Limas Lee Sweed Jr. (born December 25, 1984) 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 a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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 was selected by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the second round of the

2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...

. He was part of their

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

championship team. 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

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

. He was also a member of the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

and

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL).

Early life

Sweed attended Brenham High School in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas, United States, and the county seat of Washington County, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Brenham is also known for its annual German heritage festival that takes pl ...

. He was a starting receiver on the Brenham Cubs and took them to the Texas AAAA State Championship, where they were defeated by Denton Ryan High School. He lettered in basketball and track. In track, he finished 4th at the UIL State Meet in the 110 Hurdles his senior year.

College career

Sweed was a redshirt freshman in the 2004 season. As a sophomore, Sweed recorded 36 receptions for 545 yards and 5 touchdowns. One of these touchdowns was a game winning catch from Vince Young against Ohio State to keep the Longhorns ranked second in the nation. In addition, Sweed recorded eight receptions for 65 yards in the BCS National Championship against USC. Sweed's junior year would be his best season statistically. Receiving for new quarterback

Colt McCoy Daniel "Colt" McCoy (born September 5, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, winning several award ...

, Sweed collected 46 receptions for 801 yards and 12 touchdowns. By catching a touchdown pass in seven straight games, Sweed broke former Longhorn Roy Williams' record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception. In the summer prior to the

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 30, 2007, and ended on D ...

, Sweed injured his wrist but was cleared to play in the season opener for the

2007 Texas Longhorns football team The 2007 Texas Longhorns football team (variously "Texas" or "UT" or the "Horns") represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown. The Longhorns played their hom ...

. In the sixth game of the season, the 2007

Red River Shootout The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border rivals Texas and Oklahoma. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been renewed annually since 1929 for a total of 120 games as ...

, he left the game early because he re-injured his left wrist. He underwent surgery to tighten the ligaments in the wrist, ending his season. He returned to play in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, and was fully healthy for the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

Originally projected to be the first or second receiver taken in the draft, Sweed's stock fell sharply due to his injury. He was selected 53rd overall by the

, and was the ninth receiver selected. On July 27, 2008, Sweed agreed to a four-year contract with the Steelers worth $3.3 million. During training camp, Sweed discovered that he had

astigmatism Astigmatism is a type of refractive error due to rotational asymmetry in the eye's refractive power. The lens and cornea of an eye without astigmatism are nearly spherical, with only a single radius of curvature, and any refractive errors ...

in both eyes and would have to wear contacts. In the 2008 preseason opener against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, Sweed led the Steelers with 3 receptions for 23 yards. His regular season debut came in week 7 against the

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 ...

, due to an injury suffered by Dallas Baker. He caught one pass for 11 yards. He would go on to win a Super Bowl with the Steelers that season. Going into training camp in 2009, Sweed faced competition for the 3rd wide receiver position between veteran Shaun McDonald and rookie

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

. Sweed entered the season as the 6th receiver, rarely playing in the first 3 games. He dropped a pass in Week 3 which would have been a touchdown. Following this drop, Sweed bounced between the 4th and 5th receiver spots until Shaun McDonald was released on November 28, solidifying Sweed as the 4th receiver. On December 21, 2009, Sweed was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury/Illness List. The nature of the injury was not announced, although he stated that he was dealing with "personal issues." On May 2, 2010, Sweed injured his left Achilles tendon during the final day of a three-day minicamp. On May 3, 2010, Sweed underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon, and he was placed on season-ending

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 ...

a few days later. On August 17, 2011, the Steelers placed Sweed on the Waived/Injured list. He was then released by the Steelers in mid-September.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On October 25, 2012, the

signed Sweed. He was released by the team on June 4, 2013.

Ottawa Redblacks

On February 10, 2014, Sweed signed with the

. He was released by the team on April 16, 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweed, Limas 1984 births Living people American football wide receivers Canadian football wide receivers Texas Longhorns football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Ottawa Redblacks players Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from Brenham, Texas 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Players of Canadian football from Texas