Andrew Szczerba

Last updated

Andrew Szczerba
Andrew Szczerba 2013.jpg
Andrew Szczerba in 2013
No. 80, 85
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1988-07-16) July 16, 1988 (age 36)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school: Salesianum School
(Wilmington, Delaware)
College: Penn State
Undrafted: 2012
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Andrew Joseph Szczerba (born July 16, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He was a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions college football team for five seasons, but only played in three due to injury. After a senior college football season in which he faced adversity with the killing of his uncle, Szczerba signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2012 NFL draft. After the Cowboys released him, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons and was a member of the Falcons' practice squad during the second half of the 2012 NFL season.

Contents

Early life

Szczerba was born on July 16, 1988, in Wilmington, Delaware, to parents Edward and Florence (McCorkle) Szczerba. He and his fraternal twin, Julianna, are the youngest of five children. He attended Salesianum School and played football there leading his team to two state championships in 2005 and 2006 and playing both tight end and defensive end. Szczerba was selected the 2006 Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in Delaware and earned first-team all state honors both offensively and defensively. [1]

Szczerba comes from a football family background. Ed, his father, was a first-team All-State tight end on Salesianum's 1972 state championship team. His late uncle, Joe Szczerba, played football at Sallies and West Chester University and also has another uncle who played Division I-AA college football. [2]

College career

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeight40‡Commit date
Andrew Szczerba
TE 		Wilmington, Delaware Salesianum School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)265 lb (120 kg)4.8Aug 13, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: 4 stars.svg     Rivals: 3 stars.svg     247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 23, 2013.

Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden was Szczerba's primary recruiter. He also received offers from eventual Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien while O'Brien was an assistant at Duke, as well as from Maryland, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia. He committed to play for the Nittany Lions on August 13, 2006. [3]

Penn State

Szczerba attended Penn State University and played football under head coaches Joe Paterno and Tom Bradley during his five seasons with the program. After redshirting his freshman season, he appeared in every game during Penn State's 2008 and 2009 seasons. [1] He was primarily a contributor on special teams. After missing his junior season due to a back injury, there were expectations that Szczerba would have a successful senior season. [4] During his senior season, however, he faced adversity. On September 16, 2011, Szczerba's uncle, a New Castle County police officer, was killed in the line of duty while trying to apprehend a suspect in New Castle, Delaware. Even so, Szczerba did not miss any playing time, but commented that he was "taking it day by day". [5] [6]

Professional career

Szczerba went undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft, and signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite a solid training camp, [7] the Cowboys cut Szczerba on August 31, 2012, during final roster cuts. [8] The Atlanta Falcons signed him to their practice squad on November 13, 2012, [9] and he re-signed with the Falcons to a reserve/future contract on January 21, 2013. [10] He was waived on June 11, 2014. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Witten</span> American football player (born 1982)

Christopher Jason Witten is an American former professional football tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He currently is the head football coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. Witten ranks second in all-time career receptions and receiving yards by an NFL tight end, trailing only Tony Gonzalez. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time.

Blair Lamar Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bronson</span> American football player (born 1982)

Johnathon Lee Bronson is a former American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions football</span> American football team

The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 after playing as an Independent from 1892 to 1992.

Robert Herber Parsons was an American football punter and tight end who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Chicago Bears from 1972 to 1983 and later played with the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Connor (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1985)

Daniel Murphy Connor is an American football coach and a former linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He played college football at Penn State University, where he is currently a defensive analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Lee</span> American football player (born 1986)

Sean Patrick Lee is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He made two Pro Bowls and the 2016 All-Pro Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martellus Bennett</span> American football player (born 1987)

Martellus Demond Bennett is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies football and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. Bennett was a member of five teams during his career, most notably the Chicago Bears, with whom he earned Pro Bowl honors, and the New England Patriots, with whom he won Super Bowl LI. After retiring, Bennett became a children's author and published books under his publication company The Imagination Agency. He is the younger brother of former defensive end Michael Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Shuler Jr.</span> American football player (born 1986)

Mickey Charles Shuler Jr. is a former American football tight end. He is the son of former New York Jets All-Pro tight end, Mickey Shuler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt McGloin</span> American football player (born 1989)

Matthew James McGloin is a former American football quarterback who played for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was the starting quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 2010 to 2012. McGloin was the first walk-on quarterback to start at Penn State since scholarships were reinstated in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silas Redd</span> American football and rugby league player (born 1992)

Silas Raynard Redd Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at Penn State and USC, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2014. His football career ended after injuries and violations of the league's substance-abuse policy.

Michael D. Mauti is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Penn State, and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft. He also played for the New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Crawford (American football)</span> English American football player (born 1988)

Jack Justin Crawford is an English former professional American football defensive end. He played college football at Penn State University and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Robinson</span> American football player (born 1993)

Allen Bernard Robinson II is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 2013. Robinson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played for the Jaguars for four seasons, before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2018. Robinson has also played for the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micah Parsons</span> American football player (born 1999)

Micah Aaron Parsons is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Parsons played college football at Penn State, where he was named a consensus All-American, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP as a sophomore in 2019. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Brian Cormac O'Neill is an American football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Ricky Rahne is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at Old Dominion University. He played college football at Cornell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connor McGovern (American football, born 1997)</span> American football player (born 1997)

Connor James McGovern is an American football center for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He played college football at Penn State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troy Reeder</span> American football player (born 1994)

Troy Daniel Reeder is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaka Toney</span> American football player (born 1998)

Shaka Felton Toney is an American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and was selected by the Washington Football Team in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Toney was suspended by the NFL for the 2023 season for betting on NFL games the previous year and was released by Washington upon being reinstated.

References

  1. 1 2 "Andrew Szczerba Profile". Penn State Official Athletic Site. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ Ireland, Jack (February 10, 2012). "Szczerba still hoping for NFL dream". jackirelandblog.
  3. ↑ "Andrew Szczerba". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ Snyder, Audrey (August 30, 2011). "Tight end's return could boost offense". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved April 23, 2013.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ Kaplan, Jake (October 12, 2011). "Andrew Szczerba "taking it day by day" after recent family tragedy". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Snyder, Audrey (September 19, 2011). "Penn State defense finds footing in win". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved April 23, 2013.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Auping, Jonathan (August 16, 2012). "Rookie TE Szczerba proves to be more than just a blocker". News & Blogs. Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  8. ↑ Archer, Todd (August 31, 2012). "Cowboys make roster moves, still two to go". Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN Dallas. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ Yasinskas, Pat (November 13, 2012). "Falcons tinker with roster". NFL Nation Blog - ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  10. ↑ Choate, Dave (January 21, 2013). "Falcons sign eight players to reserve/future contracts". The Falcoholic - SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  11. ↑ Wilkening, Mike (June 11, 2014). "Falcons waive two players". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.