Kyle Eckel
Encyclopedia
Kyle Eckel is an American football
fullback
in the National Football League
, who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots
as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
at Navy
.
Eckel has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
and Philadelphia Eagles
.
and was a student and a letterman in football and baseball. In football, he was a two-time first team All-Area and All-League selection and as a senior, also garnered first team All-City honors.
and was ranked as a preseason All-American and the top NFL fullback prospect in the country by draftboardinsider.com prior to his senior season at the Academy. He rushed for 1,147 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, notably rushing 26 times for a career-high 179 yards and one touchdown against Army en route to being named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player of the Army-Navy game for the second consecutive year. Eckel collected 13-career 100-yard rushing games, the fourth most in school history, and became just the third player in school history to twice gain 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. He finished his career with 2,906 rushing yards, which ranks fourth all-time at Navy, and registered 25 career rushing touchdowns, the fourth most in school history. He graduated from the academy in 2005 with a major in economics and commissioned as an ensign
in the United States Navy
. He was dismissed from the Navy due to unrevealed acts.
as an undrafted free agent
on April 26, 2005. He was waived by the team on September 3.
and subsequently placed on the Reserve/Military list on September 7, 2005 - just days after being claimed by the Dolphins.
The Dolphins received a roster exemption for Eckel after his return to the team, allowing him to practice without counting against roster limits. He was not activated during the season, and was an exclusive rights free agent
in the 2007 offseason. He was re-signed to a one-year contract on March 19, 2007, but released on September 1, 2007 during final cuts.
was ruled out for that night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals
. Eckel made his regular season debut in that Monday Night Football
contest, playing on special teams for much of the game and getting his first carry (for three yards) in the fourth quarter. He scored his first NFL touchdown
in the final minute of the Patriots' Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys
, and a second in their Week 10 rout of the Buffalo Bills
.
The Patriots released Eckel on August 26, 2008, in the first round of preseason cuts. He was re-signed to the Patriots roster on September 15, 2008, the day after their Week 2 game. The Patriots again released Eckel on September 22, 2008.
on October 21, 2008. He was waived on September 5, 2009.
, who suffered a season-ending injury. On December 9, 2009, the Saints announced that they had released Eckel and signed fullback Marcus Mailei
. The Saints re-signed Eckel when Mailei was placed on injured reserve
on December 21.
on June 4, 2010. He was waived/injured on June 17, and subsequently placed on injured reserve on June 21.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
in 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...
, who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
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 Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
.
Eckel has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
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...
.
Early years
After attending Holy Spirit School in South Philadelphia throughout his elementary school life, Eckel's parents changed parishes and he graduated from St. Denis School in Havertown, Pa, Eckel attended Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and was a student and a letterman in football and baseball. In football, he was a two-time first team All-Area and All-League selection and as a senior, also garnered first team All-City honors.
College career
Eckel attended the Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and was ranked as a preseason All-American and the top NFL fullback prospect in the country by draftboardinsider.com prior to his senior season at the Academy. He rushed for 1,147 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, notably rushing 26 times for a career-high 179 yards and one touchdown against Army en route to being named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player of the Army-Navy game for the second consecutive year. Eckel collected 13-career 100-yard rushing games, the fourth most in school history, and became just the third player in school history to twice gain 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. He finished his career with 2,906 rushing yards, which ranks fourth all-time at Navy, and registered 25 career rushing touchdowns, the fourth most in school history. He graduated from the academy in 2005 with a major in economics and commissioned as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He was dismissed from the Navy due to unrevealed acts.
First stint with Patriots
Eckel was signed by the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
as an undrafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on April 26, 2005. He was waived by the team on September 3.
Miami Dolphins
Eckel was claimed off waivers by the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and subsequently placed on the Reserve/Military list on September 7, 2005 - just days after being claimed by the Dolphins.
The Dolphins received a roster exemption for Eckel after his return to the team, allowing him to practice without counting against roster limits. He was not activated during the season, and was an exclusive rights free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in the 2007 offseason. He was re-signed to a one-year contract on March 19, 2007, but released on September 1, 2007 during final cuts.
Second stint with Patriots
Eckel was signed to the Patriots' practice squad on September 3, 2007, at a salary of $125,000, significantly higher than that season's base salary for practice squad players ($79,900). He was promoted to the active roster on October 1 when starting running back Laurence MaroneyLaurence Maroney
Laurence Maroney is an American football running back who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 21st overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.-Early years:Maroney attended Normandy Senior High School in St...
was ruled out for that night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. Eckel made his regular season debut in that Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
contest, playing on special teams for much of the game and getting his first carry (for three yards) in the fourth quarter. He scored his first NFL touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
in the final minute of the Patriots' Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, and a second in their Week 10 rout of the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
The Patriots released Eckel on August 26, 2008, in the first round of preseason cuts. He was re-signed to the Patriots roster on September 15, 2008, the day after their Week 2 game. The Patriots again released Eckel on September 22, 2008.
Philadelphia Eagles
Eckel was signed by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia 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...
on October 21, 2008. He was waived on September 5, 2009.
New Orleans Saints
On October 29, 2009 the New Orleans Saints announced that they had signed Eckel to their roster, replacing their starting fullback Heath EvansHeath Evans
Bryan Heath Evans is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, who suffered a season-ending injury. On December 9, 2009, the Saints announced that they had released Eckel and signed fullback Marcus Mailei
Marcus Mailei
Marcus Anthony Mailei is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
. The Saints re-signed Eckel when Mailei was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
on December 21.
Denver Broncos
Eckel was signed by the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on June 4, 2010. He was waived/injured on June 17, and subsequently placed on injured reserve on June 21.