Dan Klecko
Encyclopedia
Dan Klecko is an American football
defensive tackle who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the New England Patriots
in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Temple
.
Klecko has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts
, Philadelphia Eagles
and Atlanta Falcons
. He has earned three Super Bowl ring
s in his career - two with the Patriots and one with the Colts. He is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Joe Klecko
.
in the fourth round (117th pick overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft
. Klecko has been a versatile player; he attended Saint Patrick School in Malvern, PA, Great Valley High School
, graduated from Marlboro High School
, and then Temple University
as an accomplished defensive lineman, but was moved to linebacker
in the summer of 2004. He has seen time on special teams, and in his rookie season was a blocking fullback
on five of the Patriots' nine running touchdowns.
Klecko was cut by the Patriots after the 2006 preseason.
.
With the Colts, he occasionally filled in for the injured James Mungro
as fullback during the 2006 season. Klecko scored his first career touchdown
on a 2nd and goal four-yard pass from Peyton Manning
against the Miami Dolphins
on December 31, 2006.
He also caught a touchdown against the New England Patriots
, his former team, to tie the game in the 3rd quarter of the 2006 AFC Championship game
. The Colts went on to win that game. They advanced and won Super Bowl XLI
in Miami, Florida
.
Klecko was declared an unrestricted free agent
on March 2, 2007, but on March 24, 2007 he re-signed with the Colts, agreeing to a one year contract.
On November 17, 2007, Klecko was waived by the Colts. He was re-signed three days later.
, who intended to convert him back to fullback
. He was brought in to compete with the incumbent
Jason Davis
. After the Eagles traded for former teammate Luke Lawton
, Klecko has been moved back to his natural defensive tackle position. He registered a sack against the St. Louis Rams in his first game for the Eagles.
On October 8, 2008, it was announced that Klecko would be moved back to fullback. He switched jersey numbers from No. 68 to No. 49. In the 2009 preseason, the Eagles moved Klecko to defensive tackle and switched his jersey number to back to No. 68. He was released from the Eagles on September 5, 2009.
on January 11, 2010. He was waived on September 3.
er Joe Klecko
, best known as a tackle for the New York Sack Exchange
, the New York Jets
defense of the early 1980s, along with defensive end Mark Gastineau
, Marty Lyons
and Abdul Salaam
.
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 tackle who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 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 was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre 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 Temple
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
.
Klecko has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He has earned three Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
s in his career - two with the Patriots and one with the Colts. He is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Joe Klecko
Joe Klecko
Joseph Edward Klecko is a former American football player as a defensive lineman best remembered for his days as a member of the New York Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange."-Temple University Owls:...
.
New England Patriots
He was drafted by the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the fourth round (117th pick overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 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 was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. Klecko has been a versatile player; he attended Saint Patrick School in Malvern, PA, Great Valley High School
Great Valley High School
Great Valley High School is a high school in eastern Chester County. It is located near Malvern, Pennsylvania. It is located on the same campus as Great Valley Middle School. It is the only high school of the Great Valley School District....
, graduated from Marlboro High School
Marlboro High School
Marlboro High School, home of the Mustangs, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District . The school serves students from portions of Marlboro Township...
, and then Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
as an accomplished defensive lineman, but was moved to 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...
in the summer of 2004. He has seen time on special teams, and in his rookie season was a blocking fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
on five of the Patriots' nine running touchdowns.
Klecko was cut by the Patriots after the 2006 preseason.
Indianapolis Colts
Shortly after his release from New England, Klecko signed with the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
.
With the Colts, he occasionally filled in for the injured James Mungro
James Mungro
James Olevia Mungro, II is a former American football running back. He retired from the NFL due to a severe ACL injury he received in a pre-season game in 2006. His entire NFL career was with the Indianapolis Colts...
as fullback during the 2006 season. Klecko scored his first career touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
on a 2nd and goal four-yard pass from Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on December 31, 2006.
He also caught a touchdown against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, his former team, to tie the game in the 3rd quarter of the 2006 AFC Championship game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
. The Colts went on to win that game. They advanced and won Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Klecko was declared an unrestricted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on March 2, 2007, but on March 24, 2007 he re-signed with the Colts, agreeing to a one year contract.
On November 17, 2007, Klecko was waived by the Colts. He was re-signed three days later.
Philadelphia Eagles
On March 14, 2008, Klecko was signed by the hometown Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who intended to convert him back to fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
. He was brought in to compete with the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Jason Davis
Jason Davis (American football)
Jason Sidney Arthur Davis is an American football fullback for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. After the Eagles traded for former teammate Luke Lawton
Luke Lawton
Richard Luke Lawton is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
, Klecko has been moved back to his natural defensive tackle position. He registered a sack against the St. Louis Rams in his first game for the Eagles.
On October 8, 2008, it was announced that Klecko would be moved back to fullback. He switched jersey numbers from No. 68 to No. 49. In the 2009 preseason, the Eagles moved Klecko to defensive tackle and switched his jersey number to back to No. 68. He was released from the Eagles on September 5, 2009.
Atlanta Falcons
Klecko signed a reserve/future contract with the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on January 11, 2010. He was waived on September 3.
Personal
He is the son of former Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er Joe Klecko
Joe Klecko
Joseph Edward Klecko is a former American football player as a defensive lineman best remembered for his days as a member of the New York Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange."-Temple University Owls:...
, best known as a tackle for the New York Sack Exchange
New York Sack Exchange
The New York Sack Exchange is a nickname given to the New York Jets defensive line of the early 1980s, consisting of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam.-Origins:...
, the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
defense of the early 1980s, along with defensive end Mark Gastineau
Mark Gastineau
Marcus Dell Gastineau is a former American football player who was a leading defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, his 100½ quarterback sacks in only his first 100 starts in the NFL made him one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generation...
, Marty Lyons
Marty Lyons
Martin Anthony Lyons is a former American Football defensive tackle who played his entire eleven year career from 1979 to 1989 with the New York Jets of the National Football League...
and Abdul Salaam
Abdul Salaam (football player)
Abdul Salaam is a former American football player best remembered for his days as a defensive tackle with the New York Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange."-Kent State:...
.