O.J. Santiago

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Otis Jason "O.J." Santiago (born March 4, 1974 in Whitby, Ontario) is an unsigned American football tight end in the NFL. He was most recently signed by the New England Patriots, who then released him after only two days in their roster. Santiago is a Canadian of Puerto Rican, Trinidadian, and German descent. He attended St. Michael's College School and played football while there. O.J. Santiago is no known relation to Jose Santiago, of the 1967 Boston Red Sox.

1 Biography
2 Statistics
3 See also
4 External link

[edit] Biography

Santiago attended Kent State University from 1992 to 1996. He caught 62 passes for 730 yards for an 11.8 career average with 4 touchdowns during his career at Kent State. Started 22 of 33 career games at Kent State and was named to the MAC All-Academic First-Team for three straight seasons, and in 1997, he was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the 3rd round (70th overall) in the NFL Draft. During his first year, he totaled 217 receiving yards in eleven games, for an average of 12.8 yards per catch. In 1998, his yardage numbers went up to 478 receiving yards in 16 games, for an average of 15.9 yards per catch. He also drew attention for a dance he created to celebrate a touchdown. The dance later became known as the "Dirty Bird".

In 2000, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where his receiving yardage went down. After spending the 2002 season injured, he played in the 2003 season for the Oakland Raiders, where he rebounded by playing in twelve games, with 69 receiving yards, and averaging 13.8 yards per catch. Having already totaling 972 yards before joining the Raiders, he was able to reach the 1,000 yard milestone during his short tenure with the Northern California team.

In 2004 was signed by the Denver Broncos which released him at the end of Training Camp. On 23 May, 2006 Santiago resigned with the Oakland Raiders after not suiting up the 2005 season. On December 13, 2006 he signed with the New England Patriots, who released him 2 days later.

[edit] Statistics

As of the end of the 2003 season, Santiago has played in 68 NFL games, gaining a total of 1,041 yards for an average of 12.9 yards per catch. He has scored a total of nine touchdowns in the NFL.