Jay (Allen Jay) Riemersma was a standout tight end at the University of Michigan and in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, but he had his beginnings as a three-sport star at Zeeland High School.
Born May 17, 1973 in Evansville, Indiana, Riemersma was an all-state quarterback on the Zeeland football team, became the basketball program’s all-time leading scorer and played two years of baseball before graduating in 1991.
He was recruited by Michigan as a quarterback and appeared in three games at that position during his first two seasons. After suffering an injury during the 1994 season, coach Gary Moeller moved him to tight end. He finished his career at Michigan with 74 receptions for 706 yards and earned two Academic All-Big Ten Conference awards.
Riemersma was selected in the seventh round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills (244th pick overall). He spent seven seasons in Buffalo (1996-2002) and appeared in 90 games, 65 of them as a starter. In 2003, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played for two seasons before an injury forced the end of his playing career. In nine NFL seasons, Riemersma played in 112 games (74 as a starter) and caught 221 passes for 2,524 yards and 23 touchdowns.
After retiring from the NFL, Riemersma coached football for three seasons at Zeeland East High School and ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. He currently resides with his family in Holland.