Andrew Austin Wyatt Hawkins (born March 10, 1986) 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 ...

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 ...

. He played six seasons in 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) with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and two seasons for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), where he was part of back-to-back

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

Championships. He had signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the 2017 offseason, but announced his retirement just days before training camp. 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 ...

for the Toledo Rockets from 2004 to 2007.

Early life

Hawkins attended Bishop McCort High School in his hometown of

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

, where he played football and ran track. In

, he played as a running back and had 562 yards rushing and 10

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

as a senior. He was named second-team All-state as a defensive back by PA Football News and Associated Press, and All-conference as a running back. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Hawkins competed in sprinting and jumping events. In sprints, he recorded a personal-best time of 11.33 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

, and was a member of the 4 × 100 m relay squad. He also participated in

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

(20 ft 2 in) and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

(41 ft 8 in).

College career

Hawkins chose to attend college at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. He played at wide receiver and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

, making him the first Rocket to play both ways in 48 years. Over four seasons, he played in 37 games, starting in 25. He finished his career with 67 receptions for 1,107 yards and five touchdowns. As a cornerback, he had two forced fumbles, one blocked punt and 21 tackles.

Professional career

Hawkins worked out with the

after going undrafted in the

2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...

. He was not signed to play in the NFL and was out of football the entire 2008 season.

Montreal Alouettes

He then signed with the

of the

(CFL) on December 5, 2008. However, before his first CFL season in 2009, Hawkins went to compete on

Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football player. He played his entire 12-year career as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, h ...

's football reality show ''4th and Long'' to compete for a spot on the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

roster. He was named the runner-up to fellow receiver Jesse Holley. Hawkins was cut on the final episode along with future CFL player Ahmaad Smith. Hawkins then went on to play with the Alouettes for two seasons. He scored his first CFL touchdown on October 12, 2009, during a Thanksgiving Day match-up against the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

. He totaled only 41 receptions, 457 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons for the Alouettes, but was a part of the back-to-back

championship teams.

St. Louis Rams

On January 12, 2011, Hawkins signed a contract with the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

of the

(NFL). He was waived on August 1, 2011.

Cincinnati Bengals

The

claimed Hawkins off waivers on August 1, 2011. He debuted for the team on August 21, 2011, in Week 2 of the preseason against

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, catching a 15-yard pass from Dan LeFevour. Hawkins was waived during final-day cuts on September 3 but he was re-signed to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the following day. Hawkins was added to the active roster after Jordan Shipley was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. Hawkins went on to record 23 receptions for 263 yards, both fifth among the team's receivers. He also had five rushes for 25 yards converted on nine third-down situations. His on-the-field performance made Hawkins a bit of a "fan favorite" among Bengals fans, who referred to him as "Baby Hawk". He had a breakout season in 2012 for the Bengals, playing in 14 games and totaling 51 receptions for 533 yards and four touchdowns, plus six rushes for 30 yards. In 2013, he suffered a serious

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

injury prior to the preseason and was placed on injured reserve with a designation for a possible return, meaning he could return and play by Week 9. He did return and played in the Bengals final eight games, totaling 12 receptions for 199 yards.

Cleveland Browns

Hawkins signed an offer sheet with the

on March 12, 2014. The Bengals had until March 18 to match or the offer sheet would become an official contract. The Bengals declined to match the offer, and Hawkins became a member of the Browns with a reported four-year, $13.6 million contract, including a $3.8 million signing bonus. In his first season in Cleveland, Hawkins led the Browns with 63 catches for 824 yards and two touchdowns. On December 23, 2015, the Browns placed him on injured reserve. On February 27, 2017, Hawkins was released by the Browns.

New England Patriots

On May 24, 2017, Hawkins signed a one-year contract with the

Retirement

On July 25, 2017, Hawkins announced his retirement from the NFL.

Statistics

NFL

all stats fro
espn.com

CFL

Personal life

Hawkins is the younger brother of former NFL cornerback

Artrell Hawkins Artrell Hawkins Jr. (born November 24, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was selected by the Cinc ...

. He is also the cousin of retired CFL slotback Geroy Simon, and former NFL offensive guard Carlton Haselrig. Hawkins is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Hawkins has spoken about his faith saying, "I literally thank God every day for what I'm doing right now. I wouldn't change the way I got here at all. It taught me so much. It made me a better person and a better man. I'm just so thankful for where I am, and I wake up every day and thank God for it." Hawkins graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 2017 with a master's degree in sports management from the School of Professional Studies with a 4.0 GPA.

Film and television career

Hawkins appears as an extra in the

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

film, '' The Ides of March''. Hawkins is now a host on '' SportsCenter on Snapchat''. In addition to this Hawkins co-hosts a football based podcast called the Thom & Hawk Football Show with his former teammate from the Browns, Joe Thomas. Hawkins hosts

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

's reality competition TV show Dodgeball Thunderdome along with YouTube star

David Dobrik Dávid Julián Dobrík (; ; born July 23, 1996) is an Internet personality, YouTuber, streamer and vlogger. He amassed a million followers on the video-sharing platform Vine before starting his vlog on YouTube in 2015. Dobrik is the leader o ...

and Erin Lim. Hawkins cohosts variety program "Roku Recommends" with actress

Maria Menounos Maria Menounos ( ; ; born June 8, 1978) is an American and Greek television host. She has hosted ''Extra'' and ''E! News''; she was a TV correspondent for '' Today'', ''Access Hollywood'', and co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athen ...

which premiered July 2021

References

External links

Toledo Rockets bio

Cincinnati Bengals bio

Cleveland Browns bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Andrew 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Players of Canadian football from Pennsylvania American football wide receivers Canadian football wide receivers Toledo Rockets football players Montreal Alouettes players St. Louis Rams players Cincinnati Bengals players Cleveland Browns players New England Patriots players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen