Matt Dodge
Punter | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born: | Morehead City, North Carolina, U.S. | May 30, 1987||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | West Carteret (NC) | ||||||
College: | Appalachian State (2005) East Carolina (2006–2009) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 221 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Matthew Dean Dodge
Early life and college career
Dodge was born in Morehead City, North Carolina, where he played multiple sports including football and soccer at West Carteret High School before attending Appalachian State University. He also dabbled in bodybuilding.[2]
As a freshman at Appalachian State, Dodge was the punter for the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship-winning team.[3] He later transferred to East Carolina University and become their punter for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. As a senior, he was named Second-team All-American after ranking second in the NCAA in yards per punt (45.8).[4]
Professional career
Pre-draft
Dodge was projected to be drafted in the seventh round or signed as an
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
224 lb (102 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
23 reps | ||||||
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][5] |
New York Giants
Dodge was selected by the
Dodge's first professional punt was blocked in a Monday night preseason game against the
On September 3, 2011, Dodge was released from the Giants[11] in favor of former New York Jet punter Steve Weatherford.
Dodge tried out with multiple NFL teams including the Chicago Bears until 2013, but did not receive a contract. Dodge recalled in 2016 that he "punted okay but they could tell that I wasn't sold out for it and they looked at me and were like, 'Matt, do you want to do this?' Like, they asked me straight up, 'Do you want to do this? Because you can't pretend.' At that time I was like, 'I really don't.' And it was a very freeing feeling. It released me from the grasp of the NFL machine as being the best part of my life."[2]
NFL career statistics
Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | OOB | Dn | Ins20 | TB | FC | Ret | RetY | TD | ||
2010 | NYG | 16 | 72 | 3,222 | 3,222 | 69 | 44.8 | 34.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 535 | 1 |
Career | 16 | 72 | 3,222 | 3,222 | 69 | 44.8 | 34.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 535 | 1 |
Personal life
Dodge married his wife Allison in July 2015.[2]
During his NFL team tryouts, Dodge resumed bodybuilding and entered various competitions along with working as a personal trainer. He later became a wealth management consultant and author.[2]
References
- ^ "Matt Dodge Pro Football Reference". pro-football-reference.com/. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Foxsports.com. Fox Sports. January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Dodge". ECUPirates.com. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "2009 Punting Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "Matt Dodge, East Carolina, P, 2010". Draft Scout. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Matt Dodge Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Garafolo, Mike (June 21, 2010). "Giants waive five players, including punter Jy Bond". NJ.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Garafolo, Mike (June 23, 2010). "Giants agree to terms with draft picks Mitch Petrus and Matt Dodge". NJ.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- NY Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Schwartz, Paul (September 3, 2011). "'Tough, tough decision' to cut Giants punter Dodge". New York Post. Retrieved February 26, 2020.