Greg Warren (American football)
Encyclopedia
Gregory Robert Warren is an American football
long snapper
for the Pittsburgh Steelers
of the National Football League
. He was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
at North Carolina
.
Warren earned two Super Bowl ring
s with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL
and Super Bowl XLIII
.
and was a four-year letterman in football
and three-year letterman in track & field
. In football, he won All-Conference Honorable Mention honors as a senior. In track & field, he was a three-time All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree. He started for two years at center and deep snapper National Honor Society member. He is the son of Bob and Debra Warren, he has one younger brother, Michael.
career as a walk-on. From the start of the 2001 season, Warren was the starting long snapper for the team, and continued that role until his graduation after the 2004 season. He double majored in biology and exercise & sports science.
Prior to his NFL career, he had been pursuing a career in education, as evidenced by his tenure as a teaching assistant at East Chapel Hill High School
.
season in 2005, Warren was used entirely as a long snapper, beating former Steelers center
Mike Schneck
for the job.
A restricted free agent
in the 2008 offseason, Warren signed a three-year, $2.3 million contract with the Steelers on March 25.
Warren sustained a season ending knee injury in a game against the New York Giants
on 10/26/08. The importance of a competent long snapper became evident when after Warren left the game, the substitute long snapper, James Harrison, sent a snap sailing over the punter's head and out the back of the end zone resulting in a safety. This tied the score and gave the Giants good field position on the ensuing kick resulting in the go ahead touchdown late in the game. He was placed on IR later on in the week.
On December 21, 2009, Warren was placed on injured reserve
with a torn anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL), officially ending his 2009 season
.
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...
long snapper
Long snapper
In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
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 originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. 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 North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
.
Warren earned two 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 with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
and Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
.
Early years
Greg Warren attended Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, North CarolinaDudley, North Carolina
Dudley is an unincorporated town in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States, about 9 miles south from Goldsboro. Part of this area includes the Brogden CDP. Dudley is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and was a four-year letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and three-year letterman in track & field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, he won All-Conference Honorable Mention honors as a senior. In track & field, he was a three-time All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree. He started for two years at center and deep snapper National Honor Society member. He is the son of Bob and Debra Warren, he has one younger brother, Michael.
College career
Warren attended the University of North Carolina. At UNC, Warren started his college footballCollege 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...
career as a walk-on. From the start of the 2001 season, Warren was the starting long snapper for the team, and continued that role until his graduation after the 2004 season. He double majored in biology and exercise & sports science.
Prior to his NFL career, he had been pursuing a career in education, as evidenced by his tenure as a teaching assistant at East Chapel Hill High School
East Chapel Hill High School
East Chapel Hill High School is a public high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the second high school of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district which contains two other high schools, Chapel Hill High School and Carrboro High School. The school's principal is Eileen Tully, and...
.
Professional career
During his rookieRookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season in 2005, Warren was used entirely as a long snapper, beating former Steelers center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Mike Schneck
Mike Schneck
Michael Louis Schneck is a retired American football long snapper who most recently played for the Atlanta Falcons. He was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1999...
for the job.
A restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the 2008 offseason, Warren signed a three-year, $2.3 million contract with the Steelers on March 25.
Warren sustained a season ending knee injury in a game against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on 10/26/08. The importance of a competent long snapper became evident when after Warren left the game, the substitute long snapper, James Harrison, sent a snap sailing over the punter's head and out the back of the end zone resulting in a safety. This tied the score and gave the Giants good field position on the ensuing kick resulting in the go ahead touchdown late in the game. He was placed on IR later on in the week.
On December 21, 2009, Warren was 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...
with a torn anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL), officially ending his 2009 season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
.