Mike Bartrum
Encyclopedia
Mike Weldon Bartrum is a former American football
long snapper
and tight end
in the National Football League
who spent the last seven years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles
. He was considered one of the best long snappers while he was playing. He retired on June 19, 2007 after suffering a neck injury in a 2006
game against the Indianapolis Colts
.
in Pomeroy, Ohio
and was a letterman in football
, basketball
, and baseball
. In football, he passed for 1900 yards and 24 touchdown
s during his junior and senior seasons.
at Marshall University
intending to play quarterback
, and that lasted all of one practice in August 1988. Bartrum was moved to tight end and was a redshirt
in 1988, then backed up All-American Eric Ihnat in 1989. A knee injury in the spring game knocked him out of the 1990 season, but he returned to top form for his junior and senior seasons. In 1991 and 1992, he hauled in 109 receptions
and 10 touchdown
s, third among tight ends all-time for the Thundering Herd
. His senior year, he played on Marshall's first Division I-AA championship team that won a then school record 12 games, and caught a touchdown to open the scoring that day in the 31-28 win over Youngstown State
, the team that defeated Marshall in the 1991 title game. He was All-Southern Conference
second team TE in 1991 and first team All-SEC in 1992 as well as second team All-American on The Sports Network
team that same season. It was his tight end coach, Mark Gale, at Marshall who taught him how to play long snapper, giving him his route to the National Football League.
In 2007, Bartrum was elected to the Marshall University
Hall of Fame for his collegiate career in football and baseball.
when he was not playing. Between the Kansas City Chiefs
(1993
) and the Green Bay Packers
(1995
) Bartrum only saw action in a total of seven games with no receptions.
From 1996-1999, he was a regular long snapper with the New England Patriots
playing 57 games with two receptions, both of which were touchdowns. He played in Super Bowl XXXI
with the Pats in the loss to the Green Bay Packers and teamed with former Marshall teammate Troy Brown
for the four years in New England.
Signing with the Eagles in 2000, he took over as the long snapper and tight end. He caught nine passes, four of which went for touchdowns. In 2004, Bartrum handled the long snapper duties in his second Super Bowl appearance when the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX
played on February 6, 2005. In 2005, he handled kickoff duties in two games due to an injury to David Akers
. His play earned him a selection to the Pro Bowl
after the 2005 season. In 2006, Bartrum was the emergency quarterback after an injury to Donovan McNabb
. Bartrum has six career touchdowns in 11 receptions. Only Mike Vrabel
has a higher percentage of catches for touchdowns, with eight career catches which were all for touchdowns.
Due to injuries to his spine in 2006, Bartrum retired in the spring of 2007. He and Brown sponsor a long-running camp at Marshall University for children, and the proceeds of the camp, auction and golf outing weekend have been split between their alma mater and Huntington
and Meigs-Pomeroy youth groups for over a decade. In 2007, he was honored on Alumni Weekend at Marshall University as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.
An MRI showed some bulging in one disc as well as a disc which was "herniated centrally and is lying against his spinal cord."
The Eagles placed Bartrum on injured reserve
for the remainder of the season, and Jon Dorenbos
took over long snapper duties for the Eagles for the remainder of the season. Bartrum remained a member of the Eagles until June 2007, when he announced his retirement from football.
and started a Christian based pre-school. He also started flag football for the youth of the area and in November 2008 he was elected Meigs County
Commissioner.
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....
and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in 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...
who spent the last seven years of his career with the 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...
. He was considered one of the best long snappers while he was playing. He retired on June 19, 2007 after suffering a neck injury in a 2006
2006 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season ended in the Eagles finishing 10–6, reclaiming the NFC East, and winning a playoff game at home. The season ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but was seen as a success in the face of the adversity of losing starting quarterback...
game against 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 ....
.
Early life
Bartrum attended Meigs High SchoolMeigs High School
Meigs High School is a public high school in Pomeroy, Ohio, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Meigs Local School District. The school mascot is the Marauders.-Athletics:...
in Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,966 at the 2000 census. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt...
and was a 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....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In football, he passed for 1900 yards and 24 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:...
s during his junior and senior seasons.
College career
He played 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...
at Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
intending to play quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, and that lasted all of one practice in August 1988. Bartrum was moved to tight end and was a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
in 1988, then backed up All-American Eric Ihnat in 1989. A knee injury in the spring game knocked him out of the 1990 season, but he returned to top form for his junior and senior seasons. In 1991 and 1992, he hauled in 109 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
and 10 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:...
s, third among tight ends all-time for the Thundering Herd
Marshall Thundering Herd football
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision...
. His senior year, he played on Marshall's first Division I-AA championship team that won a then school record 12 games, and caught a touchdown to open the scoring that day in the 31-28 win over Youngstown State
Youngstown State Penguins
Youngstown State University is in NCAA Division I. Nicknamed the Penguins, they play in the Horizon League and Missouri Valley Football Conference, and compete in the following sports:*Baseball *Basketball *Cross Country...
, the team that defeated Marshall in the 1991 title game. He was All-Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
second team TE in 1991 and first team All-SEC in 1992 as well as second team All-American on The Sports Network
The Sports Network (wire service)
Based in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, The Sports Network is a wire service providing sports information in real time. Their Web site claims that they are "the largest privately owned international sports information service in North America and possibly the world"...
team that same season. It was his tight end coach, Mark Gale, at Marshall who taught him how to play long snapper, giving him his route to the National Football League.
In 2007, Bartrum was elected to the Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
Hall of Fame for his collegiate career in football and baseball.
Professional career
He saw minimal playing time in his early career and taught special educationSpecial education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
when he was not playing. Between the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(1993
1993 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1993 Kansas City Chiefs season was arguably the franchise's most successful in 22 years: The Chiefs won the AFC Western Division and finished with a 11–5 record...
) and 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...
(1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
) Bartrum only saw action in a total of seven games with no receptions.
From 1996-1999, he was a regular long snapper with 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...
playing 57 games with two receptions, both of which were touchdowns. He played in Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
with the Pats in the loss to the Green Bay Packers and teamed with former Marshall teammate Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
for the four years in New England.
Signing with the Eagles in 2000, he took over as the long snapper and tight end. He caught nine passes, four of which went for touchdowns. In 2004, Bartrum handled the long snapper duties in his second Super Bowl appearance when the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
played on February 6, 2005. In 2005, he handled kickoff duties in two games due to an injury to David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
. His play earned him a selection to the Pro Bowl
Pro 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...
after the 2005 season. In 2006, Bartrum was the emergency quarterback after an injury to Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
. Bartrum has six career touchdowns in 11 receptions. Only Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
has a higher percentage of catches for touchdowns, with eight career catches which were all for touchdowns.
Due to injuries to his spine in 2006, Bartrum retired in the spring of 2007. He and Brown sponsor a long-running camp at Marshall University for children, and the proceeds of the camp, auction and golf outing weekend have been split between their alma mater and Huntington
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
and Meigs-Pomeroy youth groups for over a decade. In 2007, he was honored on Alumni Weekend at Marshall University as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.
Injury
After a defeat to the Colts in November 2006, Bartrum complained of extreme pain in his neck. Testing revealed that Bartrum had an "incidental finding of a small chip on one of the bodies of his vertebrae"An MRI showed some bulging in one disc as well as a disc which was "herniated centrally and is lying against his spinal cord."
The Eagles placed Bartrum 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...
for the remainder of the season, and Jon Dorenbos
Jon Dorenbos
Jonathan Paul "Jon" Dorenbos is an American football long snapper for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
took over long snapper duties for the Eagles for the remainder of the season. Bartrum remained a member of the Eagles until June 2007, when he announced his retirement from football.
Life after football
Bartrum returned to his home town of Pomeroy, OhioPomeroy, Ohio
Pomeroy is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,966 at the 2000 census. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt...
and started a Christian based pre-school. He also started flag football for the youth of the area and in November 2008 he was elected Meigs County
Meigs County, Ohio
Meigs County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,770. Its county seat is Pomeroy, and it is named for Return J. Meigs, Jr., the 4th Governor of Ohio.-Geography:...
Commissioner.