Rodney Fritz Jr. (born May 8, 1987) 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

Early life

Born the son of Jennifer and Rodney Fritz, Rodney attended

Hickman High School David Henry Hickman High School (commonly Hickman or HHS) is a public secondary school in Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving students in grades 9– 12. Built in 1927, it is the oldest of four high schools in the Columbia Public Scho ...

in Kansas City, Missouri. There he was named all-state as tight end, after having 21 receptions for 549 yards and nine touchdowns, and was an honorable mention as a linebacker. He was also named all conference in basketball.

College career

Highland

In 2006, Rodney attended Highland CC, where he played in nine games, registering 71 tackles (46 solo, 25 assists), and posted three sacks with 9.5 tackles for a loss (37 yards). He also managed one forced fumble. As a result, he was named to the

Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) is a college athletic conference that is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). As of 2007, the KJCCC was home to more than 3,000 student-athletes in the 19 m ...

Second Team.

L.A. Pierce

In 2007, Rodney transferred to

Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce College or Pierce) is a public community college in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and C ...

, where he played in nine games, registering 98 tackles (61 solo, 37 assists), and posted seven sacks with 19 tackles for a loss (37 yards). He also managed one interception, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. As a result, he was named to the

Western State Conference The Western State Conference (WSC) is a college athletic conference that is affiliated with the California Community College Athletic Association. The conference was established in 1950, making it the oldest community college conference in Califo ...

First Team.

Tennessee State

As a junior in 2008, he transferred to

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

, where he played in 17 games, recording 40 tackles (9 of which were sacks).

Professional career

Huntington Hammer

In 2011, Fritz signed with the

Huntington Hammer The Huntington Hammer were a professional indoor football team that began play as a charter member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) for its inaugural 2011 season. The Hammer were based in Huntington, West Virginia, with home games p ...

of the

Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...

(UIFL). There he led the Hammer defense in tackles-for-loss, was second on the team in sacks, and recorded the most forced fumbles.

Tulsa Talons

On Friday, July 15, 2011, the Tulsa Talons of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL) signed Fritz. By signing with the Talons, he became the first UIFL player to sign with an AFL team.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Signed as a free agent on August 9, 2011 to the practice roster with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

(CFL). During the 2013 CFL training camp, Fritz was released by the Blue Bombers.

Toronto Argonauts

On August 5, 2013, Fritz signed a practice roster agreement with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the CFL. He was released by the Argonauts on August 21, 2013.

Los Angeles KISS

On November 11, 2015, Fritz was assigned to the Los Angeles KISS of the AFL. On June 17, 2016, Fritz was placed on reassignment.

Arizona Rattlers

On June 20, 2016, Fritz was claimed by the

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League a ...

of the AFL.

Baltimore Brigade

On March 22, 2018, Fritz was assigned to the

Baltimore Brigade The Baltimore Brigade was a professional arena football team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Royal Farms Arena. The franchise was owned by Monumental Spo ...

of the AFL.

Albany Empire

On April 4, 2019, Fritz was assigned to the Albany Empire of the AFL.

References

External links

Rodney Fritz - CFL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz, Rodney 1987 births Hickman High School alumni Living people American football defensive linemen Canadian football defensive linemen Tennessee State Tigers football players Huntington Hammer players Tulsa Talons players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players San Jose SaberCats players Pierce Brahmas football players Los Angeles Kiss players Baltimore Brigade players Albany Empire (AFL) players Players of American football from Kansas City, Missouri Players of Canadian football from Kansas City, Missouri