Casey Hampton

Casey Hampton

refer to caption

Hampton during 2011 NFL season.
No. 98
Position: Nose tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1977-09-03) September 3, 1977
Place of birth: Galveston, Texas
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school: Galveston (TX) Ball
College: Texas
NFL draft: 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 373
Quarterback sacks: 9.0
Forced fumbles: 4
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Casey Hampton, Jr. (born September 3, 1977), nicknamed "Big Snack," is an American former football nose tackle who played twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, and received All-American recognition. The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Hampton was selected for the Pro Bowl five times.

Early years

Hampton was born in Galveston, Texas.[1] He attended Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, and was a letterman in football and track. He was twice named as the District Defensive Player of the Year, and as a senior, he was a Texas Class 5A All-State first-team selection. His Ball High jersey number (No. 63) was retired at a dinner and parade on April 6, 2009. Hampton is the only football player in school history to receive such an honor.[2]

In track & field, Hampton was one of the state's top performers in the throwing events. He had top-throws of 16.13 meters in the shot put and 48.08 meters in the discus throw.

College career

Hampton attended the University of Texas, and started 37 consecutive games for the Texas Longhorns football team between 1997 and 2000. He became the first defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles two consecutive seasons (1999–2000), and recorded 329 tackles (177 solos) to rank 11th on the school's all-time list. Hampton registered 56 quarterback pressures and caused nine fumbles in his college career. He earned consensus first-team All-American recognition as a senior, having received first-team honors from the Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, the Walter Camp Foundation.[3] He was also a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Conference Coaches.

Hampton was an All-America first-team selection by the Football Writers Association and Associated Press as a junior in 1999. In 1998 he was named the team's Most Consistent Defensive Player and started every game. That season, he recorded 60 tackles (29 solos) with two sacks and eight stops for losses and registered six quarterback pressures, five pass deflections and recovered one fumble. He also appeared in three games in 1997 before being granted a medical redshirt but played in every game as a true freshman in 1996, starting six at nose guard and recorded 77 tackles (51 solos), one sack and seven stops for losses.[4] In his freshman season he also had three quarterback pressures and a forced fumble. Hampton majored in history.

In 2000, The Daily Texan, the student daily paper at Texas, characterized Hampton as "relentless," even quoting Hampton. "The way I see it, you never know when your last play is going to be," Texas' star defensive tackle said. "So you should go hard all the time. There's no reason to take a play off.." At the time, Hampton was 6'1 and 325 lbs and safety Greg Brown said "I have never seen him take a down off, he's just so intent on destroying people that he never takes time to rest. It's gotta be a gift." Hampton played with Shaun Rogers, a 2nd round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2001 and a Longhorn from 1997–2000; and after Hampton was quoted saying "No one guy can block me. Two guys can probably get it done but never one guy. I can always overpower one," the Daily Texan printed this: "He's says he's never even been caked. Ever," fellow defensive tackle Rogers said. "He says he wasn't even caked in junior high, but I, at least, am humble enough to say that I might have been once or twice. So I'd say some of what he says is questionable."[5]

Professional career

Hampton was selected in the first round with the 19th overall choice of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Steelers.[6] He quickly emerged as a solid player in the middle of the defensive line while logging considerable time as a rookie. He played in all 48 games through his first three seasons, becoming a highly disruptive force, and winning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2003. Six games into the 2004 season, he suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and missed the remainder of that year's games.

For his career, he has played in 157 regular season games, recording 350 tackles, 9.0 sacks, three pass deflected, four forced fumbles, and two recovered fumbles. He also recorded a sack against the Seattle Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck in Super Bowl XL, which sealed the game for the Steelers, and that was his first sack since the 2003 season. Once, when asked about the complicated Pittsburgh play book, he said "I have three plays, straight, right and left".

NFL Stats

Year Team Games Combined Tackles Tackles Assisted Tackles Sacks Forced Fumbles Fumble Recoveries Fumble Return Yards Interceptions Interception Return Yards Yards per Interception Return Longest Interception Return Interceptions Returned for Touchdown Passes Defended
2001 PIT 16 22 9 13 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002 PIT 16 40 23 17 2.0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003 PIT 16 39 27 12 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2004 PIT 6 15 8 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 PIT 16 42 25 17 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006 PIT 15 41 26 15 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2007 PIT 15 33 17 16 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 PIT 13 22 13 9 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2009 PIT 16 43 23 20 2.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 PIT 15 20 10 10 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011 PIT 13 31 17 14 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 PIT 16 26 11 15 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 173 374 209 165 9.0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Hampton on Pro-Football-Reference". rbref.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  2. ↑ "Hampton honored in his hometown", steelers.com
  3. ↑ 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ Casey Hampton | PLAYERS | NFLPLAYERS.COM
  5. ↑ Casey Hampton dominates trenches, charges toward All-American season - Sports
  6. ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/2001/nfldraft/players/99025.html
  7. ↑ "Casey Hampton Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 22 March 2014.

External links

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