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Jeffrey Carl Backus (born September 21, 1977) 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 ...
offensive tackle in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). He played college football for the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. He was drafted with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
and played his entire 12-year career for the team.


High school career

Backus attended Norcross High School and was a standout in football and baseball. He spent his freshman year at Marist School in Dunwoody before returning to Norcross, where he played his middle school years. In football, as a senior, he was a ''USA Today'' All-America selection, and was chosen by the Gwinnett Touchdown Club as the Gwinnett Touchdown Club's Lineman of the Year.


Professional career

In July 2001, Jeff Backus signed a $7 million 5-year contract with the Lions, including a $3.2 million signing bonus. In July 2006, Jeff Backus signed a $40 million 6-year contract with the Lions. On November 22, 2012, Backus' streak of starting and playing in 186 consecutive games ended due to injury. On March 14, 2013, Backus retired.


Post-playing career

Backus became a part-time coaching intern with the Detroit Lions after his retirement from playing football.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Backus, Jeff 1977 births Living people American people of Lithuanian descent People from Norcross, Georgia Players of American football from Gwinnett County, Georgia Sportspeople from Midland, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan American football offensive tackles Norcross High School alumni Michigan Wolverines football players Detroit Lions players