Todd Kalis

Todd Kalis (born May 10, 1965) is a former American football player in the National football League (NFL). He was an offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings (1988-1993), Pittsburgh Steelers (1994) and Cincinnati Bengals (1995).

After starting his final (36) with Arizona State University which included three Bowl Game appearances (Holiday, Rose and Freedom), Kalis was a fourth-round (108th pick) of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1988 NFL draft.

Early life

Todd was born in Stillwater, Minnesota. He spent his early childhood there before moving with his father, mother and two sisters to Hudson, Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter he moved again to Phoenix, Arizona where he attended Thunderbird High School and lettered in football, tennis and track and field.

Playing career

Kalis was heavily recruited out of high school for football and tennis. He accepted the offer from head coach Daryl Rogers to play at Arizona State University which was Kalis’s first choice. Staying close to home was attractive to Kalis who preferred to stay in his home town which would also allowed his parents the opportunity to attend his home games on Saturday nights in Tempe, Arizona.

Kalis red-shirted his freshman season in 1983 with the Sun Devils playing Defensive End.

In 1984 Kalis met with head coach Daryl Rogers prior to the start of spring practice. Kalis was told by Rogers he would be moved to the offensive line following the conclusion of spring practice if he didn’t secure either a first or second string position. Kalis contemplated the conversation and returned the next day to tell head coach Daryl Rogers to move him to the offensive immediately. Kalis believed Rogers had already made up his mind to move him to the offensive line so Kalis decided not to wait and get a head start on the new position. Kalis participated in the 1984 spring practice sessions as an offensive tackle.

In 1985 Arizona State University hired head coach John Cooper. December 22, 1985 Arkansas 18-17 ASU.

Minnesota Vikings 1988-1993

During his rookie season in 1988, head coach Jerry Burns assigned Kalis the responsibility of providing back-up assistance to both starting right tackle Tim Irwin (14 year NFL veteran) and left tackle Gary Zimmerman (Hall of Fame 2008). The Vikings finished the regular season 11-5 and reached the NFL Playoffs as a NFC Wild Card team and beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-17 on December 26, 1988. The following week the Vikings met the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Division Playoffs on January 1, 1989 at Candlestick Park and lost the game 34-9. The San Francisco 49ers went on to win Super Bowl XXIII.

In 1989 Kalis was given the opportunity to compete for the starting Right Guard position on the offensive line. He was successful and started every 1989 regular season game as well as the 1990 Playoff game versus the San Francisco 49ers. Kalis joined fellow starting offensive lineman Tim Irwin (Right Tackle), Kirk Lowdermilk (Center), Randall McDaniel (Left Guard/Hall of Fame Nominee) and Gary Zimmerman (Left Tackle/Hall of Fame 2008). In 1989 the Minnesota Vikings finished the season 10-6 and won the 1989 NFC Central Division Title. On January 6, 1990 the Vikings met the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990 NFC Divisional Playoffs at Candlestick Park and lost 41-13. The San Francisco 49ers went on to win Super Bowl XXIV.

The 1991 football season proved to be a disappointing year for the Minnesota Vikings and the last season coached by head coach Jerry Burns. Kalis started all (16) regular season games but the team failed to reach the NFL Playoffs. The Vikings finished the season 6-10 despite having a five game winning streak in November and early December. The team also lost (4) games to the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers all by (3) points.

In 1992 Kalis suffered a potentially career ending knee injury during a pre-season game versus the Washington Redskins. Kalis rehabilitated the injury throughout the 1992 season and did not return to action. Under the leadership of new head coach Dennis Green the Vikings went on to finish the season with a 11-5 record and a playoff spot in the NFC Wild Card game versus the Washington Redskins. On January 2, 1993 the Vikings played the Washington Redskins at the Metrodome in Minnesota and even though the Vikings had the home field advantage, they lost the game 24-7.

The 1993 season was a year of recovery for Kalis. Following an extensive rehabilitation regimen due to the knee injury from the previous year, Kalis battled and recaptured the starting Right Guard position. As the season progressed so did his play and the Vikings returned to the NFC playoffs for the fourth time during his six-year tenure as a Viking. The team finished 9-7 and secured a Wild Card Playoff berth. On January 9, 1994 the Vikings played against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium with Jim McMahon as their starting quarterback. The Vikings lost the game 17-10 and Kalis played his last game as a Minnesota Viking

Pittsburgh Steelers 1994

During the off season prior to the 1994 regular season Kalis worked with his agent G. Bruce Allen (Current General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) to find a new NFL home. On May 20, 1994 he signed a new three year contract and begun his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He competed and won the Right Guard position and joined fellow starting offensive lineman Leon Searcy (Right Tackle), Dermontti Dawson (Center/Hall of Fame Nominee), Duval Love (Left Guard), John Jackson (Left Tackle). On November 20, 1994 the Steelers faced the Miami Dolphins in week (12) of the regular season. The Steelers lost the game in overtime 16-13 and also lost Kalis for the rest of the season due to a broken ankle suffered in overtime while completing a downfield block for running back Barry Foster.

The Steelers went on to win the AFC Central Division title and defeated the Cleveland Browns 29-9 on January 7, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium. On January 15, 1995 the Steelers faced the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game. Late in the fourth quarter the Steelers marched from their own 17-yard line to the San Diego 3 to put themselves in position for a potential winning touchdown. However on fourth down, Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson sealed the victory by tipping away O'Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster. The San Diego Chargers won the game 17-13 and went on to lose 49-26 to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Cincinnati Bengals 1995

Kalis began the 1995 season by attending training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was returning from a season ending ankle surgery and was also surprised to find himself being asked to play the Left Guard position during the pre-season. He started all (4) pre-season games at Left Guard due to an illness that Tom Newbery had battled throughout training camp. On the last day of training camp Kalis was released by the Steelers. Two days later he was in Cincinnati signing a new contract with the Bengals. Kalis saw limited action early in the season at both left and right guard. Kalis replaced Bruce Kozerski at Right Guard when he suffered a season/career ending ankle injury.

Kalis was also the starting Right Guard for the Cincinnati Bengals for the last game ever played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on December 17, 1995. At the time it was believed to be the last Cleveland Browns game to ever be played in Cleveland. Kalis was on the field when the a time out was called by the officials to allow the Bengals to relocate to the other end of the field to create more distance between and the Bengals players and the fans who had already begun to tear seats our of the stadium and throw them onto the field.

Kalis started his final NFL football game on December 24, 1995 beating the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

NFL Alumni

Kalis began his work with the NFL Alumni, a 501-C3 non-profit organization after being voted President of the Pittsburgh Chapter in June of 2000. In 2003 he was voted Chairman the Board of Chapter Presidents and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2004. The Pittsburgh Chapter of the NFL Alumni currently hosts the #1 Charity Golf Classic Series event in the country as well as the #1 Klays for Kids Sporting Clays Team Challenge. The Pittsburgh Chapter has raised more than 1.7 million dollars for numerous Western Pennsylvania charitable organizations since June of 2000. These events as well as many others conducted around the country every year by the NFL Alumni provide the support required to maintain the organizations motto of “Caring for Kids”.

Life after football

Following retirement from the NFL, Kalis began his career in business with positions in sales and marketing with both local and national based companies. Kalis also co-hosted a local Pittsburgh television sports show in 2002 and 2003 called “The Steelers Huddle” and is currently working on a book project that highlights 25 NFL Hall of Fame football players and the character traits of that were developed from their exposure to adolescent athletics. Kalis is an accomplished speaker and enjoys speaking on numerous subjects including motivation, diversity and American football. Kalis is currently a licensed insurance agent and resides in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.

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