could be out for 3–6 weeks. The Giants fell to the Colts 20–12 in the game. Due to injuries, Baas appeared in only 3 games for the Giants during the 2013 regular season, the last being a week 7 game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. In that game, he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve following the game. On March 10, 2014, Baas was waived/failed physical from the Giants, designated as a post-June 1 cut. It was reported Baas may never play again due to neck and knee injuries.

Personal

Baas is married to his wife, Elizabeth, and they reside in

Lakewood Ranch, Florida Lakewood Ranch is a planned community and census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Manatee County and northeastern Sarasota County, Florida, United States, consisting of approximately . It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Flor ...

. While with the Giants, he was a resident of

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban commuter town, bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown M ...

.Sartor, Michelle
"Giant From Ridgewood Surprises Students: David Baas and two New York Giant teammates visited Westwood Jr./Sr. High School Tuesday to promote physical fitness"
Ridgewood Patch, September 14, 2011. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Ridgewood resident and New York Giant David Baas and two teammates gave eighth-graders at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School quite a pleasant surprise Tuesday afternoon when they appeared on the new football field to join in on a phys-ed class."

Notes and references

External links

San Francisco 49ers profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baas, David 1981 births Living people All-American college football players American football centers American football offensive guards Michigan Wolverines football players New York Giants players People from Bixby, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Ridgewood, New Jersey Players of American football from Bergen County, New Jersey Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida) alumni Players of American football from Oklahoma San Francisco 49ers players