Jon Abbate (born June 18, 1985) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Wake Forest University in 2004–2006 and was signed as a free agent by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

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) in 2007.

College career

After redshirting his first year in college, Abbate immediately became a starter in 2004. During that redshirt freshman season, Abbate had 101 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss. In 2005, Abbate only had 76 tackles because of injury problems. During the 2006 season, Abbate led the team in tackles with 120 (second in the ACC). He had a late interception in the endzone against rival

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. In the ACC Championship in Jacksonville, Florida, Abbate had 15 tackles against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Deacons won that game 9–6. Abbate was voted as the MVP of the game for ABC. Abbate then played in the Orange Bowl against the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

. He had 15 tackles in that game, the first

Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a college football post-season selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of America ...

bowl game participation for Wake Forest. Abbate was named an All-American (honorable mention, Sports Illustrated) and first-team All-ACC (ACSMA, College Football News) in recognition of his performance throughout his final season during which he averaged 8.6 tackles per game.

The 2006 season

On February 13, 2006, Abbate's 15-year-old brother, Luke, was seriously injured in a car accident on the way home from lacrosse practice, and died two days later. Before his junior season, Abbate asked head coach Jim Grobe whether he could switch his jersey number from 40 to 5, the number his brother had worn. Grobe agreed, and Abbate wore the number throughout his junior season. During the 2006 season, Abbate and his family would hold up five fingers before the start of the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. As the season progressed, Abbate's teammates, Wake Forest fans, and even fans of opposing teams began holding up five fingers as well—a tradition that attracted much media attention during the Deacons' successful year. Additionally, the Abbate family created the "Five Foundation" to raise awareness among young people of the responsibilities and dangers of driving. A movie about Jon Abbate, his brother Luke, and Wake Forest's 2006 football season, entitled ''The 5th Quarter'', was released on March 25, 2011.

Professional career

Houston Texans

At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Abbate decided to enter the 2007 NFL draft. "Unless someone could promise me if I went back that I'd grow three inches, the decision was pretty easy," Abbate said. "I could have gone back and been productive again, had another 100-plus tackles. But I'd be in the same situation with my height as a knock." Abbate was not drafted due to tearing his hamstring at the NFL combine but following the draft he signed a three-year contract with the

as a free agent. The Texans converted him from

to fullback. Abbate was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 1, 2007, with an ankle injury. He was waived after a failed physical on August 29, 2008. However, he was re-signed shortly after on March 1. He was waived again on July 22, 2009. Abbate was re-signed by the Texans again on August 24, 2008, after

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Harry Williams was placed on injured reserve.

Washington Redskins

Abbate was picked up by the Redskins in the 2010 offseason but was then released due to failing his physical.

New Orleans Saints

Abbate spent the remainder of the 2010 off season with the Saints after failing his physical with the Redskins.

Sacramento Mountain Lions

Abbate was on the roster of the Sacramento Mountain Lions (formerly known as the California Redwoods) for parts of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

References

External links

Wake Forest Demon Deacons bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbate, Jon 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Players of Canadian football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football linebackers American football fullbacks Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Montreal Alouettes players Sacramento Mountain Lions players