Evan Boyd Pilgrim (born August 14, 1972) is an American former professional

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 ...

player who was an

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

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 professionally for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Tennessee Oilers The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Ho ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Early life

Pilgrim was born in

Pittsburg, California Pittsburg (formerly Black Diamond, New York Landing and New York of the Pacific) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is an industrial suburb located on the southern shore of the Suisun Bay in the East Bay region of t ...

, son of Emma (Donakey) and Ralph Pilgrim. He attended Antioch High School, in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

, was named to the Contra Costa County all-star team. He was team captain and lettered in football, basketball and track.

College career

Attending

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) in Utah on a full scholarship, Pilgrim was an All-Conference lineman with the nickname “Pancake Maker” for his blocking prowess. He was team captain during his senior year, and made the Kodak All-America Team. He held the bench press record of 510 pounds at BYU. Inducted into BYU's Hall of Fame in 2005, he was also named to its All-Time LaVell Edwards BYU Team.

NFL career

Pilgrim was selected into the NFL by the Chicago Bears in the third round (87th pick overall) of the

1995 NFL draft The 1995 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 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount ...

. He played for the Bears from 1995-1997. Pilgrim played for the Tennessee Oilers for part of 1998, and for the Denver Broncos for a short time in 1999. Traded to the Atlanta Falcons, he finished his six-season career, playing in 32 games (10 with the Falcons). He played for the Falcons in 1999 in

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXII champion 1998 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

Life after the NFL

Pilgrim retired from the NFL in 2001. He suited up as a player again to appear as a “prison guard” defensive lineman in the 2005 film “The Longest Yard,” starring Adam Sandler. He was the onfield coordinator for the film. Pilgrim married Andrea Terry in July 1992. Children (Ciel Pilgrim,1995. Ian Pilgrim 1997. Sophie Pilgrim 2003.) Remarried to Christi Bollenbacher in July 2009. Children (Grace Pilgrim, 2010. Gavin Pilgrim, 2011)

References

External links

Antiock Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilgrim, Evan 1972 births Living people Players of American football from Pittsburg, California American football offensive guards BYU Cougars football players Chicago Bears players Tennessee Oilers players Denver Broncos players Atlanta Falcons players Antioch High School alumni