Ben Leber

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Ben Leber
No. 51, 59
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1978-12-07) December 7, 1978 (age 45)
Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Vermillion (SD)
College: Kansas State (1997–2001)
NFL draft: 2002  / Round: 3 / Pick: 71
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:496
Sacks:24.0
Interceptions:5
Player stats at PFR

Ben Leber (born December 7, 1978) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and later played for the Minnesota Vikings.

Contents

Early years

Lining up primarily at running back, Leber was named to several high school All-America teams at Vermillion High School in Vermillion, South Dakota. As a junior, he rushed for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns, and notched 1,350 yards in his senior year. That season, he was declared a Parade Magazine All-America (the only South Dakotan so honored in 1997), an honorable mention All-USA by USA Today , and was selected to play in the North-South Dakota All-Star game. An excellent student, he was also an Academic All-State selection.

College career

At Kansas State, Leber made the switch to full-time linebacker. A two-time All-Big 12 selection, he finished his college career with 216 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 13.5 sacks. His 216 career tackles were the fifth most in Kansas State history. As a junior, he earned second-team all-conference honors. The year later, he was an All-America third-team selection by the Associated Press, a consensus All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice, and a team captain. He received a degree in business-general management in 2002.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		244 lb
(111 kg)		4.63 s1.61 s2.71 s4.25 s6.75 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)		9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		20 reps
All values from NFL Combine [1]

San Diego Chargers

Leber was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. [2] He was an immediate-impact rookie, playing in all 16 games and starting 14 of them. He was selected to both the Pro Football Weekly and Football Digest All-Rookie teams, finishing the year with 49 tackles, 5 sacks (third on the team), and 3 forced fumbles (first on the team).

In his second season, Leber started every game at strong side linebacker for the Chargers, notching 75 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 pass defensed, and 1 forced fumble. In his third year, he was an every-game starter for the Chargers, finishing the season with 58 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery. The next season, Leber was injured during training camp and again during the season. This led to him losing his starting position to future Pro-Bowler Shawne Merriman. He finished 2005 with 22 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.

Minnesota Vikings

As an unrestricted free agent, Leber was signed by the Minnesota Vikings on March 11, 2006. Playing in 15 games, he finished his first season with the team with 46 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 fumble recovery touchdown. The next year was even better—playing in all 16 games, Leber notched 67 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. In 2008, Leber again played the full season, recording 64 tackles, a career-low 1.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

St. Louis Rams

On August 9, 2011, Leber signed with the St. Louis Rams. On December 3, 2011, Leber was waived by the Rams.

Retirement

Despite having worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2012, [3] he was unable to find an interested team.

He announced his retirement from professional football on June 18, 2012. [4]

Career statistics

SeasonTeamGPTotalAstCombSCKINTINT TDPDFFFum RecFum TD
1998 Kansas State 1019.011302.0002100
1999Kansas State1135.023582.0003210
2000Kansas State1338.017553.5102000
2001Kansas State1155.018736.0004000
Totals45147.06921613.01011310
SeasonTeamGPTotalAstCombSCKINTINT TDPDFFFum RecFum TD
2002 San Diego Chargers 1641.09505.0001300
2003San Diego Chargers1669.011803.0001000
2004San Diego Chargers1649.011602.0001010
2005San Diego Chargers918.04222.0001010
2006 Minnesota Vikings 1534.012463.0104321
2007Minnesota Vikings1652.015675.0104200
2008Minnesota Vikings1647.017641.5207100
2009Minnesota Vikings16388462.5005100
2010Minnesota Vikings163511460.0104200
2011St. Louis Rams711.04150.0000000
Totals14339310349624.050281241

Career Playoff statistics

SeasonTeamGPTcklAstTotalSCKINTINT TDPDFFFum RecFum TD
2004San Diego Chargers15.0270.0000000
2009Minnesota Vikings14.0040.0100000
Totals29.02110.0000000

Personal

Leber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and raised in Vermillion, South Dakota. He is the son of Al and Han Leber. His brother, Jason, was an All-American running back at the University of South Dakota. [5]

His Mother, Han, is Korean. [6]

Leber is married to his wife Abby, and they have 2 sons and 1 daughter.[ citation needed ]

He is a radio sideline analyst for the Minnesota Vikings. He also broadcasts on KFAN and Co-Hosts Twin Cities Live on ABC affiliate KSTP. [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "2002 NFL Draft Scout Ben Leber College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ Adam Caplan (March 1, 2012). "Eagles Work Out Veteran LB". thesidelineview.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Linebacker Ben Leber announces retirement after 10 seasons with Chargers, Vikings, Rams". thesidelineview.com. Associated Press. June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Linebacker Ben Leber Announces Retirement". minnesota.cbslocal.com. CBS Local Media. June 8, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Ben Leber". halfkorean.com/. May 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Meet the Co-Hosts of Twin Cities Live". kstp.com/. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
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