Aaron Stecker is a former American football

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...

 running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

. He was signed by the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 as an undrafted free agent in 1999. 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 Western Illinois.

Stecker also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of 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 earned a 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...

 with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII

Super Bowl XXXVII

Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...

. Mainly used as a backup for most of his career, Stecker started 14 games during his five years with the Saints, and also often served as a kick returner for both Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

On April 20, 2010, Stecker announced that he was retiring from football, although later in 2010 he worked out for, but did not sign with, 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...

.

Early years

Stecker attended Ashwaubenon High School

Ashwaubenon High School

Ashwaubenon High School is a high school in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, a suburb of Green Bay.-Academics:Ashwaubenon High School excels in some academic traditions. AHS offers many Advanced Placement classes such as United States History, Art History, Statistics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology,...

 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin

Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin

Ashwaubenon is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 17,634, however many village signs still reflect the 1990 census figure of 17,777. Ashwaubenon is a suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan...

, and was a letterman in football 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...

. His number, 27, has been retired.

College career

Stecker began his college career

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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers football

The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...

 in 1995. He spent two years with the University of Wisconsin, recording three 100-yard games, a 100-yard kick return for a 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:...

, and a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. In 1997 he transferred to Western Illinois

Western Illinois University

Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...

 after the emergence of future Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 winner Ron Dayne

Ron Dayne

Ron Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:...

 pushed Stecker from his starting role with the Badgers. During the 1997 season, Stecker recorded 2,293 rushing yards en route to winning the Gateway Football Conference

Gateway Football Conference

The Missouri Valley Football Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a football-only conference.-History:The Missouri Valley Football Conference has a convoluted history...

 player of the year award. Stecker finished his career at Western Illinois as the school's all-time leading rusher, with 3,799 yards in just two seasons. This record was broken by Travis Glasford in 2005, and is now held by Herb Donaldson, as of 2008.

Personal life

Stecker's wife Kara is the daughter of Diane Hendricks and the late Ken Hendricks

Ken Hendricks

Kenneth A. Hendricks was a businessman who grew a shingle supply company into a $2.6 billion fortune and a spot on the Forbes 400...

, founder of ABC Supply. They have two children.