- Justin Hartwig
Infobox NFLactive
name=Justin Hartwig
currentteam= Pittsburgh Steelers
currentnumber=62
currentpositionplain=Center
birthdate=birth date and age|1978|11|21
birthplace=Mankato, Minnesota
heightft=6
heightin=4
weight=312
debutyear=2002
debutteam=Tennessee Titans
college=Kansas
draftyear=2002
draftround=6
draftpick=187
pastteams=
*Tennessee Titans (2002-2005)
*Carolina Panthers (2006-2007)
*Pittsburgh Steelers (2008-present)
status=Active
nfl=HAR756037Justin Hartwig (born November 21, 1978 in
Mankato, Minnesota ) is anAmerican football center for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League . He was originally drafted by theTennessee Titans in the sixth round of the2002 NFL Draft . He playedcollege football at Kansas.Hartwig has also played for the
Carolina Panthers in his career.Early years
Hartwig earned All-Conference and second-team All-State honors as a senior
offensive tackle at Valley High School inWest Des Moines, Iowa . [ [http://www.nflhs.com/news/playersspotlight/justinhartwig_03082006_lcb.asp "Player Spotlight: Justin Hartwig, Tennessee Titans"] , NFLHS.com. Accessed August 15, 2008. "Following an all-conference and second-team all-state career at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, Hartwig was a three-year starter at right tackle for the Kansas Jayhawks."] He earned honorable mention All-Conference after leading his high schoolbasketball team in rebounding. In track and field, he won the conferencediscus title in two consecutive years.College career
He then played
college football for the University of Kansas where he was a three-year starter at right tackle who appeared in 38 games with 34 starts. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a junior and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior captain. He was a communication studies major.Professional career
Tennessee Titans
Hartwig was drafted in the
2002 NFL Draft by theTennessee Titans . In hisrookie season, he played in the final three regular season games, primarily onspecial teams . He was inactive for the previous 13 games. In 2003, he started every game at center for Titans and helpedSteve McNair lead the league in passing whileEddie George recorded his seventh 1,000-yard rushing season. He was a member of offensive line ranked tied for sixth in the league in fewest sacks allowed with 25. The offense ranked fourth overall in the AFC (eighth in NFL). Hartwig won starting center job with four preseason starts after never playing center prior to training camp. He started 47 games in 3 years.Carolina Panthers
Hartwig signed a
free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2006, starting one game before being placed oninjured reserve with a groin injury. Hartwig entered the 2007 season as the starting center for the Panthers. However, he was released after the season to make room for second-year playerRyan Kalil .Pittsburgh Steelers
On March 18, 2008, the
Pittsburgh Steelers signed Hartwig to a two-year contract, worth approximately US$4 million. [cite news |first= Ed|last= Bouchette|title= Steelers reach agreement with center|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08078/866132-100.stm|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date= 2008-03-18|accessdate=2008-08-26] Hartwig earned the starting spot at center for the 2008 season. [cite news |first= Ray|last= Fittipaldo|title= Steelers name Hartwig starting center, make first cuts|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08238/906879-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml|publisher=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date= 2008-08-25|accessdate=2008-08-25]References
External links
* [http://www.panthers.com/Team/PlayerBio.aspx?id=7532 Carolina Panthers bio]
* [http://news.steelers.com/team/player/87885 Pittsburgh Steelers bio]
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