Todd Kalis
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No. 69, 62 | |||||
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Position: | Guard | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S. | May 10, 1965||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Thunderbird (Phoenix, AZ) | ||||
College: | Arizona State | ||||
NFL draft: | 1988 / Round: 4 / Pick: 108 | ||||
Career history | |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Todd Alexander Kalis (born May 10, 1965) is a former
After starting his final 36 games with
Early life
Kalis 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 where he attended Thunderbird High School and lettered in football, tennis and track and field.
Collegiate career
Kalis was heavily
Kalis redshirted his freshman season in 1983 with the Sun Devils playing defensive end.
In 1984 Kalis met with Rogers prior to the start of spring practice. Kalis was told by Rogers he would be moved to the
In 1985 Arizona State University hired head coach
The 1986 Arizona State University football season proved to be a very historic year for the Sun Devils. Arizona State finished the regular season with a record of 9–1–1 and won the
In 1987 ASU football team finished the season with a 7–4–1 record and an invitation to play
NFL career
Minnesota Vikings (1988-1993)
During his rookie season in 1988, head coach
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 Irwin (right tackle),
The 1990 football season proved to be a disappointing year for the Minnesota Vikings. 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 went on to finish the season with a four-game losing streak which included the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. The Minnesota Vikings finished the season 2nd in the NFC Central Division.
The 1991 football season record improved to 8–8 but would be Jerry Burns last as head coach. Kalis shared the starting responsibilities at the right guard position throughout the season with Brian Habib. The Minnesota Vikings finished the season 3rd in the NFC Central Division.
1992 Kalis suffered a potentially career ending knee injury during a preseason game versus the
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. The Minnesota Vikings finished the season 2nd in the NFC Central Division.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1994)
During the off season prior to the 1994 regular season Kalis worked with his agent G. Bruce Allen to find a new NFL home. On May 20, 1994, he signed a new three-year contract and began 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 2012), Duval Love (left guard) and 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 finished the season 12-4-0, won the AFC Central Division title and defeated the Cleveland Browns 29–9 on January 7, 1995, in the AFC Division Playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium. On January 15, 1995, the Steelers faced the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Conference 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 Neil 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. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished 1st in the AFC Central Division.
Cincinnati Bengals 1995
Kalis began the 1995 season by attending
Kalis was 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 ever to be played in Cleveland. Kalis was on the field when a time out was called by the officials to allow the Bengals to relocate to the other end of the field. The officials wanted to create more distance between the Bengals players and the fans who had already begun to tear seats out 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
NFL Alumni
Kalis began his work with the
On January 31, 2017, he resigned as chapter President after hosting the NFL Alumni's #1 charity golf tournament for 16 years and chapter sporting clays event for 10 years. During his tenure as chapter President the Pittsburgh Chapter raised over 3 million net dollars for numerous Western Pennsylvania charitable organizations. The events were held annually to support the organizations motto of “Caring for Kids”.
Pigskin Dreams
Kalis is co-author of Pigskin Dreams - The People, Places and Events that Forged the Character of the NFL's Greatest Players.[4] The book is a collection of stories based on personal interviews conducted by Kalis highlighting the early influences that helped develop the character of some of the greatest Pro Football Hall of Fame players, including:
- Bobby Bell
- Mel Blount
- Dick Butkus
- Larry Csonka
- Len Dawson
- Dan Dierdorf
- Mike Ditka
- Tony Dorsett
- Franco Harris
- Deacon Jones
- Leroy Kelly
- Paul Krause
- Howie Long
- Anthony Munoz
- Ozzie Newsome
- Merlin Olsen
- Mel Renfro
- Mike Singletary
- Bart Starr
- Johnny Unitas
- Kellen Winslow
- Steve Young.
The book's foreword was written by Don Shula, and it received additional support from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Garth Brooks, Bill Johnson, Art Rooney II and Bob Costas.
Life after football
Following his retirement from the NFL, Kalis began his career in business with positions in sales, marketing and business development. He is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.
Kalis also co-hosted a local Pittsburgh television sports show called “The Steelers Huddle” in 2002 and 2003.
He also enjoys speaking on numerous subjects including character and the history of American football. He currently resides in Mars, Pennsylvania, with his wife Kristen and three youngest children.
Kyle Kalis, his oldest son, was an offensive lineman for the University of Michigan between 2012–16, and played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts in 2017 and the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
References
- ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (21 July 2003). Former Steeler's charity work with NFL group does Pittsburgh proud, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ a b Bafaloukos, Ryan (June 26, 2013). "ASU Football: 'Summer of Legends', No. 65 Todd Kalis". House of Sparky. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Rand, Michael (19 April 2012). Stu's Hunt Down: Former Vikings lineman Todd Kalis, Star Tribune (note this article may rely in part on this Wikipedia article)