- Chris Hanson
-
Chris Hanson
Hanson during an August 28, 2009 preseason game against the Washington Redskins.No. -- Free Agent Punter Personal information Date of birth: October 25, 1976 Place of birth: Riverdale, Georgia Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 202 lb (92 kg) Career information College: Marshall Undrafted in 1999 Debuted in 1999 for the Green Bay Packers Career history - Cleveland Browns (1999)*
- Green Bay Packers (1999)
- Miami Dolphins (2000)*
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2001–2006)
- New Orleans Saints (2007)*
- New England Patriots (2007–2009)
- *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards Career NFL statistics as of 2009 Punts 577 Punt yards 24,532 Punting yard average 42.5 Stats at NFL.com Christopher David Hanson (born October 25, 1976 in Riverdale, Georgia) is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Marshall.
He has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, and New England Patriots.
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Early years
Hanson attended East Coweta High School in Sharpsburg, Georgia, where he played punter.
College career
Hanson attended Marshall University and was a four-year letterman in football as a punter. He finished his college football career with an average of 39.9 yards per punt.
Professional career
Cleveland Browns
Hanson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns following the 1999 NFL Draft. He was waived by the team following training camp.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers signed Hanson on September 1, 1999. After punting for the Packers in their regular season opener, Hanson was released by the team and re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was waived from the Packers' practice squad on October 12, 1999.
Miami Dolphins
On December 29, 1999, Hanson was signed to the Miami Dolphins' practice squad, but released from it the next day. He was later re-signed to a future contract for the 2000 season. He was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe for the spring. After suffering an injury in the Dragons' season finale, Hanson was placed on injured reserve by the Dolphins on August 22, 2000. He was released by the Dolphins on August 14, 2001.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Four days after being waived by the Dolphins, Hanson was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 18, 2001. He played in every game for the Jaguars in 2001, finishing sixth in the NFL in punt yard average. After being re-signed in the offseason, Hanson posted an NFL-best 44.2 gross punt average in 2002, earning his first Pro Bowl election. Hanson nearly matched his average during the first nine games of the 2003 season, posting a 43.5 yard average in that period. However, during the 2003 season Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio placed a wooden stump and axe in the Jaguars locker room as a symbol of his theme advising players to "keep choppin' wood". After his teammates had been taking swings at the wood with the axe, Hanson followed and ended up seriously wounding his non-kicking foot.[1] He was placed on injured reserve on October 10, keeping him out the rest of the 2003 season.
Hanson returned for the 2004 season, posting a 42.8 gross punting average over 16 games. Hanson was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005, with four punts downed inside the 20-yard line during that period. Hanson's gross average dropped in 2006 to 40.6 in 2006, and the Jaguars decided to draft a punter, Adam Podlesh, in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Hanson was released by the Jaguars shortly after the draft, on May 1, 2007.
New Orleans Saints
Hanson was signed by the New Orleans Saints on May 7, 2007, but released by the team during cutdowns on August 28, 2007.
New England Patriots
In their 2007 training camp, the Patriots' punting competition appeared to be between veteran Josh Miller and first-year player Danny Baugher. By late August, the team had released Miller, leaving only Baugher on the roster. Baugher too was released days later, with the Patriots signing Hanson to replace him. Hanson had a 41.4 punting average for the Patriots in 2007. In 2008, Hanson finished with a 43.7 punt average and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 17, averaging 45 yards a punt in wind gusts up to 60 mph. Hanson finished the 2009 season with a 39.7 punt average.
New England did not resign Hanson for the 2010 season, leaving him as a free agent.[2]
References
- ^ "Ax accident left punter embarrassed but not defeated". Associated Press. ESPN.com. 2004-08-03. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=1851496. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ "New England Patriots rookie Zoltan Mesko only punter in camp". TheRecord.com. 2010-08-03. http://news.therecord.com/article/755948. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
External links
2003 Pro Bowl AFC starters Offense QB Rich Gannon | RB Priest Holmes | FB Lorenzo Neal | WR Marvin Harrison | WR Jerry Rice | TE Tony Gonzalez
OT Jonathan Ogden | OT Willie Roaf | G Alan Faneca | G Will Shields | C Kevin MawaeDefense DE Trevor Pryce | DE Jason Taylor | DT Richard Seymour | DT Gary Walker
OLB Joey Porter | OLB Junior Seau | ILB Zach Thomas
CB Aaron Glenn | CB Patrick Surtain | FS Rod Woodson | SS Lawyer MilloySpecial Teams Categories:- 1976 births
- Living people
- American football punters
- Marshall Thundering Herd football players
- Green Bay Packers players
- Jacksonville Jaguars players
- New England Patriots players
- American Conference Pro Bowl players
- Undrafted National Football League players
- Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
- People from Clayton County, Georgia
- Barcelona Dragons players
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