Nick Roach

Nicholas Alexander Roach (born June 16, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2007.

Nick Roach

Roach at the Chicago Bears' 2009 "Football 101" event
No. 53
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1985-06-16) June 16, 1985 (age 40) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lutheran (Milwaukee)
College:	Northwestern
NFL draft:	2007: undrafted
Career history
San Diego Chargers (2007)* Chicago Bears (2007–2012) Oakland Raiders (2013–2014)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 349 Sacks: 9.0 Forced fumbles: 8 Fumble recoveries: 3 Interceptions: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Roach was also a member of the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders.

Early life

Roach attended high school at Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he lettered in football, basketball, and track.

College career

Roach attended Northwestern (2003–06) where he started 32 career games. He finished his career with 241 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 16 TFLs and 2 interceptions. He was named Academic All-Big Ten and team co-MVP as a senior despite having his season cut short due to a broken leg. He led the Wildcats with 62 tackles despite playing in just eight games in 2006. He was Northwestern’s second-leading tackler as a junior with 77 stops, Roach earned NGN Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award as a sophomore after finishing second on the team with 7.5 TFLs. He played in all 13 games as a freshman.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Roach went undrafted in 2007 and was signed by the Chicago Bears after being cut from the Chargers. That season, he played in only 3 games, starting none. In 2008, he saw increased playing time, starting nine games and tallying 28 solo tackles in addition to nine assists. 2009 saw Roach make his biggest impact yet on defense, starting 15 games for the Bears. He had 54 solo tackles, 28 assists, two sacks and three fumble recoveries.

On March 6, 2011, Roach was a guest on Chalk Them Up Radio to review the Chicago Bears run to the NFC Championship Game.

In 2012, Roach and Stephen Paea were awarded the Brian Piccolo Award.^[1]

Oakland Raiders

Roach signed with the Oakland Raiders on March 15, 2013.^[2] Roach played in all 16 games and lead the team in tackles during the 2013 season.^[3]

Due to lingering concussion symptoms that involve issues with his balance and vision, the Raiders released him on March 6, 2015.^[4]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2007	CHI	3	0	3	3	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2008	CHI	14	9	39	30	9	0.0	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0
2009	CHI	16	15	75	54	21	2.0	8	0	0	0	0	3	3	1	0	0
2010	CHI	15	6	16	11	5	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2011	CHI	16	15	38	31	7	0.0	6	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0
2012	CHI	16	14	66	51	15	1.5	5	0	0	0	0	4	1	1	0	0
2013	OAK	16	16	112	83	29	5.5	8	1	0	0	0	3	4	0	0	0
		96	75	349	263	86	9.0	30	1	0	0	0	17	8	3	0	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2010	CHI	2	0	3	2	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		2	0	3	2	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Roach married on February 18, 2012.^[5]