Hunter Hillenmeyer

Last updated

Hunter Hillenmeyer
Hil-briggs-2008.jpg
Hillenmeyer (92) practices with the Bears at training camp in 2008.
No. 92
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1980-10-28) 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
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-SEC (2002)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:396
Sacks:7.0
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:2
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer (born October 28, 1980) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted 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.

Contents

He is a columnist for TheStreet.com. [2]

Early years

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 2000–02) 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

Hillenmeyer signed with the Chicago Bears after being cut by the Green Bay Packers at the end of the 2003 preseason. Hillenmeyer 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; [3] [4] the Chicago Sun-Times called Hillenmeyer "underrated". [5] 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. [6]

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. [7] He was released by the Bears on February 28, 2011.

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2003 CHI 13011920.00000001000
2004 CHI 16118665212.590000211130
2005 CHI 13126345181.04100020000
2006 CHI 15134936130.03000020100
2007 CHI 16147966130.04000010100
2008 CHI 136181441.01000020000
2009 CHI 14139065252.551000541-10
2010 CHI 100000.00000000000
10169396300967.02620001464120

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2005 CHI 118710.00000000000
2006 CHI 3212660.01000010000
43201370.01000010000

Personal life

Hillenmeyer pursued a Part-Time MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. An interview with Fox News Chicago revealed that Hillenmeyer is married to the daughter of Tim Floyd, former coach of the Iowa State, Chicago Bulls, and Southern California men's basketball teams. Hillenmeyer's father is a chef and restaurant owner in Tennessee.

In 2013, Hillenmeyer founded a company called OverDog, which allows fans to compete against pro athletes in video games over a mobile app. [8]

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References

  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.
  3. ↑ 2006 Chicago Bears Preview
  4. ↑ "Fantasy Football Advisor: Chicago Bears Preseason Analysis". Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  5. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060817/ai_n16641095.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ [Hillenmeyer at NFL.com]
  7. ↑ Biggs, Brad (September 17, 2010). "Hunter Hillenmeyer uncertain about his future". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 17, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ 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.
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