Eric O. Bassey (born January 23, 1983 in
Garland, Texas
Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County except for small portions located in Collin County, Texa ...
) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly di ...
. He was signed by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2006. He played
college football at
Oklahoma.
Early years
Bassey Attended
North Garland High School
North Garland High School is a public secondary school located in Garland, Texas (USA). North Garland High School enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The school is known for the endorsemen ...
in Garland, Texas, where he played wide receiver and defensive back in addition to returning kicks. He also excelled in track as a member of a 4×100-meter relay team that finished second in the
state championship meet and he won state championship in 400-meter event.
College career
Bassey played
college football at
Oklahoma. He played in 48 games totaling 112 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three interceptions. Had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against Alabama in the season opener at OU Memorial Stadium, and in 2004 returned an interception for a touchdown against
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
.
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Bassey was originally signed by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
as an undrafted free agent in 2006 and spent the entire season on the practice squad.
St. Louis Rams
On September 12, 2007, he was signed by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
to their practice squad and was then later signed to the active roster. During the 2007 season, he played in eight games recording 11 tackles.
Bassey spent the first seven weeks of the 2008 season on the Rams' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 22, 2008, after
wide receiver Eddie Kennison
Eddie Joseph Kennison, III (born January 20, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Kennison ...
was waived.
On August 9, 2009, Bassey was waived/injured after suffering a torn ACL in a special teams drill.
Post-Retirement
Bassey is now the co-owner of the
Texas Outlaws
The Texas Outlaws were an American indoor soccer team founded in 2008. The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer in North America. The team disbanded in 2010.
Fi ...
of the new
Fall Experimental Football League
The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL).
The lea ...
along with fellow NFL alum
Tommie Harris
Tommie Harris, Jr. (born April 29, 1983) is a former American football defensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was recognized as a consens ...
.
External links
St. Louis Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassey, Eric
1983 births
Living people
People from Garland, Texas
American football cornerbacks
American football safeties
Oklahoma Sooners football players
Buffalo Bills players
St. Louis Rams players