Billy Bajema
Encyclopedia
Billy Bajema is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

 for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...

 of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...

.

Early years

Bajema attended Westmoore High School
Westmoore High School
Westmoore High School is an American four-year public high school located in south Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Westmoore was founded as a comprehensive school in 1988 and...

 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was a three-sport letterwinner in: football, baseball, and basketball. In football, as a senior, he passed for 845 yards, 7 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

s, and 9 interceptions as the team's quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

, and also saw playing time at defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...

. As a senior, he was named by both, the Daily Oklahoman, and the Tulsa World
Tulsa World
Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper,...

 as an all state honorable mention, and also played in the Oil Bowl
Oil Bowl
Oil Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas, in 1944, 1946, and 1947. Muddy conditions for the first and freezing temperatures for the third game doomed future contests....

. While attending Westmoore High School, Bajema was also a stand out baseball player, receiving interest by major league scouts.

College career

After arriving at Oklahoma State University, Bajema switched to tight end where he played extensively throughout all 4 seasons. He played in 46 games making 37 starts and recorded 52 receptions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. He was a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and as a senior, he won ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 Academic All-American honors. Bajema was a double major in pre-med and business and graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measureables
Height Weight 40-yard dash
40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...

10-yard split 20-yard split 20 ss
20 yard shuttle
The 20-yard shuttle, also simply called the short shuttle, is a test performed by American football athletes at the NFL combine. It is primarily run to evaluate the quickness and change-of-direction ability of players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting...

3-cone
3 cone drill
The 3 cone drill, or three cone drill, is a test performed by American football athletes at the NFL combine. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting...

Vert
Vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of raising one's center of gravity higher in the vertical plane solely with the use of one's own muscles; it is a measure of how high an individual or athlete can elevate off the ground from a standstill.-Types of vertical jump:The vertical jump is...

Broad BP
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...

Wonderlic
6-4⅞ * 261 * 4.67 * 1.64 * 2.77 * 4.30 * 7.05 * 31½" * 9'05" * 16 * 37*
* represents NFL Combine
NFL Combine
The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...


San Francisco 49ers

Bajema was drafted by San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 in seventh round (249th pick overall) in 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

. On June 8, 2005, he signed a 3 year $1.043 million contract with the 49ers. Bajema made it to the final roster after the preseason and by the end of the 2007 NFL season, he has played in 45 games with 15 starts.

Bajema signed his one-year, $927,000 tender as a restricted free agent to stay with the 49ers in 2008. Bajema was mostly used as the blocking tight end by 49ers.

St. Louis Rams

An unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season, Bajema signed a three-year $2.5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...

 on March 30, 2009. The contract included a $270,000 signing bonus and salaries of $620,000 in 2009, $626,000 in 2010 and $985,000 in 2011.

Personal

Billy Bajema was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...

. He resides in Oklahoma City.

In 2004, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...

presented Billy Bajema with the first of what is now a yearly award in Bobby Bowden's name, The National Bobby Bowden Award, which honors one college football player for their achievements on the field and in the classroom and for their conduct as a faith model in the community. Nominees must have a 3.0 GPA or better and must also have the backing of his school's athletic director and head football coach. The award allows for a scholarship to be put forth for graduate studies.

External links

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