Roosevelt Nix (fullback)
| No. 45 Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Fullback, Special Teams | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | March 30, 1992 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Reynoldsburg, Ohio | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Reynoldsburg (OH) | ||||||||
| College: | Kent State | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Roosevelt Delbert Nix-Jones (born March 30, 1992) is an American football fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons after going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kent State University. Nix has also been a member of the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League. His father, Roosevelt Nix, also played in the NFL.[1]
Early years
Nix played high school football for the Reynoldsburg High School Raiders. He was named OCC player of the year while earning second team all-state, first team all-district, all-metro and OCC honors his senior year. He played for Ohio in the 2010 Big 33 Classic and was also selected to play in the Ohio North-South All-Star game. Nix recorded 84 tackles and eight sacks as a junior, garnering second team all state, all conference, first-team all district, Super 25 and first team OCC recognition. He also lettered in wrestling.[2]
College career
Freshman season
After graduating from high school, Nix began attending Kent State. He joined the Golden Flashes football team as a defensive lineman and played his freshman season under head coach Doug Martin. In his first two career games against Murray State and Boston College, he would force a fumble and record a sack. In week 5, in a game against Miami University, he ended the game with 3 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble making it 4 forced fumbles in his first 5 career games. The next game he racked up a total of 3.5 sacks and force another fumble against Akron. Nix continued in week 8 with 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and blocked an extra point in a win over Bowling Green. In a week 10 game against Temple, Nix racked up a career-high 5 tackles in the 10–28 loss. He finished his first season at Kent State with 43 tackles(19 solo), 10 sacks, 4 forced fumbled, and led the MAC conference with 20 tackles for a loss. Nix also became Kent State's first freshman to ever win the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award and was voted first-team All-MAC.
Sophomore season
With a 5–7 finish in Nix's freshman year, Kent State chose to hire Darrell Hazell to replace Doug Martin as Kent State's head coach for 2011. In the season opener, Nix amassed a total of 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a sack against #2 Alabama. On September 29, he forced a fumble that led to the game-winning touchdown in a victory against FCS South Alabama. While playing NIU, he finished the game with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. In a week 11 contest against Akron, he had a career-high 6 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 pass break ups in a performance that won him MAC East Defensive Player of the Week. Nix ended his first season under head coach Darrell Hazell, being voted to first-team All-MAC for the second consecutive year and finishing with 39 tackles(25 solo), 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and led Kent State with 17 tackles for a loss.
Junior season
Nix was voted as a team captain by his coaches and teammates and opened his junior season with 8 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and a sack against #7 FCS Towson. In week 4, he amassed 5 solo tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble in a 45–43 victory over Ball State. On October 13, in a victory over Army, Nix racked up a total of 5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a sack. On November 30, he finished with a total of 5 tackles and a sack in an overtime loss to Northern Illinois. The Golden Flashes finished their season with a loss to Alabama State in the Go Daddy Bowl and with a record of 11–3. Nix ended his junior season with 59 tackles(36 solo), 15 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles while also being voted first-team All-MAC by Phil Steele.
Senior season
Following their success the previous year, head coach Darrell resigned and took a job with Purdue. Paul Haynes was then named head coach, being Nix's third during his time at Kent State. In a week 2 contest, he finished with 4 tackles for a loss in a 22–41 loss to Bowling Green. In week 5, he had a career-high 8 tackles against Western Michigan. For his last collegiate game, he accumulated 6 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble in a victory over Ohio. For his last season at Kent State, he finished with a total of 41 tackles(22 solo), 13 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He was also voted defensive captain by his teammates and first-team All-MAC by Sportsillustrated.com.
Nix ended his collegiate career leading Kent State with 65 tackles for a loss, and second in school history with 25 sacks. He also accumulated 182 tackles(102 solo) and 12 forced fumbles. He also was the first player in school history to receive first-team all conference honors all four seasons of his career.[2]
Professional career
Even though he had a stellar career at Kent State, he was projected to go undrafted due to his small stature for his position and wasn't invited to work out at the NFL Combine.
Atlanta Falcons
Nix signed with the Atlanta Falcons on May 10, 2014 after going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.[3] He appeared on Hard Knocks with the Falcons.[4] He was released by the Falcons on August 3, 2014.[3]
Cleveland Gladiators
Nix was assigned to the Cleveland Gladiators on October 9, 2014. He was placed on Other League Exempt on January 5, 2015.[5]
Pittsburgh Steelers
Nix was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 9, 2015.[3] On September 5, 2015, Nix made it past the team's final round of cuts, thus becoming a member of the regular season roster. As of Week 11 of the 2015 NFL season, Nix has played in all 10 of the Steelers' games, starting 3 of them. His first forced fumble was during Week 9 of the 2015 NFL season, on a special teams play, when the Steelers hosted the Oakland Raiders. During his short NFL career, Nix has caught two passes for 11 yards, and made 7 special teams tackles.[6] On January 19, 2016, the Steelers signed Nix to a one-year contract extension.[7]
Personal life
Roosevelt Nix-Jones was born on March 30, 1992 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio to Lisa and Roosevelt Nix. His stepfather's name is Johnny Jones.[1] He has two younger siblings, Keela and Jalen Jones. During her time in college, his mother Lisa was a standout softball player during her time at Bowling Green.
References
- 1 2 Blackledge, Steve (August 25, 2009). "High school football: Nix suffers no shortage of skills". dispatch.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- 1 2 "Roosevelt Nix". kentstatesports.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Roosevelt Nix". kffl.com. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ↑ Svetz, Josh (February 22, 2015). "The Steelers Futures Report:Roosevelt Nix". steelersdepot.com. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Team Transactions". arenafan.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers: Roosevelt Nix". www.steelers.com. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
- ↑ "Steelers Sign OL Chris Hubbard & FB Roosevelt Nix To Extensions - NFL Trade Rumors -". NFL Trade Rumors -. NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved 2016-01-20.