Todd Christensen
Encyclopedia
Todd Jay Christensen is a former professional American football
player and a current sports broadcaster for the MountainWest Sports Network
.
, on August 3, 1956, to Ned Jay and June Christensen. His father was working on a doctorate degree at Penn State University at that time. After teaching in West Virginia, his father was offered a professorship in Eugene, Oregon
, when Todd was 5 and the family relocated.
Athletically, Christensen’s early desire was to continue excelling in track and field as he had when he set the world records as a 9-year-old boy. “Puberty and adolescence helped me realize that I was not as fast as I had thought,” he recalled. “My body went a different direction and that was when I started leaning towards football.” He graduated from Sheldon High School in Eugene, and then attended Brigham Young University
(BYU) in Utah
.
At BYU, Christensen was a four-year starter (1974–77) at running back, led the team for three consecutive seasons in receiving and was an All-Western Athletic Conference selection in 1977. His career numbers while at BYU: 152 receptions, 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. He graduated with a degree in social work in 1978 before embarking on his pro career.
career as a second-round draft pick of Dallas
in 1978
. While playing fullback, he broke his foot in the final exhibition game that year and was cut. He later signed with the New York Giants
and then the Oakland Raiders
, who converted him to a tight end.
After three seasons of unspectacular statistics (including the Raiders' Super Bowl
winning campaign in 1980
), Christensen broke out in 1982
, catching 42 balls for 510 yards and 4 TD's in the strike-shortened season, helping the Raiders to the best record in the NFL. The next year, Christensen caught 92 passes for a career high 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns and earned the first of his five trips to the Pro Bowl
for his efforts. His total catches led the NFL, making him the second tight end to ever do this (Kellen Winslow
was the other). The Raiders finished the season with a resounding 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins
in Super Bowl XVIII
. Christensen topped 1,000 yards again in 1984
, catching 82 passes in the process. He hit 80 receptions again the following year, missing 1,000 yards by just 13 yards. The 1986 NFL season
was Christensen's last big one statistically. He ended the year with a career-high, league-leading 95 receptions for 1,153 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also became the first tight end in history to catch 90 passes in two seasons.
Christensen's 1987
campaign was cut short, but in 12 games he still managed to catch 47 balls (a little less than 4 a game). His 663 yards averaged to 14.1 yards per reception, a career high in seasons where he caught at least 40. In Christensen's final year
, he missed more than half the season with injuries and only managed 15 receptions, with none going for touchdowns, after which he retired.
In his career, Christensen caught 461 passes for 5,872 yards and 41 touchdowns. In eight postseason games, he caught 31 balls for 358 yards and only one touchdown. He led the league in receptions twice, and his 349 receptions from 1983
-86
were an NFL record.
. He later joined the NFL on NBC
as a color commentator from 1990 to 1994, teaming up with Charlie Jones
for the first 4 years, see List of NFL on NBC commentator pairings.
He has recently done color commentary for ESPN's college football coverage before moving to MountainWest Sports Network
. In 2000, Christensen was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
.
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...
player and a current sports broadcaster for the MountainWest Sports Network
MountainWest Sports Network
MountainWest Sports Network, informally known as the mtn. , is an American regional sports network dedicated to the Mountain West Conference.-History:...
.
Early life
Christensen was born in Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaBellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, on August 3, 1956, to Ned Jay and June Christensen. His father was working on a doctorate degree at Penn State University at that time. After teaching in West Virginia, his father was offered a professorship in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, when Todd was 5 and the family relocated.
Athletically, Christensen’s early desire was to continue excelling in track and field as he had when he set the world records as a 9-year-old boy. “Puberty and adolescence helped me realize that I was not as fast as I had thought,” he recalled. “My body went a different direction and that was when I started leaning towards football.” He graduated from Sheldon High School in Eugene, and then attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
At BYU, Christensen was a four-year starter (1974–77) at running back, led the team for three consecutive seasons in receiving and was an All-Western Athletic Conference selection in 1977. His career numbers while at BYU: 152 receptions, 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. He graduated with a degree in social work in 1978 before embarking on his pro career.
Football career
Christensen began his NFLNational 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...
career as a second-round draft pick of Dallas
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in 1978
1978 NFL Draft
The 1978 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 May 2–3, 1978...
. While playing fullback, he broke his foot in the final exhibition game that year and was cut. He later signed with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and then the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who converted him to a tight end.
After three seasons of unspectacular statistics (including the Raiders' Super Bowl
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
winning campaign in 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
), Christensen broke out in 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, catching 42 balls for 510 yards and 4 TD's in the strike-shortened season, helping the Raiders to the best record in the NFL. The next year, Christensen caught 92 passes for a career high 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns and earned the first of his five trips to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
for his efforts. His total catches led the NFL, making him the second tight end to ever do this (Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
was the other). The Raiders finished the season with a resounding 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
. Christensen topped 1,000 yards again in 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
, catching 82 passes in the process. He hit 80 receptions again the following year, missing 1,000 yards by just 13 yards. The 1986 NFL season
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
was Christensen's last big one statistically. He ended the year with a career-high, league-leading 95 receptions for 1,153 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also became the first tight end in history to catch 90 passes in two seasons.
Christensen's 1987
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
campaign was cut short, but in 12 games he still managed to catch 47 balls (a little less than 4 a game). His 663 yards averaged to 14.1 yards per reception, a career high in seasons where he caught at least 40. In Christensen's final year
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
, he missed more than half the season with injuries and only managed 15 receptions, with none going for touchdowns, after which he retired.
In his career, Christensen caught 461 passes for 5,872 yards and 41 touchdowns. In eight postseason games, he caught 31 balls for 358 yards and only one touchdown. He led the league in receptions twice, and his 349 receptions from 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
-86
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
were an NFL record.
Broadcasting career
After retiring from football, Christensen became a broadcaster, co-hosting the second half of the first season of American Gladiators with Mike AdamleMike Adamle
Michael David "Mike" Adamle is a sports personality and former National Football League player. He is best known as the co-host of American Gladiators series for seven years....
. He later joined the NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
as a color commentator from 1990 to 1994, teaming up with Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones
Charles "Charlie" Jones was a Welsh international footballer.Born in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfil, Jones started his career at Cardiff City, but was released in the summer of 1921 after just one appearance, a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City...
for the first 4 years, see List of NFL on NBC commentator pairings.
He has recently done color commentary for ESPN's college football coverage before moving to MountainWest Sports Network
MountainWest Sports Network
MountainWest Sports Network, informally known as the mtn. , is an American regional sports network dedicated to the Mountain West Conference.-History:...
. In 2000, Christensen was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
.