Rich Ohrnberger
Encyclopedia
Richard Paul Ohrnberger (born February 14, 1986) is an American football
offensive guard for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Penn State
.
in football at East Meadow High School
in East Meadow, New York
, where he also lettered in lacrosse
. He was named New York AA Player-of-the-Year in 2003 and was a two-time all-conference, two-time all-county, all-metro and All-Long Island
selection. He won the Thorp and Martone awards, given to Nassau County
's most outstanding player and most outstanding lineman, respectively.
Ohrnberger played in both the Governor's Bowl and Empire Challenge high school all-star game
s.
.
In 2008, Ohrnberger earned third-team Associated Press
All-America
honors while paving the way for the NCAA
's 15th-best rushing offense. He was also named first-team All-Big Ten
that season, and played in the 2009 Texas vs. The Nation Game
.
Ohrnberger earned a reputation as a class clown and prankster while at Penn State. Perhaps his most infamous prank involved impersonating teammate A. Q. Shipley
during an October 2008, conference call interview
with reporters. He performed stand-up comedy
at the Hollywood Improv
during team activities prior to the 2009 Rose Bowl
.
in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
, with a pick they ultimately obtained from trading cornerback Ellis Hobbs
to the Philadelphia Eagles
. He signed a four-year, $2.20 million contract on June 16, 2009. The deal included a $451,000 signing bonus
. Ohrnberger was active for three games for the Patriots in 2009
, seeing time at right guard with starter Stephen Neal
injured and backup Dan Connolly
lining up at fullback.
Ohrnberger was waived by the Patriots during final cuts on September 4, 2010. He cleared waivers and was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the 53-man roster on September 29, 2010, before the team's Week 4 game. He was active for two games in the 2010 season, both as a reserve.
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...
offensive guard for 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...
of 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...
. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. 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 Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
Ohrnberger was a three-year letterman and two-year captainCaptain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in football at East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School is a high school in the East Meadow school district. East Meadow High School was founded in 1953, as part of what is currently the third largest school district in New York State. There are approximately 1,650 students in grades 9-12...
in East Meadow, New York
East Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
, where he also lettered in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
. He was named New York AA Player-of-the-Year in 2003 and was a two-time all-conference, two-time all-county, all-metro and All-Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
selection. He won the Thorp and Martone awards, given to Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
's most outstanding player and most outstanding lineman, respectively.
Ohrnberger played in both the Governor's Bowl and Empire Challenge high school all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
s.
College career
Ohrnberger started every game in 2007 at left guard and was named second-team All-Big TenBig Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
.
In 2008, Ohrnberger earned third-team Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors while paving the way for the NCAA
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...
's 15th-best rushing offense. He was also named first-team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
that season, and played in the 2009 Texas vs. The Nation Game
Texas vs. The Nation Game
The NFLPA Game is a post-season college football all-star game that was established in 2006 as the concluding game of the college football post-season. The game is currently played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game was previously known as the Texas vs...
.
Ohrnberger earned a reputation as a class clown and prankster while at Penn State. Perhaps his most infamous prank involved impersonating teammate A. Q. Shipley
A. Q. Shipley
Allan Quay "A. Q." Shipley is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Penn State....
during an October 2008, conference call interview
Conference call
A conference call is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more than one called party listen in to the audio portion of the call. The conference calls may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call, or the call may be set up so that the called party...
with reporters. He performed stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
at the Hollywood Improv
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
during team activities prior to the 2009 Rose Bowl
2009 Rose Bowl
The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 edition of the Bowl Championship Series was officially titled...
.
New England Patriots
Ohrnberger was drafted by the New England PatriotsNew 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...
in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, with a pick they ultimately obtained from trading cornerback Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hobbs III is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008...
to 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 signed a four-year, $2.20 million contract on June 16, 2009. The deal included a $451,000 signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
. Ohrnberger was active for three games for the Patriots in 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....
, seeing time at right guard with starter Stephen Neal
Stephen Neal
Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield...
injured and backup Dan Connolly
Dan Connolly (American football)
Daniel Paul Connolly is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Southeast Missouri State.-Early years:Connolly was born in St. Louis,...
lining up at fullback.
Ohrnberger was waived by the Patriots during final cuts on September 4, 2010. He cleared waivers and was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the 53-man roster on September 29, 2010, before the team's Week 4 game. He was active for two games in the 2010 season, both as a reserve.