| No. 70 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1974-10-04)October 4, 1974 (age 50) Ligonier, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | West Noble (Ligonier) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1998: 4th round, 105th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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James Lendale Steele Jr. (/ˈstiːl/; born October 4, 1974) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive lineman and spent his entire six-yearNational Football League (NFL) career with theCincinnati Bengals. The Bengals selected him in the1998 NFL draft.[2] He playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines, earning first-teamAll-American honors atdefensive end as a member of the undefeated national champion1997 Wolverines team.
Steele attendedWest Noble High School, just outsideLigonier, Indiana. Steele, who wore No. 81 for theMichigan Wolverines,[3]redshirted as a freshman in during the 1993 season and earnedvarsity letters in each of the subsequent four seasons from 1994 to 1997.[3] He played for the1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that won anational championship. He won the Richard Katcher Award as the top Michigan defensive lineman in 1997. Steele had 45 tackles for loss and 24 careerquarterback sacks at Michigan, second most in team history at the time of his graduation.[4] He was named a first-team selection to the1997 All-Big Ten Conference football team and a first-team selection by theAmerican Football Coaches Association to the1997 College Football All-America Team.[5][6]
Steele was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft with the 105th selection overall.[7][8] Steele played in 80 consecutive games with the Bengals between1999 and2003 before being released on September 5, 2004.[9] Steele had signed with theNew York Giants during the offseason following the 2003 season.[10] He was released on July 30, 2004 and signed by the Bengals who later released him.[11] He later tried out with theSan Francisco 49ers.