Spencer Nead (born November 3, 1977) 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 ...

fullback and

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

who played 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

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the seventh round of the

2003 NFL draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

. 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 ...

at BYU. Nead was also a member of 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, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

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

Nead played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Teton High School Teton High School is a four-year public secondary school in Driggs, Idaho. It is the only traditional high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schoo ...

Driggs, Idaho Driggs is a city in the western United States in eastern Idaho, and is the county seat of Teton County. Part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, it is located in Teton Valley, the headwaters of the Teton River. The popula ...

. He earned all-state honors his junior and senior seasons at both wide receiver and linebacker. He was also named all-state in basketball his senior year, helping Teton High advance to the state championship.

College career

Nead first played

Ricks College Ricks may refer to: People * Andre Ricks (born 1996), American basketball player * Bob Ricks (21st century), American police chief * Christopher Ricks (born 1933), British literary critic and scholar * Desmond Ricks, American football player * ...

. He garnered first-team All-Western State Football League and junior college

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

recognition his sophomore year. Nead then transferred to played for the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the Big 12 C ...

as a tight end. He started all 14 games in 2001, catching 22 receptions for 266 yards and five touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

honors. He totaled 40 receptions for 449 yards and one touchdown in 2002, garnering second-team All-Mountain West honors.

Professional career

New England Patriots

Nead was selected by the

in the seventh round, with the 234th overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on July 21, 2003. He was waived by the Patriots on August 20, 2003.

St. Louis Rams

Nead signed with the

on August 25, 2003. He was waived on September 15, signed to the team's practice squad on September 17, promoted to the active roster again on September 26, waived on September 30, signed to the practice squad again on October 2, promoted to the active roster on October 11, waived on December 9, and signed to the practice squad on December 11, 2003. Overall, Nead played in 10 games for the Rams during the 2003 season, catching one pass for six yards, fumbling once, returning two kicks for 27 yards, and recording seven solo tackles and one assisted tackle. Neal signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams on January 16, 2004. He was waived on June 4, 2004.

Atlanta Falcons

Nead was signed by the

on June 14, 2004. He was waived by the Falcons on July 30, 2004.

Personal life

His brother Kelley played tight end for the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

References

External links

BYU Cougars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nead, Spencer 1977 births Living people Players of American football from Tacoma, Washington American football tight ends American football fullbacks Ricks Vikings football players BYU Cougars football players New England Patriots players St. Louis Rams players Atlanta Falcons players