Charles Louis Lanza (born September 20, 1964) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a center for two seasons with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft after playing

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for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

Early life and college

Charles Louis Lanza was born on September 20, 1964, in

Coraopolis, Pennsylvania Coraopolis () is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Coraopolis is located west of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsburgh ...

. He attended Christian Brothers High School in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. Lanza played

for the

of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

from 1984 to 1987. As a senior in 1987, he was named a second-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by the

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and

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, and a first-team All-American by ''Football News'' and the

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary new ...

Professional career

Lanza was selected by the

in the third round, with the 70th overall pick, of the 1988 NFL draft. He was a holdout and did not officially sign with the team until July 28. He played in all 16 games during his rookie year in 1988. Lanza appeared in 11 games during the 1989 season. He was placed on injured reserve the next year on August 27, 1990, after tearing his tricep tendon in a preseason game. He spent the entire 1990 season on injured reserve. Lanza was released by the Steelers on August 19, 1991.

Personal life

Lanza worked in the medical device sales industry after his NFL career. He also later obtained a securities license and starting working for a wealth management firm.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanza, Chuck Living people 1964 births Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee American football centers Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Pittsburgh Steelers players People from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania