Hunter Hillenmeyer

Total tackles:	396
Sacks:	7.0
Forced fumbles:	6
Fumble recoveries:	4
Interceptions:	2

Hunter Hillenmeyer
	Hillenmeyer (92) practices with the Bears at training camp in 2008.
No. 92
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	October 28, 1980 (age 43); Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:	Montgomery Bell Academy
College:	Vanderbilt
NFL draft:	2003 / round: 5 / pick: 166
Career history
	Green Bay Packers (2003); Chicago Bears (2003–2010);
Career highlights and awards
	First-team All-SEC (2002);
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:
Total tackles:	396
Sacks:	7.0
Forced fumbles:	6
Fumble recoveries:	4
Interceptions:	2
	Player stats at PFR

Last updated September 17, 2024

Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer (born October 28, 1980) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft and played for the Chicago Bears from 2003 to 2010.^[1] Hillenmeyer attended high school at Montgomery Bell Academy and played college football at Vanderbilt University.

Early life

Growing up in Nashville, Hillenmeyer attended Harding Academy before moving onto Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA). Hillenmeyer was a two-time All-state, All-region and All-district selection at Montgomery Bell Academy playing linebacker, defensive end, tight end and punter for the Big Red, including the school's 1998 state championship team. He lettered 3 years in football, 3 years in track and 2 years in tennis.

College career

Hillenmeyer was a four-year letterwinner at Vanderbilt (1999–2002) where he saw action in 45 games, starting the final 23 (every contest from 2000 to 2002) and tallying 249 tackles (165 solos) and 6.5 sacks. As a senior, Hillenmeyer was 1 of 6 Division I-A football National Scholar-Athletes earned First-team All-SEC and First-team Academic All-America honors while leading nation in tackles per game (14.0).

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Hillenmeyer was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round, with the 166th overall, of the 2003 NFL draft. He was waived by the Packers on September 10, 2003.^[3]

Chicago Bears

Hillenmeyer was signed to the practice squad of the Chicago Bears on September 13, 2003. He was promoted to the active roster on October 2, 2003.^[3] He spent most of 2003 playing special teams for the Bears, he tied for fifth on Chicago with 12 special teams tackles as a rookie, playing 13 games on special teams. He became the starter at strong side linebacker in 2004 starting 11 games while appearing in all 16 and making 90 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In 2005, he had 71 tackles including 5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT and 2 PBUs while starting 12 of the first 13 games at SLB before a thumb injury sidelined him for the final three regular season games.

On June 30, 2006, the Bears signed Hillenmeyer to a five-year, $13 million contract extension through 2010 that included a $5 million signing bonus. That season, he started 13 games at strongside linebacker, finishing with 68 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery and a career-high 3 PBUs. In 2007, he played in all 16 games for the second time in his career, starting a career-high 14 contests and had a career-high 101 tackles, and registered 5 quarterback hits, 3 TFLs, 2 PBUs, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. In 2008, Hillenmeyer played 13 games, starting six. Along with All-Pro linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, the Bears were thought to have one of the best linebacking corps in the league;^[4]^[5] the Chicago Sun-Times called Hillenmeyer "underrated".^[6] In announcing the defensive starters for a 2006 Monday Night Football game against the St. Louis Rams, Bears teammate Alex Brown nicknamed the linebacker "Triple H Hunter Hillenmeyer".

Hillenmeyer replaced Brian Urlacher at middle linebacker for the Bears after Urlacher's season-ending wrist injury in Week 1 of the 2009 season, making 90 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception and forcing four fumbles.^[7]

On September 14, 2010, Hillenmeyer was placed on the Bears injured reserve list after sustaining a severe concussion in the team's season opener against the Detroit Lions.^[8] He was released by the Bears on February 28, 2011.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2003	CHI	13	0	11	9	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2004	CHI	16	11	86	65	21	2.5	9	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	13	0
2005	CHI	13	12	63	45	18	1.0	4	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2006	CHI	15	13	49	36	13	0.0	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0
2007	CHI	16	14	79	66	13	0.0	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
2008	CHI	13	6	18	14	4	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2009	CHI	14	13	90	65	25	2.5	5	1	0	0	0	5	4	1	-1	0
2010	CHI	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		101	69	396	300	96	7.0	26	2	0	0	0	14	6	4	12	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2005	CHI	1	1	8	7	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2006	CHI	3	2	12	6	6	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
		4	3	20	13	7	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Hillenmeyer pursued a part-time MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. His father is a chef and restaurant owner in Tennessee.

He is married to Shannon Floyd, the daughter of former college basketball and NBA coach Tim Floyd. The two were wed in 2008.^[9]

In 2013, Hillenmeyer founded a company called OverDog, which allows fans to compete against pro athletes in video games over a mobile app.^[10]

Related Research Articles

Julius Frazier Peppers is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.

Karlos Montez Dansby is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn Tigers and received All-American recognition. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, and has also played for the Miami Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Adam Jason Archuleta is an American former professional football player who was a safety for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and was selected in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams with the 20th overall pick.

Brian Urlacher is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where he received consensus All-American honors as a senior, and was selected ninth overall by the Bears in the 2000 NFL draft.

Byron Keith Traylor is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played college football at Central Oklahoma. Traylor has won a total of three Super Bowl rings; he won two with the Denver Broncos and one with the New England Patriots.

Genos Derwin "D. J." Williams Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft in the National Football League (NFL). He also played two seasons for the Chicago Bears.

Lance Marell Briggs is an American former professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft, where he played his entire 12-year career. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Briggs played alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher during his tenure with the Bears. The two would be regarded as one of the greatest linebacker tandems in NFL history.

Mark Jay Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Jason Terrell Hunter is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Appalachian State.

Copeland Bryan is a former American football defensive end. Bryan signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2006, and played in games for the NFL's Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He ended his playing career with the Las Vegas Locomotives and Montreal Alouettes.

Barry Antoine Minter is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at the University of Tulsa.

Desmond Lamont Bishop is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL draft and later won Super Bowl XLV with the team over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bishop also played for the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.

Jocelin "Joe" Clermond, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the United Football League (UFL), Arena Football League (AFL), and National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Pittsburgh.

Marcus Freeman is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Notre Dame in 2021. Freeman has also previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati, Purdue University, Kent State University, and Ohio State University.

Nicholas Joel Perry is an American former football linebacker who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at USC. Perry was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Samuel Onyedikachi Acho is an American sports analyst and former professional football player who is a football analyst on ESPN. He played as a linebacker for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and was vice president of the NFL Players Association. Acho played college football for the Texas Longhorns, started at linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals and on special teams for the Chicago Bears, and has won multiple awards related to leadership and scholarship.

Shea Keegan McClellin is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos. He was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Khalil Delshon Mack is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Floyd</span> American football player (born 1992)

Leonard Cornilus Floyd is an American professional football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.

Joe Lewis Thomas Jr. is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina State, and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

References

↑ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
↑ "Hunter Hillenmeyer | Special to TheStreet.com | Articles About Financial Markets, Stock Quotes & Investments | TheStreet.com". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
1 2 "Hunter Hillenmeyer". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
↑ 2006 Chicago Bears Preview
↑ "Fantasy Football Advisor: Chicago Bears Preseason Analysis". Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060817/ai_n16641095.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ dead link ]}
↑ [Hillenmeyer at NFL.com]
↑ Biggs, Brad (September 17, 2010). "Hunter Hillenmeyer uncertain about his future". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 17, 2010.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ "Hillenmeyer, Floyd". The Tennessean . September 25, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Mayer, Larry (February 28, 2013). "Hillenmeyer to give fans a chance to game against pros". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.

External links

Media related to Hunter Hillenmeyer at Wikimedia Commons

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.

[1] "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.

[2] "Hunter Hillenmeyer | Special to TheStreet.com | Articles About Financial Markets, Stock Quotes & Investments | TheStreet.com". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2008.

[pfr-3] 1 2 "Hunter Hillenmeyer". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

[4] 2006 Chicago Bears Preview

[5] "Fantasy Football Advisor: Chicago Bears Preseason Analysis". Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.

[6] ttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060817/ai_n16641095.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ dead link ]}

[7] [Hillenmeyer at NFL.com]

[8] Biggs, Brad (September 17, 2010). "Hunter Hillenmeyer uncertain about his future". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 17, 2010.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[9] "Hillenmeyer, Floyd". The Tennessean . September 25, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2024– via Newspapers.com.

[10] Mayer, Larry (February 28, 2013). "Hillenmeyer to give fans a chance to game against pros". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]