Chris Kluwe
Punter | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
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Born: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | December 24, 1981||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, California) | ||||||
College: | UCLA (2000–2004) | ||||||
Undrafted: | 2005 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Christopher James Kluwe (
Kluwe is widely known for his eight seasons with the
Kluwe was released by the Vikings after the 2012 season, signed with the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2013 season, and was subsequently released.[2] Kluwe was unable to find another NFL team with which to sign and retired from professional football in 2013. Following his departure from football, he has pursued a writing career and was a humor columnist for the sports website Deadspin.
Early career
High school
Kluwe played three years of varsity football for coach John Barnes at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California and was selected to play in both the California-Texas Shrine game (where he kicked a 57-yard game-winning field goal with no time left) and the CaliFlorida Bowl. He also made the USA Today first-team All-American as a punter. He kicked an Orange County and CIF Playoff record 60-yard field goal vs. Loyola to force overtime in an eventual 30–23 victory. Averaging 46.6 yards as a punter, he had 10 punts of at least 60 yards and placed six kicks inside the 10-yard line. As a placekicker, he made 16 of 22 field goal attempts and 39 of 41 PATs. Prior to his senior year, he won the punting competition at the National Kicking Invitational with a 63-yard punt that had 4.98 seconds of hang time. Kluwe also played one year of baseball as a pitcher.
College
Kluwe enrolled at the
Year | Punts | Yards | Average | In 20 | Long |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 |
2002 | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 0 | 44 |
2003 | 91 | 3908 | 42.9 | 19 | 66 |
2004 | 61 | 2647 | 43.4 | 24 | 68 |
Totals | 154 | 6624 | 43.0 | 43 | 68 |
NFL career
Seattle Seahawks
Kluwe was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks in 2005. Kluwe had been notified by both the Seahawks and St. Louis Rams that either team might draft him in the late rounds. As soon as the draft ended, Kluwe signed a free agent contract with Seattle. Kluwe had an excellent training camp with Seattle, to the point where Donnie Jones was released after the first week of Organized Team Activities, leaving Kluwe and Leo Araguz splitting time during the pre-season games for the punting duties.[4] Kluwe was told by the Seahawks prior to the final pre-season game they were going to take him to the practice squad and the Seahawks wanted Kluwe both as a potential back-up and for developmental reasons. Due to NFL rules, the Seahawks had to place Kluwe on the waiver wire for 24 hours prior to signing him to a practice squad contract. The Seahawks waited until the last minute to place Kluwe on the waiver wire as they knew three teams had been scouting Kluwe as a potential punter for their team. The Seahawks concerns were well founded as Kluwe was claimed off the waiver wire early the next day by the Vikings.[citation needed]
Minnesota Vikings
Kluwe became one of the most surprising pickups for the Vikings, finishing his first season with an average of 44.1 yards per punt, ranking second in the NFC and sixth in the league. He punted 71 times during his first season. Kluwe was also named NFC special teams player of the month for September 2005 – a first for any Vikings special teams rookie.
During a Week-13 game in Detroit, Lions safety
On October 25, 2007, Kluwe signed an $8.3-million contract extension through 2013. The deal made Kluwe, who would have been a restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, one of the 10 highest-paid punters in the NFL.
On December 20, 2010, Kluwe had the dubious distinction of punting the ball that the Chicago Bears' Devin Hester would return for a touchdown, breaking the all-time NFL record for combined punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. Previously in the game, Kluwe had successfully kept the ball out of Hester's hands on four punts.[5]
In 2011, Kluwe changed his jersey number when the Vikings acquired quarterback
After a poor performance in an October 25, 2012 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings brought in several punters for workouts to potentially replace Kluwe. Kluwe had been playing since 2007 with a torn meniscus. His discomfort caused by the condition late in 2012 led to him deciding to have surgery during the offseason. In January 2013, the team signed punter T.J. Conley to a futures contract.[8] Kluwe finished the 2012 season with an average of 45.0 yards per punt, ranking tenth in the NFC and 22nd in the league.[citation needed]
Kluwe had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus in early 2013. Recovery was uneventful and Kluwe was back to full health in a matter of weeks. During the 2013 NFL draft, the Vikings drafted Jeff Locke (UCLA) in the 5th round of the draft as a punter. Speculation immediately surfaced that Kluwe's days were numbered with the Vikings due to the use of a relatively high draft round pick for a punter. On May 6, 2013, Kluwe was released by the Minnesota Vikings.[9]
Vikings team records
Kluwe holds a number of team punt records for the Minnesota Vikings (see list below).[1]
- #1 Career Punt Avg., 44.4, 2005–2012
- #1 Game Punt Avg., 54.3, 2005
- #1 Rookie Game Punt Avg., 54.3, 2005
- #1 Career Playoff Punt Avg., 45.2, 2005–2012
- #1 Average Punts per Season, 78, 2005–2012
- #1 Career Punts Inside 20, 198, 2005–2012
- #1, #2, #5 Season Punts Inside 20, 34 / 32 / 28, 2007 / 2010 / 2006
- #1 Game Punts Inside 20, 5, 2007
- #8 (tied) Career Blocked Punts, 1, 2005–2012
- #2 Career Punts, 623, 2005–2012
- #2 Rookie Season Punts, 71, 2005
- #2 Season Fewest Touchbacks, 2, 2012
- #2 Career Net Yds. Avg., 37.2, 2005–2012
- #2, #4 Season Net Yds. Avg., 39.7 / 38.9, 2012 / 2010
Oakland Raiders
Kluwe signed with the Oakland Raiders on May 15, 2013, less than two weeks after being released by the Vikings.[10] Kluwe signed for a veteran minimum contract for one year. Kluwe was given his old number (#5) by the Raiders and competed with Marquette King for the position of punter. Kluwe expressed thanks to the Raiders for picking him up and stated that, "I am glad to be a Raider and playing back in California, where I grew up." On September 1, Kluwe tweeted that he had been released by the Raiders.[11]
Retirement
On January 3, 2014, Kluwe retired from football. After a year of not playing, he did not want to attempt playing in the NFL again, and believed his chances were slim given his outspoken views of same-sex marriage and criticism of the Vikings.[12][13]
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB | ||
2005 | MIN | 15 | 71 | 3,130 | 2,540 | 62 | 44.1 | 35.8 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
2006 | MIN | 16 | 93 | 3,934 | 3,309 | 68 | 42.3 | 35.6 | 0 | 28 | 7 |
2007 | MIN | 16 | 81 | 3,621 | 3,001 | 70 | 44.7 | 37.0 | 0 | 34 | 9 |
2008 | MIN | 16 | 73 | 3,473 | 2,589 | 62 | 47.6 | 35.0 | 1 | 23 | 13 |
2009 | MIN | 16 | 73 | 3,202 | 2,762 | 60 | 43.9 | 37.8 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
2010 | MIN | 16 | 83 | 3,569 | 3,228 | 59 | 43.0 | 38.9 | 0 | 32 | 5 |
2011 | MIN | 16 | 77 | 3,517 | 2,925 | 60 | 45.7 | 38.0 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
2012 | MIN | 16 | 72 | 3,237 | 2,856 | 59 | 45.0 | 39.7 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
Career | 127 | 623 | 27,683 | 23,210 | 70 | 44.4 | 37.2 | 1 | 198 | 54 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB | ||
2008 | MIN | 1 | 8 | 362 | 253 | 60 | 45.3 | 31.6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2009 | MIN | 2 | 9 | 384 | 364 | 61 | 42.7 | 40.4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
2012 | MIN | 1 | 5 | 248 | 231 | 56 | 49.6 | 46.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career | 4 | 22 | 994 | 848 | 61 | 45.2 | 38.5 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Activism
2011 NFL lockout
During the
After Nate Jackson wrote an article for the sport website Deadspin, excoriating Kluwe for talking "out of turn,"[15] Kluwe responded with his own article, highlighting the contrast between his own fruitful career and Jackson's lack of statistics, while reiterating his opinion that four people endangering the livelihoods of the 1,900 affected by the dispute was "pretty much the definition of greed."[16]
Same-sex marriage
Kluwe publicly released a letter on September 7, 2012, via sports website
Kluwe and Ayanbadejo filed an
On January 2, 2014, Kluwe claimed he had been released from the Vikings due to his support of same-sex marriage.
On January 3, 2014, the Vikings announced that an investigation of the allegations would be performed by former Chief Justice of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
During a December 2012 game against
Personal life
Kluwe and his wife Isabel had their first daughter in July 2008, and their second in 2010. He also wrote a blog named "Out of Bounds," which appeared on the website of the
Kluwe describes himself as "cheerfully agnostic."[38] Despite stating he is "confused" by atheism, Kluwe agreed to speak at the 2014 American Atheists Convention.[38] He has said that his politics "lean toward the libertarian side", though he says he's "never been a big fan of labels".[39]
Video games
Kluwe is an avid
Kluwe at one time immersed himself in the
Kluwe appeared in a video promoting the MOBA League of Legends, stating that he plays the AD Carry position, and that his favorite champion to play in the game is Vayne. He described how he believes that eSports is a "burgeoning culture of actual sports," and believes it will only continue to grow into a legitimate sports scene, based on low barrier to entry, entertainment value of watching professional players, team-based engagement, and continued social acceptance.[43] He has a Sniper class, hero level character named in his honor in XCOM: Enemy Within, an expansion to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. He won this honor after defeating Firaxis producer and designer Garth DeAngelis in a best-of-three series of online matches of XCOM.[44]
Kluwe created the unique weapon The Poet's Pen Carved Wand for the game Path of Exile.[45]
Other ventures
Music
In addition to being a punter in the NFL, Kluwe is the bassist for the local Minneapolis alternative/progressive metal band, Tripping Icarus. Kluwe formed the band in 2009 with friends Andrew Reiner (guitar) and Matthew Marshall (drums), and later recruited Jesse Revel to join on lead vocals. Tripping Icarus recorded their debut EP, The Sideshow Sessions, in the summer of 2009. A year later, they recorded their first full-length LP, Perfect Citizen, which was slated for an early 2011 release. Their producer Andrew Lindberg was killed in a car accident May 2010. Tripping Icarus threw a memorial concert at Minneapolis’ First Avenue. When Donovan McNabb was traded to Minnesota before the 2011 season, Kluwe offered McNabb the number 5 jersey in exchange for mentioning Tripping Icarus in at least five press conferences, as well as donating $5,000 to Kluwe's charity, and an ice cream cone.[46] McNabb didn't mention the band in five separate press conferences, but Kluwe concedes that "in his very first press conference, he mentioned it like twelve times".[47]
Writing
Kluwe has written a book, Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies (Little Brown & Co.), that was released on June 25, 2013. The book is a collection of essays on various topics and the book title comes from the public consumption version of Kluwe's
Tabletop gaming
Kluwe released his first tabletop game called Twilight of the Gods on August 31, 2017, published by Victory Point Games.[50]
Coaching
Kluwe was hired as the Special Teams Coach at Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California) for the 2017 season.[51]
References
- ^ a b "Minnesota Vikings 2015 Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Chris Kluwe released by Oakland Raiders". NFL.com. August 30, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Gervino, Tony (October 19, 2012). "The punter makes his point". New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Rouen's toe nails down big wins". Telegram & Gazette. January 27, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Hester runs into the NFL record book" Archived December 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved December 23, 2010
- ^ Novy, Eben (August 2, 2011). "McNabb Gets Vikings No. 5 Jersey for Donation, Kluwe Band Pitch, Ice Cream". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ share (October 6, 2015). "accipitradea comments on Per Donte Stallworth, Tom Brady paid practice squad players for intercepting him during practice". Reddit.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ a b Kluwe, Chris (January 2, 2014). "I Was an NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards and a Bigot". Deadspin.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ "Minnesota Vikings release outspoken punter Chris Kluwe". UPI. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ "Outspoken punter Chris Kluwe excited to join Oakland Raiders – NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN". Msn.foxsports.com. May 17, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Twitter / ChrisWarcraft: Thanks to everyone at the Raiders". Twitter.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ Pelissero, Tom (January 3, 2014). "Chris Kluwe Q&A: Punter explains claims against Vikings". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Former NFL punter and gay rights advocate, Chris Kluwe visits Syracuse". CNY Central. February 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ^ Bedard, Greg A. (July 19, 2011). "Brees, Manning request own settlement terms". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Nate Jackson (July 21, 2011). "Dear Chris Kluwe: When We Want The Punter's Opinion, We'll Ask For It (We Won't)". Deadspin.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ "Chris Kluwe Responds: Can I Kick It? (Yes, I Can)". Deadspin.com. July 22, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Kluwe, Chris (September 7, 2012). "They Won't Magically Turn You Into A Lustful Cockmonster". Deadspin. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Burns, Emmett C (September 6, 2012). "Letter to Baltimore Ravens". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ "Vikings punter Chris Kluwe responds to Matt Birk's stance on same-sex marriage". October 2, 2012.
- ^ "Nbc Media Centre – "The Last Barrier" Examines Challenges Facing Gay Athletes During Their Playing Careers". Nbcuniversal.presscentre.com. November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ McManus, Jane (February 28, 2013). "NFLers show support of gay marriage". ESPNNewYork.com. ESPN.com. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ^ "C.J.: Ellen gets a kick out of Chris Kluwe". StarTribune.com. January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "CHRIS KLUWE ANNOUNCED AS TWIN CITIES PRIDE GRAND MARSHAL" (PDF). Twin Cities Pride. April 16, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Goessling, Ben (January 2, 2014). "Kluwe: Cut due to outspoken views". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ Schneider, Zach (January 2, 2014). "Ex-Vikings Punter Kluwe Calls Frazier a "Coward," Priefer a "Bigot"". northlandsnewscenter.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ Wilson, Ryan. "Vikings: Chris Kluwe released strictly based on football performance". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ Wobschall, Mike (December 31, 2013). "Statement From The Vikings Regarding Chris Kluwe". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ Crouch, Ian (January 3, 2014). "Did the Vikings Cut Chris Kluwe For His Gay-Rights Activism?". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ Katzowitz, Josh (January 2, 2014). "Chris Kluwe blasts former Vikings bosses Frazier, Spielman, Priefer". cbssports.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ Siefert, Kevin (January 8, 2014). "Chris Kluwe clarifies comments". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ "Vikings launch investigation into Kluwe allegations". Kare11.com. January 4, 2014. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ "Chris Kluwe's lawyer: Texts support claims; Vikings knew about Priefer allegations last year". TwinCities.com. January 25, 2014.
- ^ Tomasson, Chris (May 15, 2014). "Vikings: Uncooperative person delaying Chris Kluwe investigation". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ Goessling, Ben (August 19, 2014). "Chris Kluwe, Vikings avoid lawsuit". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "Chris Kluwe calls out Hall of Fame for ignoring punters". Nfl.com. December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Derrick Brooks headlines HOF class". ESPN. February 1, 2014.
- ^ Jason Linkins, Chris Kluwe Quits St. Paul Pioneer Press Over Marriage Equality Amendment Editorial, The Huffington Post, November 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Chris Kluwe to speak at American Atheists convention | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ Shackford, Scott (December 12, 2012). "NFL Player Chris Kluwe on Being a Libertarian". Reason. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "93X ROCKS! Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota radio station website". Archived from the original on December 13, 2007.
- ^ "World of Warcraft". us.battle.net. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011.
- ^ Schramm, Mike (December 30, 2008). "Vikings punter Chris Kluwe plays WoW". Wowinsider.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ "LoL and NFL". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Can an NFL punter Defeat A Firaxis Developer In XCOM?". GameInformer. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "R/Pathofexile - in every piece of prose, lies a tiny spark of magic". November 27, 2017.
- ^ MJD. "If McNabb wants No. 5, he'll be promoting a punter's rock band – Shutdown Corner – NFL Blog – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ "Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Plays Not My Job". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Chris Kluwe's "Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies" is a weird, wild ride". July 3, 2013.
- ^ "Otaku (review)". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Cassandra (August 31, 2017). "Attention everyone! If you wanted to pick up @TotGgame, but didn't back it, it is NOW AVAILABLE!".
- ^ "Freshman Coaches | Edison Charger High School Football". edisonchargerfootball.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016.
External links