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While the story of the life and career of Cincinnati Bengals tight end coach James Casey is still being written, the path from Azle, Texas, to the NFL held many twists and turns.

Casey, who suffered heartache early in life with the loss of his mother, found love and support from those around him in his hometown as he went from high school multi-sport athlete to a seventh-round pick in the 2003 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox's.

After three baseball seasons, Casey turned his attention back to football, attending Rice University. He quickly turned heads with a freshman season where he started four games, recording 46 receptions for 585 yards and four touchdowns. However, one game may have set his path to the NFL when, against Southern Mississippi, Casey played seven different positions against the Golden Eagles.

In his second season, Casey started 13 games at the tight end position setting single-season school records and multiple NCAA records for tight ends with 111 receptions for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns before entering the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the draft.

Casey was not just about the games on the field; he also excelled in the game of life, graduating from Rice with a triple major (Economics, Sports Management, and Managerial Studies) with a 3.84 GPA.

After an NFL career with the Texans (2009-2012), Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2014), and Denver Broncos (2015), Casey jumped into the world of football coaching as an offensive assistant with Tom Herman, a coach he knew from his days at Rice and now the Cougars head coach.

This is Part One of Two with Coach Casey on In The Trenches with Dave Lapham, presented by First Star Logistics.