Chris Kluwe life and biography

Chris Kluwe is a punter for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

• Set Vikings records with a 47.6-yard gross punting average and 33 punts of 50+ yards in 2008.
• Earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005, the only rookie in Vikings history to win a Player of the Month award.

Known for his Guitar Hero skills, the game inspired him to learn to play guitar and he now plays bass guitar in a Twin Cities band, Tripping Icarus...Band will be releasing its debut full-length CD in summer 2010...Married to Isabel, the couple has a daughter, Olivia...Political science and history major...Played at UCLA when RB coach Eric Bieniemy was on staff...Has taken his Guitar Hero talents and uses them for a good cause, hosting charity tournaments playing the video game...Avid paintball player.

HONORS
2008 USA Today All-Joe Team...NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005.

PRO:
In 5 seasons, has already etched his name into the Vikings record book in several areas, including top single-season gross average (47.6 in 2008), 50-yard punts in a season (35 in 2008), 50-yard punts in a game (6 at Tennessee and vs. Detroit in 2008) and gross punting average in a game (57.5 at Detroit in 2007)...Posted career-best 37.8 net punting average in 2009, the 4th-best single-season average in team history...Moved into 2nd place in net punting average in Vikings career history at 36.3 yards...Owns Vikings career record with 124 punts of 50+ yards...Agreed to long-term contract extension with Vikings in October 2007...Converted fake FG for a 1st-down vs. Detroit (12/2/07), hitting Jeff Dugan with a shovel pass for a 27-yard gain...Came to the Vikings as a virtual unknown in 2005 when he was claimed off waivers after being released by Seattle…Holder for FGs and PATs.

2009
Had top net punting average of his career at 37.8 yards, the 4th-best mark in team history...Had 24 punts of 50+ yards, the 3rd-most in a season in Vikings history, trailing the top 2 he set himself with 33 and 29 in 2008 and 2007...Landed 24 punts inside opponents 20...Served as holder on all FGs and PATs as Ryan Longwell had career-best season...Boomed 61-yard punt in Divisional Playoff game vs. Dallas (1/17/10)...Pinned Packers inside their 20 on 4 of 5 punts vs. Green Bay (10/5) on Monday Night Football, holding them to 0 punt return yards on the game.

2008
Recognized by USA Today with a spot on the All-Joe Team, honoring players whose work goes largely unnoticed…Set team records for gross average in a season at 47.6, breaking a team mark that stood since 1964, and set mark for 50-yard punts in a season with 35…Boomed 6 punts of 50+ yards to set single-game Vikings record at Tennessee (9/28) and vs. Detroit (10/12)...Served as the holder for K Ryan Longwell’s team-record-setting 6 FGs of 50+ yards during the season.

2007
Set team records for punts inside the 20 with 34 and booted then-team-record 29 punts of 50+ yards...Had career-best season with a gross average of 44.7 and net average of 37.0, both ranking in the top 5 in Vikings history for a season...Ranked 3rd in the NFL for punts inside the 20 with 34...Tied a team record and set a career high by landing all 5 punts inside the 20 in season opener vs. Atlanta (9/9)...Set a Vikings record for single-game gross punting average at 57.5 yards (4-230 yds) at Detroit (9/16)...Boomed longest punt of career, a 70-yarder, at Kansas City (9/23)...Held on Ryan Longwell’s 55-yard game-winning FG at Chicago (10/14) as time expired, the longest FG of his career and the 2nd-longest overall FG in Vikings history...Completed 1st career pass attempt on a fake FG vs. Detroit (12/2), hitting Jeff Dugan for a 27-yard gain and a 1st down.

2006
Punted 93 times on the season, a team record…Booted 3 punts of 50+ yards and landed 3 punts inside the 20 vs. Carolina (9/17)…Also flipped the ball on a fake field goal to K Ryan Longwell, who then connected with Richard Owens on a 16-yard TD pass…Punted 4 times and landed all of them inside the 20 at Buffalo (10/1)…Hit 3 punts of 50+ yards on Monday Night Football vs. New England (10/30), including a 61-yarder…Followed that up the next week with 4 punts of 50+ yards vs. Green Bay (11/12) and had a season-best 41.9 net average…Booted 3 punts of 50+ yards at Detroit (12/10)…Posted a career-long 68-yard punt vs. NY Jets (12/17).

2005
Led all NFL rookie punters...Ended rookie season ranked #2 in the NFC and #6 in the NFL with a gross average of 44.1 yards per punt...Boomed 15 punts of 50+ yards on the season with a season-high 3 in the opener vs. Tampa Bay (9/11)...Came on strong in his 1st NFL game vs. Tampa Bay (9/11), booming a season-long 62-yarder and hit 4 punts for a 54.3 gross average and a 42.5 net average, the 2nd-best single-game average in team history (minimum 4 punts) and the best in Vikings history by a rookie...Named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, the 1st Vikings rookie to ever earn Player of the Month honors...Season-high 8 punts in win at NY Giants (11/16)...Season-high punting yardage came at Chicago (10/16) with 256 yards.

COLLEGE:
One of the top punters in college football as a senior...Selected as a 2004 finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the top college punter...As a senior, had career-high 25 punts inside the opponent’s 20 and averaged 43.4 yards per punt to rank 2nd in the PAC 10 and 14th in the nation...Set UCLA marks as a junior with 91 punts for 3,908 yards.

Named to USA Today All-America team as a senior punter...A 1st-Team All-CIF honoree as a junior and senior...Connected on an Orange County and CIF-record 60-yard FG as a senior vs. Loyola...Chosen to play in California-Texas Shrine Game and CaliFlorida Bowl.

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