Russ Hochstein (born October 7, 1977) is a former

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

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. After playing college football for

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, he was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played for the Buccaneers for two seasons from 2001 to 2002 (but was released in 2002 before the team won the Super Bowl), the New England Patriots for seven seasons from 2002 to 2008 (earning two

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

s with the team), and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

for three seasons from 2009 to 2011.

Early years

Hochstein was born in

Hartington, Nebraska Hartington is a city in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census. History Hartington was platted in 1883, as a water stop on the railroad. It was named for Lord Hartington, who had then recently paid a ...

and is a graduate of Cedar Catholic High School, where he was an award-winning performer in school plays, and a

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

in football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. In football, he played the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

and

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

positions, and finished his high school career with 18 sacks, 309 tackles, eight fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hochstein was selected by the

in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft.

New England Patriots

Hochstein signed with the New England Patriots in 2002. He started in 2003 after

Damien Woody Damien Michael Woody (born November 3, 1977) is a former American football offensive guard who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Boston ...

(who had moved from Center to fill in for the injured Mike Compton) was injured in the first round of the playoffs. After

left for

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

in the 2004 offseason, Hochstein started the first two games of the 2004 season before filling in at

Tight End The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

, Offensive Tackle and Fullback in the remaining regular season games and Super Bowl XXXIX. Hochstein started the final seven games of the 2005 season at center when

Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen (born September 12, 1979) is a former American football center who played for ten years in the National Football League with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Prior to entering the NFL in 2003, he played college footba ...

was injured and started a career high eight games in 2007 at center and right guard for the New England Patriots. He remained a special teams contributor and first choice backup interior offensive lineman.

Denver Broncos

Hochstein was traded to the

in exchange for a seventh-round selection (which the Patriots had sent with Le Kevin Smith in a prior trade) in the 2010 NFL Draft on August 25, 2009. The move reunited Hochstein with Broncos head coach and former Patriots offensive coordinator

Josh McDaniels Joshua Thomas McDaniels (born April 22, 1976) is an American football head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive coo ...

. Hochstein started 10 of the 15 games in which he played for the Broncos in 2009. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury on December 28. He was re-signed by the Broncos on March 5, 2010.

Arizona Cardinals

On July 26, 2012, Hochstein signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He was released during the final cutdown period.

Kansas City Chiefs

The

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

signed Hochstein on September 25, 2012.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioDenver Broncos bioNew England Patriots bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hochstein, Russ 1977 births Living people People from Hartington, Nebraska Players of American football from Nebraska American football offensive guards American football centers American football fullbacks American football tight ends Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New England Patriots players Denver Broncos players Arizona Cardinals players Kansas City Chiefs players