Vinny Ciurciu
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Ciurciu is an American football
linebacker
that is currently a National Football League
free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football
at Boston College
.
Ciurciu has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, Minnesota Vikings
, New England Patriots
and Detroit Lions
.
in Montvale, New Jersey
after playing one season in Elmwood Park Memorial High School
in Elmwood Park, New Jersey
. He was garnished all-state honors at linebacker as a junior and senior. He rushed for 1,260 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior year.
as a freshman fullback
in 1998. He played in 23 games between 1998 and 1999, totaling 30 carries, four catches, and one touchdown. After head coach Tommy West
was fired from Clemson, Tommy Bowden
was hired as head coach, and brought in a new offensive plan. This resulted in Ciurciu getting lost in the mix and prompted him to transfer to Boston College
. He sat out the 2000 season at BC per transfer rules. Ciurciu moved to linebacker for the Eagles and led the team in tackles as a junior in 2001 with 87 tackles and two interceptions, and ranked second on team as a senior in 2002 with 102 tackles and one interception.
, Ciurciu was signed by the Carolina Panthers
on May 2, 2003, but was released on August 31, 2003. He was re-signed to the Panthers practice squad three days later.
.
In 2004, Ciurciu played in all 16 games and started four games, for an injured Dan Morgan
, at middle linebacker, and registered a career high 33 tackles, 25 of them solo tackles. In three of his four starts, he had 7 or more tackles. In 2005 he ranked second on team with 14 special teams stops. His one start of the year came against Miami on September 25 at outside linebacker in place of Will Witherspoon
. In 2006 he led Carolina with a career-best 18 special teams tackles 11 of them solo tackles, and again played in all 16 games.
following the 2006 season. In 2007, he tied for second among Vikings with 15 special teams tackles despite missing three games during the season with injuries. In 2008 he played in 14 games with one start and totaled eight tackles. He was released by the Vikings in March 2009 after his total of tackles plummeted from 15 in 2007 to eight in 2008. At the finish of his career with Minnesota, Ciurciu appeared in 27 regular seasons games, totaling 23 tackles on special teams.
signed Ciurciu on May 4, 2009. He was released on September 4, 2009.
signed Ciurciu October 22, 2009. He was re-signed on March 5, 2010.
On September 3, 2011, it was announced that Vinny Ciurciu would be suspended from four regular season games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
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...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
that is currently a 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...
free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
as an undrafted free agent in 2003. 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 Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
.
Ciurciu has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, 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...
, 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...
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Early years
Ciurciu played high school football at Saint Joseph Regional High SchoolSaint Joseph Regional High School
Saint Joseph Regional High School is a private, Roman Catholic, college preparatory school for boys, located on a campus in Montvale, New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. St. Joseph Regional High School was founded in 1962 by the Brothers...
in Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,844.Montvale was incorporated as a borough on August 31, 1894, from portions of Orvil Township and Washington Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" craze then...
after playing one season in Elmwood Park Memorial High School
Elmwood Park Memorial High School
Elmwood Park Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Elmwood Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Elmwood Park Public Schools...
in Elmwood Park, New Jersey
Elmwood Park, New Jersey
Elmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,403....
. He was garnished all-state honors at linebacker as a junior and senior. He rushed for 1,260 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior year.
College career
Ciurciu began his college career at Clemson UniversityClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
as a freshman 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 1998. He played in 23 games between 1998 and 1999, totaling 30 carries, four catches, and one touchdown. After head coach Tommy West
Tommy West
-External links:* *...
was fired from Clemson, Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden is an American football coach who served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008...
was hired as head coach, and brought in a new offensive plan. This resulted in Ciurciu getting lost in the mix and prompted him to transfer to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. He sat out the 2000 season at BC per transfer rules. Ciurciu moved to linebacker for the Eagles and led the team in tackles as a junior in 2001 with 87 tackles and two interceptions, and ranked second on team as a senior in 2002 with 102 tackles and one interception.
First stint with Panthers
After going undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
, Ciurciu was signed by the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on May 2, 2003, but was released on August 31, 2003. He was re-signed to the Panthers practice squad three days later.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On October 8, 2003, the Buccaneers signed Ciurciu off the Panthers practice squad to their active roster. He was released by the Buccaneers on December 2, 2003.Second stint with Panthers
Ciurciu was re-signed to the Panthers practice squad on December 5, 2003. He was elevated to their active roster on December 20, where he spent the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, including the Panthers' appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIIISuper Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
.
In 2004, Ciurciu played in all 16 games and started four games, for an injured Dan Morgan
Dan Morgan
Daniel Thomas "Dan" Morgan, Jr. is a former American football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers 11th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...
, at middle linebacker, and registered a career high 33 tackles, 25 of them solo tackles. In three of his four starts, he had 7 or more tackles. In 2005 he ranked second on team with 14 special teams stops. His one start of the year came against Miami on September 25 at outside linebacker in place of Will Witherspoon
Will Witherspoon
-Carolina Panthers:Witherspoon was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Witherspoon was the latest addition to new coach John Fox's overhaul of the defense, and Witherspoon's versatility at linebacker helped the Panthers total the second-best defense in the...
. In 2006 he led Carolina with a career-best 18 special teams tackles 11 of them solo tackles, and again played in all 16 games.
Minnesota Vikings
Ciurciu signed with the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota 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...
following the 2006 season. In 2007, he tied for second among Vikings with 15 special teams tackles despite missing three games during the season with injuries. In 2008 he played in 14 games with one start and totaled eight tackles. He was released by the Vikings in March 2009 after his total of tackles plummeted from 15 in 2007 to eight in 2008. At the finish of his career with Minnesota, Ciurciu appeared in 27 regular seasons games, totaling 23 tackles on special teams.
New England Patriots
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...
signed Ciurciu on May 4, 2009. He was released on September 4, 2009.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
signed Ciurciu October 22, 2009. He was re-signed on March 5, 2010.
On September 3, 2011, it was announced that Vinny Ciurciu would be suspended from four regular season games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.