Ben Heeney (born May 13, 1992) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Kansas.

Ben Heeney
refer to caption
Heeney with Kansas in 2012
No. 50, 51, 56
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1992-05-13) May 13, 1992 (age 31)
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Hutchinson
(Hutchinson, Kansas)
College:Kansas
NFL draft:2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 140
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:55
Sacks:2.5
Forced fumbles:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years edit

Heeney attended Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Kansas. Helping to lead the Salthawks to three state titles. He played safety and running back. As a senior, he ran for a school record 2,083 yards and 39 touchdowns.[1] He also had 143 tackles and four interceptions. Heeney committed to the University of Kansas to play college football.

College career edit

Heeney played at Kansas from 2011 to 2014. As a true freshman, he played in all 12 games and had eight tackles. As a sophomore in 2012, Heeney started all 12 games, recording 112 tackles and a sack.[2] As a junior in 2013, he played and started in 10 games, missing two due to injury. He finished the season with 88 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions. As a senior in 2014, Heeney again started all 12 games, finishing with 127 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception.[3][4][5]

Professional career edit

Oakland Raiders edit

Heeney was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft with the 140th overall pick.[6] He was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2016.[7] On July 25, 2017, the Raiders placed Heeney on the non-football injury list.[8] He was waived on September 2, 2017.[9]

New Orleans Saints edit

On September 22, 2017, Heeney was signed to the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints.[10] He was promoted to the active roster on September 27, 2017.[11] He was waived on October 3, 2017.[12]

Houston Texans edit

On October 4, 2017, the Houston Texans claimed Heeney off waivers.[13] The team placed him on injured reserve on November 29, 2017.[14]

On March 26, 2018, Heeney re-signed with the Texans.[15] On August 29, 2018, he was waived with an injury designation by the Texans after having ankle surgery. After going unclaimed on waivers, was placed on the Texans injured reserve.[16] He was released on September 8, 2018.

New York Guardians edit

Heeney was selected by the New York Guardians of the XFL in round one of phase three of the 2020 XFL Draft.[17] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[18]

Career statistics edit

Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions
Comb Total Ast Sck FF SFTY PDef Int TDs Yds Avg Lng
2015 OAK 15 38 31 7 2.5 1 0 1 0 0 0 -- 0
2016 OAK 4 15 13 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0
2017 NO 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0
HOU 5 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Career 24 55 44 11 2.5 1 0 1 0 0 0 -- 0

Career statistics accurate as of the end of the 2017 regular season.[19]

Personal life edit

Heeney is married to Taylor Alderson, and they have a son and a daughter.

References edit

  1. ^ KU's Ben Heeney looking to leave lasting impression in final season
  2. ^ Linebacker Ben Heeney is a diamond on a rough KU football team
  3. ^ Kansas linebacker Ben Heeney wouldn’t mind being the next Chris Borland
  4. ^ Ben Heeney is … ‘The Diabolical Defender’
  5. ^ Ben Heeney, an appreciation
  6. ^ "Raiders Take Kansas LB Ben Heeney in the 5th Round". Raiders.com. May 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Raiders Sign LB Perry Riley Jr.; Heeney To Reserve/Injured List". Raiders.com. October 4, 2016. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Bouda, Nate (July 25, 2017). "Raiders Place TE Cooper Helfet & LB Ben Heeny On NFI List".
  9. ^ "Raiders Announce Transactions". Raiders.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  10. ^ "Saints sign linebacker Ben Heeney to the practice squad: source". NOLA.com. September 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Underhill, Nick (September 27, 2017). "Saints place David Parry on injured reserve, promote Ben Heeney from practice squad". TheAdvocate.com.
  12. ^ Bouda, Nate (October 3, 2017). "Saints Cut DL Kendall Langford & LB Ben Heeney". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Williams, Charean (October 4, 2017). "Texans claim Ben Heeney off waivers from Saints". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  14. ^ "Texans place Chris Clark, Ben Heeney on IR". HoustonTexans.com. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  15. ^ Williams, Charean (March 26, 2018). "Texans re-sign Ben Heeney, cut Deante' Gray". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  16. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 29, 2018). "Texans linebacker Ben Heeney out for the season after ankle surgery". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  17. ^ Daniels, Tim (October 15, 2019). "XFL Draft 2019 Results: Rosters, Day 1 Selections for Each Team". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ben Heeney Career Stats".

External links edit