Chris Kluwe facts for kids
Kluwe in 2012 with the Minnesota Vikings
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| No. 5, 4 | |||||||
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| Position: | Punter | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 24, 1981 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, California) |
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| College: | UCLA (2000–2004) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2005 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Chris Kluwe (born December 24, 1981) is a former American football player. He was a punter, which is a special player who kicks the ball far down the field to the other team. Kluwe played for the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders.
He is best known for his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. During his time with the Vikings, Kluwe set many team records. He also became well-known for speaking out on important social issues. After leaving football, he started a career as a writer.
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Early Life and High School Football
Chris Kluwe grew up in Los Alamitos, California. He played three years of varsity football at Los Alamitos High School. His coach was John Barnes.
Kluwe was a very talented kicker. He once kicked a 57-yard field goal to win a game with no time left! He also made a 60-yard field goal, which was a record for his area. As a punter, he averaged 46.6 yards per kick. He was even named a first-team All-American by USA Today.
College Career at UCLA
Kluwe went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, he became one of the best punters in the Pac-10 Conference. He studied political science and history and graduated in 2005.
In 2003, he set new school records for the most punt yards and total punts in a season. In his final year, he was one of the top punters in the country. He was even a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the best college punter.
College Statistics
This table shows Chris Kluwe's stats while playing for UCLA.
| Year | Punts | Yards | Average | In 20 | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 |
| 2002 | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 0 | 44 |
| 2003 | 91 | 3908 | 42.9 | 19 | 66 |
| 2004 | 61 | 2647 | 43.4 | 24 | 68 |
| Totals | 154 | 6624 | 43.0 | 43 | 68 |
Professional Football Career
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Seattle Seahawks
In 2005, the Seattle Seahawks signed Kluwe as an undrafted free agent. This means he wasn't chosen in the NFL Draft but was signed afterward. He did very well in training camp. The Seahawks wanted to keep him on their practice squad. However, the Minnesota Vikings quickly signed him before Seattle could.
Minnesota Vikings
Joining the Vikings was a big surprise for Kluwe. In his first season, he was one of the best punters in the league. He averaged 44.1 yards per punt. He was even named the NFC special teams player of the month in September 2005. This was a first for a Vikings rookie.
During a game in 2005, Kluwe tore a ligament in his kicking leg. Even with this serious injury, he played the last three games of the season. His coach, Mike Tice, was very impressed by his toughness. Kluwe had surgery in 2006 and returned healthy.
In 2007, Kluwe signed a big contract extension with the Vikings. This made him one of the highest-paid punters in the NFL.
In 2011, Kluwe changed his jersey number from 5 to 4. This happened when quarterback Donovan McNabb joined the Vikings and wanted number 5. Kluwe agreed, but only if McNabb donated $5,000 to charity, mentioned Kluwe's band "Tripping Icarus" five times in press conferences, and bought him an ice cream cone! McNabb did most of it, even mentioning the band many times. Kluwe got his number 5 back in 2012 after McNabb left.
Kluwe had another knee injury later in his career. In 2013, the Vikings drafted a new punter, Jeff Locke. Soon after, Kluwe was released by the team.
Vikings Team Records
Chris Kluwe holds many punting records for the Minnesota Vikings:
- #1 Career Punt Average (44.4 yards)
- #1 Game Punt Average (54.3 yards)
- #1 Rookie Game Punt Average (54.3 yards)
- #1 Career Playoff Punt Average (45.2 yards)
- #1 Average Punts per Season (78)
- #1 Career Punts Inside the 20-yard line (198)
- #1, #2, #5 Season Punts Inside the 20-yard line (34, 32, 28)
- #1 Game Punts Inside the 20-yard line (5)
Oakland Raiders
After leaving the Vikings, Kluwe signed with the Oakland Raiders in May 2013. He was happy to play back in California, where he grew up. He competed for the punter spot but was released by the Raiders in September.
On January 3, 2014, Chris Kluwe officially retired from football. He decided not to try playing in the NFL again.
NFL Career Statistics
These tables show Chris Kluwe's statistics from his professional football career.
Regular Season
| Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB | ||
| 2005 | MIN | 15 | 71 | 3,130 | 2,540 | 62 | 44.1 | 35.8 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| 2006 | MIN | 16 | 93 | 3,934 | 3,309 | 68 | 42.3 | 35.6 | 0 | 28 | 7 |
| 2007 | MIN | 16 | 81 | 3,621 | 3,001 | 70 | 44.7 | 37.0 | 0 | 34 | 9 |
| 2008 | MIN | 16 | 73 | 3,473 | 2,589 | 62 | 47.6 | 35.0 | 1 | 23 | 13 |
| 2009 | MIN | 16 | 73 | 3,202 | 2,762 | 60 | 43.9 | 37.8 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| 2010 | MIN | 16 | 83 | 3,569 | 3,228 | 59 | 43.0 | 38.9 | 0 | 32 | 5 |
| 2011 | MIN | 16 | 77 | 3,517 | 2,925 | 60 | 45.7 | 38.0 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| 2012 | MIN | 16 | 72 | 3,237 | 2,856 | 59 | 45.0 | 39.7 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Career | 127 | 623 | 27,683 | 23,210 | 70 | 44.4 | 37.2 | 1 | 198 | 54 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Punting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB | ||
| 2008 | MIN | 1 | 8 | 362 | 253 | 60 | 45.3 | 31.6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | MIN | 2 | 9 | 384 | 364 | 61 | 42.7 | 40.4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012 | MIN | 1 | 5 | 248 | 231 | 56 | 49.6 | 46.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 4 | 22 | 994 | 848 | 61 | 45.2 | 38.5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
Activism and Public Speaking
Chris Kluwe is known for speaking his mind. During the 2011 NFL lockout, he shared his thoughts on the dispute between team owners and players. He believed that a few top players were holding up an agreement.
He also spoke out about the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2012, he protested that no pure punters were in the Hall of Fame. He covered the Hall of Fame patch on his uniform with a note saying "Vote Ray Guy". The NFL fined him for this. In 2014, Ray Guy was finally voted into the Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Chris Kluwe is married to Isabel, and they have two daughters. He used to write a blog called "Out of Bounds" for a newspaper.
He describes himself as "cheerfully agnostic." He also says his political views lean towards being a libertarian.
Video Games
Kluwe is a big fan of video games. He loves playing Guitar Hero 2 and has appeared on radio shows talking about games. He often guests on a Minnesota sports radio station for "Video Games Weekly."
He used to play the online game World of Warcraft a lot. He played as a troll rogue character. He also appeared in a video promoting the game League of Legends. He believes that eSports, or competitive video gaming, will become a very popular and legitimate sport.
Kluwe even has a character named after him in the game XCOM: Enemy Within. He earned this honor by beating one of the game's designers in a competition. He also created a unique weapon for the game Path of Exile.
Other Interests
Music
Besides football, Chris Kluwe is a musician. He plays bass guitar in an alternative/progressive metal band called Tripping Icarus. He started the band in 2009 with his friends.
They recorded their first EP, The Sideshow Sessions, in 2009. Their first full album, Perfect Citizen, was released later.
Writing
Kluwe has written several books. His book Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies was released in 2013. It's a collection of essays on different topics. He also co-wrote a science-fiction book called "Prime: A Genesis Series Event (Volume 1)." His first solo novel, Otaku, came out in 2020.
Tabletop Gaming
Kluwe also designed his own tabletop game called Twilight of the Gods. It was released in 2017.
Coaching
In 2017, Kluwe became the Special Teams Coach at Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California).
Images for kids
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Kluwe in 2012 with the Minnesota Vikings
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Kluwe punts in a game against the Detroit Lions in 2012
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Kluwe after a game in 2010
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Kluwe at a parade in Washington, D.C. in 2014
