Todd Heap:Mormon Athlete

Todd Benjamin Heap is a former American football tight end. He is a member of [http;//www.mormon.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints].

Heap was born March 16, 1980, in Mesa, Arizona. His great-grandfather, John Henry Heap, was called by Church president Brigham Young to colonize Arizona.

Heap was raised in Arizona and attended Mountain View High School where he was Mountain 5A Player of the Year. He attended Arizona State University and majored in pre-business.

After playing football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played for the Ravens for ten years and became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches and second all-time in receptions and yards. He was released in July 2011. Three days after his release, he signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. With an injury in September 2012 that kept him out for the rest of the season, he was released in December 2012. He retired from professional football in 2013.

In May 2014, the Baltimore Ravens announced that Heap would be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. During his career, he played in the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003. He was an All-Pro selection in 2003, and in 2006, he was the NFL Alumni Tight End of the Year.

He donated $1 million to help raise for a pediatric wing at Franklin Square Hospital.

Heap and his wife, Ashley, are the parents of five children.