Tim Grunhard
| No. 61 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 17, 1968 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Burbank (IL) St. Laurence | ||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1990 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Timothy Gerard Grunhard (born May 17, 1968) is a former American football center in the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive line coach for the Kansas Jayhawks. A second-round draft choice in the 1990 NFL Draft for the Kansas City Chiefs, Grunhard went on to play 169 games in all with Kansas City, the fourth most ever by a Chiefs offensive lineman, and was regarded as one of the finest centers in the NFL during the 1990s. Grunhard wore jersey number 61. He is now a football assistant coach at Bishop Miege high school in Roeland Park, Kansas.
Collegiate career
Tim Grunhard grew up in Chicago, Illinois and attended St. Laurence High School in Burbank. He later moved to South Bend, Indiana where he later played on some of the most famous teams in all of Notre Dame's storied history. He started every game in 1988 when the Irish went undefeated and won the national championship. That season included victories over 3 otherwise undefeated teams: West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl, USC in a #1 vs. #2 showdown on the final weekend of the regular season, and the 31–30 win over Miami at Notre Dame Stadium that is considered one of the greatest college football games ever played.[1]
NFL career
Grunhard was a second round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990 and was an anchor for the Chiefs' teams of the 1990s, alongside Dave Szott. During that time, he started 164 games for the Chiefs, which ranks third in franchise history. Throughout his playing career, Grunhard was always one of the most popular figures with fans and the community. Even after retiring he still holds that respect across the city. Grunhard made his first and only appearance in the Pro Bowl following the 1999 NFL season after Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen was forced to miss the game due to injury.[2]
Coaching career
High school
Grunhard was the head coach of the Bishop Miege High School football team, a Roman Catholic private high school in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, where he taught theology.[3] In his first season as coach in 2006, the varsity team finished with a record of 3-6. The team won five straight district titles and the 2009 4A state title in Grunhard's six years of coaching.[4]
College
In 2012, Grunhard was hired as the offensive line coach at Kansas.[5] In December 2013, he left his position at the University of Kansas in order to be closer to his family in Kansas City. He returned to Bishop Miege as the offensive line coach.
Broadcasting
Grunhard had a radio show that was on from 9:00 to 11:00 on weekday mornings on KCSP sports radio from October 2003 till he was let go in December 2007. He first did the show with Holden Kushner, and later Doug Franz, but was hosting by himself when released from his contract. His broadcasting career began in 2001 on WHB's "Crunch Time," with co-hosts Bill Maas and Frank Boal.
References
- ↑ USA Today, "College football's best of the last 20 years"
- ↑ Chiefs center Grunhard added to Pro Bowl roster KCChiefs.com, 11 January 2000
- ↑ Miege hires a real pro The Leaven
- ↑ Kansas City Star 28 Nov. 2009, "Bishop Miege puts on offensive display in Class 4A title win"
- ↑ Kansas Football Adds Tim Grunhard To Staff
External links
- Tim Grunhard at DatabaseFootball.com