Aaron Kampman
Encyclopedia
Aaron Allan Kampman is an American football
defensive end
and linebacker
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers
in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Iowa
.
. Despite a student body of only 270, it has produced four NFL
players. Kampman, Casey Wiegmann
, Jared DeVries
, and Brad Meester
are all Aplington-Parkersburg graduates who played for the late Ed Thomas
and went on to the NFL
. Thomas was named the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year.
Kampman lettered three times in football and basketball and four times in track in high school. He was an all-state basketball player as a senior, and he placed third in the shot put at the state meet his junior and senior seasons.
In football, Kampman led Aplington-Parkersburg to three straight playoff appearances and a runner-up finish in the state championship as a junior. His teams had a record of 26-7 over his three years there. Kampman played the linebacker position and set school records for tackles in a game (26), a season (188), and a career (447). He was the team MVP his junior and senior seasons and team captain as a senior.
Kampman received a number of honors in high school. He was named the Iowa Class 2A Player of the Year, a USA Today
second team All-American, and a Parade Magazine All-American. Additionally, he was named district MVP and an Iowa all-state selection as a junior and as a senior, and he was an Elite all-state selection as a senior. Kampman also earned team MVP honors in the Iowa Shrine all-star game following his senior season, leading his team with 13 tackles.
and Hall of Fame
coach Hayden Fry
. Kampman played nine games as a true freshman in 1998, recording 49 tackles. After the season, Coach Fry retired, and Kampman played the rest of his career for Kirk Ferentz
.
As a sophomore, Kampman started all 11 games for Iowa at linebacker, and he finished second on the team with 103 tackles. He had five games with ten or more tackles in 1999 and was academic All-Big Ten
.
Prior to his junior season, Kampman switched positions from linebacker to defensive end. In 2000, he started all 12 games for Iowa at defensive end, but Iowa was struggling on the field. The Hawkeyes snapped a school-record 13 game losing streak when they defeated Michigan State, 21-16. Kampman was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week that week, recording 16 tackles, a blocked field goal, and the first interception of his career. He had 94 tackles his junior season, and he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. He was also a second team academic All-American.
As a senior in 2001, Aaron Kampman started all 12 games for Iowa at defensive end. He had 96 tackles in 2001 and led the team with nine sacks. Iowa, which had only won seven games in Kampman's first three years combined, rebounded in 2001. The Hawkeyes faced Minnesota, needing just one more win to clinch their first winning record and first bowl bid since 1997. Kampman responded with possibly the best game of his college career, making 15 tackles and three sacks and leading Iowa to a 42-24 victory. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career. He also had four tackles in his final game, Iowa's 19-16 win in the 2001 Alamo Bowl
.
Kampman won the Hayden Fry "Extra Heartbeat" award and Iowa's Scholastic Achievement award. He was named first team All-Big Ten
and co-captain of the 2001 Hawkeyes. He finished his career with 342 tackles, the seventh best total in Iowa history. Kampman also named a first team academic All-American in 2001.
Kampman was selected with the 21st pick in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
by the Green Bay Packers
.
Kampman started six games and registered 24 tackles as a rookie in 2002. He started 12 games in 2003 with 29 tackles, and led the NFC with three sacks in the 2003 playoffs. Kampman was also named the Packers' 2003 "Walter Payton Man of the Year" for community service.
Kampman has become a steady defender who has anchored the left side of the Packers' line most of the last two years. He started all 16 games for Green Bay in 2004, as well as their playoff game. He had a career high 67 tackles in 2004 and improved to make 81 tackles in 2005.
On March 11, 2006, he signed a four-year $21 million contract extension to stay with the Packers. In week 8 of the 2006 NFL season
Kampman was named the defensive player of the week after a solid performance against the Arizona Cardinals
. He recorded two sacks and the Packer defense held Arizona to a total of 218 yards. In week 16, he registered another 3 sacks against the Minnesota Vikings to earn his second NFC defensive player of the week award. In earning this award he joined Reggie White
(1998) as the only Packers to win defensive honors twice in the same season. In 2006 Kampman was second in the NFL, behind San Diego
's Shawne Merriman
with 15.5 sacks. He ended the season with 89 tackles. His achievements helped him earn a bid to the 2007 Pro Bowl
as well as being named second team All-Pro
by the Associated Press
.
On November 1, 2007, Kampman was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, having recorded 5.5 sacks during that time period. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Pro Bowl defensive end leads the NFL with 23.5 sacks.
Kampman attended the 2008 Pro Bowl
, along with teammates Chad Clifton
, Donald Driver
, and Al Harris, as well as head coach
Mike McCarthy. Packers defensive line coach Carl Hairston has called Kampman the most complete player he has coached in the NFL.
Kampman is also an online student at Dallas Theological Seminary.
On December 7, 2009 Kampman was officially placed on injured reserve
due to a knee injury he suffered earlier in the year versus the San Francisco 49ers
in week 11.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
Early years
Aaron Kampman played high school football for Aplington-Parkersburg High SchoolAplington-Parkersburg High School
Aplington-Parkersburg High School is a school in Parkersburg, Iowa. On May 25, 2008, the school was destroyed by an EF5 tornado. It has since been rebuilt.-Athletics:...
. Despite a student body of only 270, it has produced four NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players. Kampman, Casey Wiegmann
Casey Wiegmann
Casey Peter Wiegmann is an American football center for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
, Jared DeVries
Jared DeVries
Jared Jay DeVries [] is an American football defensive end who played for the Detroit Lions in NFL. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa...
, and Brad Meester
Brad Meester
Bradley Ryan Meester is an American football center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
are all Aplington-Parkersburg graduates who played for the late Ed Thomas
Ed Thomas
Ed Thomas was the high school football coach for Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, Iowa. On June 24, 2009, Thomas was shot and killed in the football team's weight room. Ed Thomas's killer is Mark Becker, a 2004 Aplington-Parkersburg graduate and one of Thomas' former players...
and went on to the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Thomas was named the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year.
Kampman lettered three times in football and basketball and four times in track in high school. He was an all-state basketball player as a senior, and he placed third in the shot put at the state meet his junior and senior seasons.
In football, Kampman led Aplington-Parkersburg to three straight playoff appearances and a runner-up finish in the state championship as a junior. His teams had a record of 26-7 over his three years there. Kampman played the linebacker position and set school records for tackles in a game (26), a season (188), and a career (447). He was the team MVP his junior and senior seasons and team captain as a senior.
Kampman received a number of honors in high school. He was named the Iowa Class 2A Player of the Year, a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
second team All-American, and a Parade Magazine All-American. Additionally, he was named district MVP and an Iowa all-state selection as a junior and as a senior, and he was an Elite all-state selection as a senior. Kampman also earned team MVP honors in the Iowa Shrine all-star game following his senior season, leading his team with 13 tackles.
College career
Aaron Kampman was highly recruited out of high school, and he chose to play for the University of IowaIowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
coach Hayden Fry
Hayden Fry
John Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...
. Kampman played nine games as a true freshman in 1998, recording 49 tackles. After the season, Coach Fry retired, and Kampman played the rest of his career for Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz
Kirk James Ferentz is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since 1999. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the University of Maine. He has also served as an assistant coach...
.
As a sophomore, Kampman started all 11 games for Iowa at linebacker, and he finished second on the team with 103 tackles. He had five games with ten or more tackles in 1999 and was academic All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
.
Prior to his junior season, Kampman switched positions from linebacker to defensive end. In 2000, he started all 12 games for Iowa at defensive end, but Iowa was struggling on the field. The Hawkeyes snapped a school-record 13 game losing streak when they defeated Michigan State, 21-16. Kampman was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week that week, recording 16 tackles, a blocked field goal, and the first interception of his career. He had 94 tackles his junior season, and he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. He was also a second team academic All-American.
As a senior in 2001, Aaron Kampman started all 12 games for Iowa at defensive end. He had 96 tackles in 2001 and led the team with nine sacks. Iowa, which had only won seven games in Kampman's first three years combined, rebounded in 2001. The Hawkeyes faced Minnesota, needing just one more win to clinch their first winning record and first bowl bid since 1997. Kampman responded with possibly the best game of his college career, making 15 tackles and three sacks and leading Iowa to a 42-24 victory. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career. He also had four tackles in his final game, Iowa's 19-16 win in the 2001 Alamo Bowl
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is a major American college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It matches the second choice team from the Pacific-12 Conference and the third choice team from the Big 12 Conference.Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been...
.
Kampman won the Hayden Fry "Extra Heartbeat" award and Iowa's Scholastic Achievement award. He was named first team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
and co-captain of the 2001 Hawkeyes. He finished his career with 342 tackles, the seventh best total in Iowa history. Kampman also named a first team academic All-American in 2001.
Green Bay Packers
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
Kampman started six games and registered 24 tackles as a rookie in 2002. He started 12 games in 2003 with 29 tackles, and led the NFC with three sacks in the 2003 playoffs. Kampman was also named the Packers' 2003 "Walter Payton Man of the Year" for community service.
Kampman has become a steady defender who has anchored the left side of the Packers' line most of the last two years. He started all 16 games for Green Bay in 2004, as well as their playoff game. He had a career high 67 tackles in 2004 and improved to make 81 tackles in 2005.
On March 11, 2006, he signed a four-year $21 million contract extension to stay with the Packers. In week 8 of the 2006 NFL season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
Kampman was named the defensive player of the week after a solid performance against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He recorded two sacks and the Packer defense held Arizona to a total of 218 yards. In week 16, he registered another 3 sacks against the Minnesota Vikings to earn his second NFC defensive player of the week award. In earning this award he joined Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
(1998) as the only Packers to win defensive honors twice in the same season. In 2006 Kampman was second in the NFL, behind San Diego
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
's Shawne Merriman
Shawne Merriman
Shawne DeAndre Merriman is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. On November 2, 2010, the Chargers waived Merriman...
with 15.5 sacks. He ended the season with 89 tackles. His achievements helped him earn a bid to the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....
as well as being named second team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
On November 1, 2007, Kampman was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, having recorded 5.5 sacks during that time period. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Pro Bowl defensive end leads the NFL with 23.5 sacks.
Kampman attended the 2008 Pro Bowl
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC...
, along with teammates Chad Clifton
Chad Clifton
Jeffrey Chad Clifton is an American football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
, Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
, and Al Harris, as well as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Mike McCarthy. Packers defensive line coach Carl Hairston has called Kampman the most complete player he has coached in the NFL.
Kampman is also an online student at Dallas Theological Seminary.
On December 7, 2009 Kampman was officially placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
due to a knee injury he suffered earlier in the year versus the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in week 11.