Chris Hanson
Encyclopedia
Christopher David Hanson (born October 25, 1976 in Riverdale, Georgia
) is an American football
punter who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns
as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football
at Marshall
.
He has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers
, Miami Dolphins
, Jacksonville Jaguars
, New Orleans Saints
, and New England Patriots
.
in Sharpsburg, Georgia
, where he played punter.
and was a four-year letterman in football as a punter. He finished his college football career with an average of 39.9 yards per punt.
following the 1999 NFL Draft
. He was waived by the team following training camp.
signed Hanson on September 1, 1999. After punting for the Packers in their regular season opener, Hanson was released by the team and re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was waived from the Packers' practice squad on October 12, 1999.
' practice squad, but released from it the next day. He was later re-signed to a future contract for the 2000 season. He was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons
of NFL Europe for the spring. After suffering an injury in the Dragons' season finale, Hanson was placed on injured reserve
by the Dolphins on August 22, 2000. He was released by the Dolphins on August 14, 2001.
on August 18, 2001. He played in every game for the Jaguars in 2001
, finishing sixth in the NFL in punt yard average. After being re-signed in the offseason, Hanson posted an NFL-best 44.2 gross punt average in 2002
, earning his first Pro Bowl
election. Hanson nearly matched his average during the first nine games of the 2003
season, posting a 43.5 yard average in that period. However, during the 2003 season Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio
placed a wooden stump and axe in the Jaguars locker room as a symbol of his theme advising players to "keep choppin' wood". After his teammates had been taking swings at the wood with the axe, Hanson followed and ended up seriously wounding his non-kicking foot. He was placed on injured reserve
on October 10, keeping him out the rest of the 2003 season.
Hanson returned for the 2004
season, posting a 42.8 gross punting average over 16 games. Hanson was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005
, with four punts downed inside the 20-yard line during that period. Hanson's gross average dropped in 2006
to 40.6 in 2006, and the Jaguars decided to draft a punter, Adam Podlesh
, in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. Hanson was released by the Jaguars shortly after the draft, on May 1, 2007.
on May 7, 2007, but released by the team during cutdowns on August 28, 2007.
training camp, the Patriots' punting competition appeared to be between veteran Josh Miller
and first-year player Danny Baugher
. By late August, the team had released Miller, leaving only Baugher on the roster. Baugher too was released days later, with the Patriots signing Hanson to replace him. Hanson had a 41.4 punting average for the Patriots in 2007. In 2008
, Hanson finished with a 43.7 punt average and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 17, averaging 45 yards a punt in wind gusts up to 60 mph. Hanson finished the 2009
season with a 39.7 punt average.
New England did not resign Hanson for the 2010 season, leaving him as a free agent.
Riverdale, Georgia
Riverdale is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 12,478 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Riverdale is located at .-Demographics:...
) is an 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...
punter who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American 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 Marshall
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...
.
He has also been a member of 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...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 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 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...
.
Early years
Hanson attended East Coweta High SchoolEast Coweta High School
East Coweta High School is a public high school located in Coweta County, Georgia, U.S. The school serves about 2800 students in grades 9 to 12 in the Coweta County School System. It is the second oldest high school in Coweta...
in Sharpsburg, Georgia
Sharpsburg, Georgia
Sharpsburg is a town in Coweta County, Georgia, United States. The population was 316 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sharpsburg is located at ....
, where he played punter.
College career
Hanson attended Marshall UniversityMarshall 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....
and was a four-year letterman in football as a punter. He finished his college football career with an average of 39.9 yards per punt.
Cleveland Browns
Hanson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
following the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He was waived by the team following training camp.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay PackersGreen 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...
signed Hanson on September 1, 1999. After punting for the Packers in their regular season opener, Hanson was released by the team and re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was waived from the Packers' practice squad on October 12, 1999.
Miami Dolphins
On December 29, 1999, Hanson was signed to the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' practice squad, but released from it the next day. He was later re-signed to a future contract for the 2000 season. He was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...
of NFL Europe for the spring. After suffering an injury in the Dragons' season finale, Hanson 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...
by the Dolphins on August 22, 2000. He was released by the Dolphins on August 14, 2001.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Four days after being waived by the Dolphins, Hanson was signed by the Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 18, 2001. He played in every game for the Jaguars in 2001
2001 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2001 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the team's seventh year in the National Football League.-2001 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* *...
, finishing sixth in the NFL in punt yard average. After being re-signed in the offseason, Hanson posted an NFL-best 44.2 gross punt average in 2002
2002 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the team's 8th year in the National Football League. The team finished with a record of 6–10 and finished 3rd place in the AFC South...
, earning his first Pro Bowl
2003 Pro Bowl
The 2003 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 2003 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 45, NFC 20. Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins was the game's MVP.-Offense:-Defense:-Special teams:-Offense:-Defense:...
election. Hanson nearly matched his average during the first nine games of the 2003
2003 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the ninth season for the team in the National Football League. The Jaguars failed to improve upon their 6–10 regular season record in 2002 and did not make the playoffs....
season, posting a 43.5 yard average in that period. However, during the 2003 season Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio
Jack Del Rio
Jack Del Rio is an American football coach and former player. Del Rio played both football and baseball for the University of Southern California Trojans, and then spent eleven years playing linebacker in the National Football League . He retired from playing in 1996 and went into coaching,...
placed a wooden stump and axe in the Jaguars locker room as a symbol of his theme advising players to "keep choppin' wood". After his teammates had been taking swings at the wood with the axe, Hanson followed and ended up seriously wounding his non-kicking foot. He 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...
on October 10, keeping him out the rest of the 2003 season.
Hanson returned for the 2004
2004 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2004 season brought about Jack Del Rio's second year as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Byron Leftwich's first full year as a starter...
season, posting a 42.8 gross punting average over 16 games. Hanson was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005
2005 Jacksonville Jaguars season
After a 9–7 season in 2004 the Jaguars came out of the gates prepared to become a dominant force in the AFC. They achieved that task, going 12–4 in the regular season, but did not manage to win their own division, getting swept by the Indianapolis Colts as they went 14–2...
, with four punts downed inside the 20-yard line during that period. Hanson's gross average dropped in 2006
2006 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2006 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the 11th season for the team in the National Football League. The Jaguars failed to improve on their 12–4 record from 2005, and missed the playoffs.-2006 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Preseason:Source:...
to 40.6 in 2006, and the Jaguars decided to draft a punter, Adam Podlesh
Adam Podlesh
Adam Podlesh is an American football punter for the Chicago Bears.-Early life:Podlesh, who is Jewish, is a graduate of Pittsford Sutherland High School. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins....
, in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. Hanson was released by the Jaguars shortly after the draft, on May 1, 2007.
New Orleans Saints
Hanson was signed by the New Orleans SaintsNew 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 ....
on May 7, 2007, but released by the team during cutdowns on August 28, 2007.
New England Patriots
In their 20072007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
training camp, the Patriots' punting competition appeared to be between veteran Josh Miller
Josh Miller
Josh Miller is a former American football punter and current football analyst.He was signed by the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1994...
and first-year player Danny Baugher
Danny Baugher
Erle Daniel Baugher, IV [] is an American football punter for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. By late August, the team had released Miller, leaving only Baugher on the roster. Baugher too was released days later, with the Patriots signing Hanson to replace him. Hanson had a 41.4 punting average for the Patriots in 2007. In 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...
, Hanson finished with a 43.7 punt average and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 17, averaging 45 yards a punt in wind gusts up to 60 mph. Hanson finished the 2009
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....
season with a 39.7 punt average.
New England did not resign Hanson for the 2010 season, leaving him as a free agent.