Rob Renes
Encyclopedia
Rob Renes is a former American football
player who was an All-American nose tackle and team co-captain
for the University of Michigan
Wolverines football
team in 1999.
as a first-team All-American. At Michigan he had 151 tackles
, 24 tackles for loss, five sacks
, and three fumble
recoveries. He was selected to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team all four years at Michigan. He was also a two-time recipient of the Dr. Arthur Robinson Scholar Athlete as the best scholar athlete on the Michigan team. In his senior year, Renes was also selected as a team co-captain and a semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award
.
in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft
. Two weeks into training camp with the Colts in 2000, Renes was diagnosed with a fractured L-5 vertebrae
and was later placed on injured reserve
. A back injury ended his NFL career. He wore a back brace for more than a year, was waived by the Colts and began teaching at Saline Middle School
near Ann Arbor
. In 2002, Renes attempted a comeback with the Colts, but he suffered numbness from nerve damage
and was unable to continue playing football. After his unsuccessful comeback attempt, Renes told his hometown newspaper, the Holland Sentinel
: "I realized that I pushed it to the brink and feel good about the opportunities that I've had. Having this (back injury) really seals the deal. It just wasn't meant to be." From fall of 2003-fall of 2005 he decided to become a Defensive Coach for the Reeths-Puffer Rockets of Muskeg
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...
player who was an All-American nose tackle and team co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team in 1999.
College career
In 1999, he became the fifth Michigan player to be named both a first team All-American on the field and an Academic All-American for his academic performance. He was selected by The Sporting NewsThe Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
as a first-team All-American. At Michigan he had 151 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, 24 tackles for loss, five sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
, and three fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recoveries. He was selected to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team all four years at Michigan. He was also a two-time recipient of the Dr. Arthur Robinson Scholar Athlete as the best scholar athlete on the Michigan team. In his senior year, Renes was also selected as a team co-captain and a semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
.
Professional career
Renes was selected by the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. Two weeks into training camp with the Colts in 2000, Renes was diagnosed with a fractured L-5 vertebrae
Lumbar vertebrae
The lumbar vertebrae are the largest segments of the movable part of the vertebral column, and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse process, and by the absence of facets on the sides of the body...
and was later 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...
. A back injury ended his NFL career. He wore a back brace for more than a year, was waived by the Colts and began teaching at Saline Middle School
Saline Middle School
Saline Middle School is a middle school in Saline, Michigan. A part of Saline Area Schools, it currently houses grades 6-8. As of 2005, there are about 60 staff members and 900 students...
near Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. In 2002, Renes attempted a comeback with the Colts, but he suffered numbness from nerve damage
Nerve injury
Nerve injury is injury to nervous tissue. There is no single classification system that can describe all the many variations of nerve injury. Most systems attempt to correlate the degree of injury with symptoms, pathology and prognosis...
and was unable to continue playing football. After his unsuccessful comeback attempt, Renes told his hometown newspaper, the Holland Sentinel
Holland Sentinel
The Holland Sentinel is the daily newspaper in Holland, Michigan, founded in 1896.Originally an afternoon paper published six days a week, the paper moved to Saturday mornings and then added a Sunday edition in the late 1980s...
: "I realized that I pushed it to the brink and feel good about the opportunities that I've had. Having this (back injury) really seals the deal. It just wasn't meant to be." From fall of 2003-fall of 2005 he decided to become a Defensive Coach for the Reeths-Puffer Rockets of Muskeg