Chris Kluwe
Encyclopedia
Christopher James "Chris" Kluwe (ˈkluːi; born December 24, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
) is a punter for the Minnesota Vikings
of the National Football League
. He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks
, as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
at UCLA
.
in Los Alamitos, California
and was selected to play in both the California-Texas Shrine game and the CaliFlorida Bowl. He also made the USA Today
first-team All-American as a punter. Once he kicked an Orange County and CIF Playoff record 60-yard field goal vs. Loyola
to force overtime in an eventual 30-23 victory. Averaged 46.6 yards as a punter, had 10 punts of at least 60 yards and placed six kicks inside the 10-yard line. As a place kicker, he made 16 of 22 field goal attempts and 39 of 41 PATs. Prior to his senior year, he won the punting competition at the National Kicking Invitational with a 63-yard punt that had 4.98 hang time. As a junior, he averaged 44.8 yards per punt, 25 of his 27 punts were either fair catches or returned for fewer than five yards, 16 punts were downed inside the 20 yard-line and eight punts pinned the opposition inside the 10 yard-line. Also played a year of baseball as a pitcher for coach Rob Wigod.
. He used his strong leg to break two school records (Punt Yardage and Number of Punts in a season). In his senior year, he ranked 4th in the Pac-10 and 26th in the NCAA
in Yards per Punt (42.9). In 2004 he punted 10 times against Illinois, one shy of the school single-game record, and averaged 37.9 yards with three kicks inside the 20-yard line. He was selected Special Teams Player of the Game in the Silicon Valley Football Classic against Fresno State
after averaging 44.3 yards on nine kicks and he tied the bowl record with his nine punts and placed three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
. He was released by the Seahawks for the final roster cutdown and was picked up the next day by the Vikings. Chris became one of the most surprising pickups for the Vikings, finishing the season with an average of 44.1 yards per punt, ranking second in the NFC and sixth in the league. Minnesota had to call on him 71 times during the season, and Kluwe's ability to pin opposing offenses deep in their own territory has helped the Vikings' defense.
During a week-13 game in Detroit, Lions safety Vernon Fox
dove towards Kluwe during a punt and collided with his plant foot. Tests showed Kluwe had a sprained ankle and would be out for 1–2 weeks. Kicker Paul Edinger
was the punter for the remainder of the game, but a few days later the Vikings signed the 42-year old veteran Darren Bennett temporarily until Kluwe's ankle had healed. Bennett was the Vikings' punter in the 2004 season.
On October 25, 2007 Kluwe signed an $8.3-million contract extension through 2013. The deal made Kluwe, who would have been a restricted free agent
in the 2008 offseason, one of the 10 highest paid punters in the NFL.
On December 20, 2010, Kluwe had the dubious distinction of punting the ball that the Chicago Bears
' Devin Hester
would return for a touchdown, breaking the all-time NFL record for combined punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. Previously in the game, Kluwe had successfully kept the ball out of Hester's hands on four punts.
In 2011 Kluwe changed his jersey number to #4 when the Vikings acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb
. McNabb previously wore the number #5 for the Washington Redskins
and Philadelphia Eagles
, and assumed the number when he arrived in Minnesota. Kluwe took up the number which was previously worn by quarterback Brett Favre
in 2009 and 2010.
, the Boston Globe reported that an agreement between owners and the players' union was being held up by special considerations for a few top names, including Peyton Manning
and Drew Brees
. Kluwe tweeted his frustration at this impasse, assailing their greed and calling them "douchebags".
After Nate Jackson
wrote an article for the sport website Deadspin
, excoriating Kluwe for talking "out of turn", Kluwe responded with his own article, highlighting the contrast between his own fruitful career and Jackson's lack of statistics, and reiterating his opinion that for four people to endanger the livelihoods of the 1,900 affected by the dispute was "pretty much the definition of greed".
magazine. He is also a frequent guest on Minnesota sports station KFAN
for "Video Games Weekly" on Wednesday nights. During a KFAN
interview on the PA and Dubay show, he admitted he was not very good at sports games.
Chris has also immersed himself into the MMORPG
World of Warcraft
, having earned over 8000 achievement points. Kluwe plays a troll rogue named Loate and has been a member of one of the formerly top-ranked US guilds, The Flying Hellfish, for over two years.
was traded to Minnesota prior to the 2011 season, Kluwe offered McNabb the number 5 jersey in exchange for mentioning Tripping Icarus in at least 5 press conferences.
"93X" in which he is called "Chris Warcraft", he often talks about Minnesota Vikings
locker room situations, video games or his Rock Band Tripping Icarus.
One particular segment of the show involved a wager with Nick, a vocal talent of the morning show. The wager consisted of Nick challenging that the Minnesota Vikings
would lose their upcoming game to the Green Bay Packers
. Kluwe agreed that if the Minnesota Vikings
lost, he would apply a temporary tattoo of the radio station on his left bicep and display it on television for the following game. Kluwe claims to have followed through on the bet, however the tattoo was not clearly visible. Kluwe still fears a potential fine from the National Football League
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
) is a punter for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
.
High school
Kluwe played three years of varsity football for coach John Barnes at Los Alamitos High SchoolLos Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District; the far smaller Laurel High School serves...
in Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...
and was selected to play in both the California-Texas Shrine game and the CaliFlorida Bowl. He also made the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
first-team All-American as a punter. Once he kicked an Orange County and CIF Playoff record 60-yard field goal vs. Loyola
Loyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
to force overtime in an eventual 30-23 victory. Averaged 46.6 yards as a punter, had 10 punts of at least 60 yards and placed six kicks inside the 10-yard line. As a place kicker, he made 16 of 22 field goal attempts and 39 of 41 PATs. Prior to his senior year, he won the punting competition at the National Kicking Invitational with a 63-yard punt that had 4.98 hang time. As a junior, he averaged 44.8 yards per punt, 25 of his 27 punts were either fair catches or returned for fewer than five yards, 16 punts were downed inside the 20 yard-line and eight punts pinned the opposition inside the 10 yard-line. Also played a year of baseball as a pitcher for coach Rob Wigod.
College
Kluwe developed into one of the top punters in the Pac-10 playing for UCLAUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. He used his strong leg to break two school records (Punt Yardage and Number of Punts in a season). In his senior year, he ranked 4th in the Pac-10 and 26th in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
in Yards per Punt (42.9). In 2004 he punted 10 times against Illinois, one shy of the school single-game record, and averaged 37.9 yards with three kicks inside the 20-yard line. He was selected Special Teams Player of the Game in the Silicon Valley Football Classic against Fresno State
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...
after averaging 44.3 yards on nine kicks and he tied the bowl record with his nine punts and placed three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
| Year | Punts | Yards | Average | In 20 | Long |
| 2001 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 |
| 2002 | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 0 | 44 |
| 2003 | 91 | 3908 | 42.9 | 19 | 66 |
| Totals | 93 | 3977 | 42.8 | 19 | 66 |
NFL
Chris Kluwe was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. He was released by the Seahawks for the final roster cutdown and was picked up the next day by the Vikings. Chris became one of the most surprising pickups for the Vikings, finishing the season with an average of 44.1 yards per punt, ranking second in the NFC and sixth in the league. Minnesota had to call on him 71 times during the season, and Kluwe's ability to pin opposing offenses deep in their own territory has helped the Vikings' defense.
During a week-13 game in Detroit, Lions safety Vernon Fox
Vernon Fox
Vernon Lee Fox, III is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent after the 2002 NFL Draft...
dove towards Kluwe during a punt and collided with his plant foot. Tests showed Kluwe had a sprained ankle and would be out for 1–2 weeks. Kicker Paul Edinger
Paul Edinger
Paul Edinger is a gridiron football placekicker, who is currently a Free Agent of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
was the punter for the remainder of the game, but a few days later the Vikings signed the 42-year old veteran Darren Bennett temporarily until Kluwe's ankle had healed. Bennett was the Vikings' punter in the 2004 season.
On October 25, 2007 Kluwe signed an $8.3-million contract extension through 2013. The deal made Kluwe, who would have been a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the 2008 offseason, one of the 10 highest paid punters in the NFL.
On December 20, 2010, Kluwe had the dubious distinction of punting the ball that the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
' Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
would return for a touchdown, breaking the all-time NFL record for combined punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. Previously in the game, Kluwe had successfully kept the ball out of Hester's hands on four punts.
In 2011 Kluwe changed his jersey number to #4 when the Vikings acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
. McNabb previously wore the number #5 for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and assumed the number when he arrived in Minnesota. Kluwe took up the number which was previously worn by quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
in 2009 and 2010.
2011 NFL Labor Dispute
During the 2011 NFL lockout2011 NFL lockout
The 2011 National Football League lockout was a lockout that lasted from March 11 to July 25. It occurred primarily during the offseason for 18 weeks and 4 days...
, the Boston Globe reported that an agreement between owners and the players' union was being held up by special considerations for a few top names, including Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
and Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
. Kluwe tweeted his frustration at this impasse, assailing their greed and calling them "douchebags".
After Nate Jackson
Nate Jackson
Nate Jackson is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Menlo...
wrote an article for the sport website Deadspin
Deadspin
Deadspin is a sports website owned by Gawker Media and was launched in September 2005. As of February 2010, the site had attracted over 462 million unique visitors and about 573 million page views....
, excoriating Kluwe for talking "out of turn", Kluwe responded with his own article, highlighting the contrast between his own fruitful career and Jackson's lack of statistics, and reiterating his opinion that for four people to endanger the livelihoods of the 1,900 affected by the dispute was "pretty much the definition of greed".
Video Games
Kluwe is also well known as an avid Guitar Hero 2 player, having once made an appearance on Minnesota's 93X radio station while playing the game with Andy McNamara from Game InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
magazine. He is also a frequent guest on Minnesota sports station KFAN
KFAN (AM)
* See also KFXN-FMKTCN —branded News/Talk 1130—is a commercial radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, broadcasting a conservative news/talk format. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and serves the Twin Cities market. KTCN's main studios are in St...
for "Video Games Weekly" on Wednesday nights. During a KFAN
KFAN (AM)
* See also KFXN-FMKTCN —branded News/Talk 1130—is a commercial radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, broadcasting a conservative news/talk format. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and serves the Twin Cities market. KTCN's main studios are in St...
interview on the PA and Dubay show, he admitted he was not very good at sports games.
Chris has also immersed himself into the MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, having earned over 8000 achievement points. Kluwe plays a troll rogue named Loate and has been a member of one of the formerly top-ranked US guilds, The Flying Hellfish, for over two years.
Music
In addition to his full time job as punter for the Vikings, Kluwe is the bassist for the local Minneapolis Alternative/Progressive Rock band, Tripping Icarus. Chris formed the band in 2009 with his friends Andrew Reiner (guitar) and Matthew Marshall (drums), and later recruited Jesse Revel to join on lead vocals. Tripping Icarus recorded their debut EP, The Sideshow Sessions, in the summer of 2009. A year later, they recorded their first full length LP, Perfect Citizen, which is slated for an early 2011 release. When Donovan McNabbDonovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
was traded to Minnesota prior to the 2011 season, Kluwe offered McNabb the number 5 jersey in exchange for mentioning Tripping Icarus in at least 5 press conferences.
Radio
Kluwe also talks almost every week in the sports section of "The Half-Assed Morning Show" a radio show in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul radio station KXXRKXXR
KXXR is an active rock radio station broadcasting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media, which also owns KQRS-FM and the three station trimulcast known as "Love 105"...
"93X" in which he is called "Chris Warcraft", he often talks about Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
locker room situations, video games or his Rock Band Tripping Icarus.
One particular segment of the show involved a wager with Nick, a vocal talent of the morning show. The wager consisted of Nick challenging that the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
would lose their upcoming game to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. Kluwe agreed that if the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
lost, he would apply a temporary tattoo of the radio station on his left bicep and display it on television for the following game. Kluwe claims to have followed through on the bet, however the tattoo was not clearly visible. Kluwe still fears a potential fine from the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
External links
- Chris Kluwe at NFL.com
- Vikings Bio