Christopher David Hanson (born October 25, 1976) 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 punter for 10 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). 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 Marshall Thundering Herd, and was signed by the

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 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 1999. He also played professionally for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

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

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and

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 ...

. Hanson is perhaps best known for a season-ending injury sustained while swinging a motivational axe in the Jaguars' locker room in 2003. Hanson was a switch-punter, able to effectively kick with both his left and his right leg, which he alternated to reduce fatigue.

Early life

Hanson attended East Coweta High School in

Sharpsburg, Georgia Sharpsburg (ˈʃɑrpsbɝg) is a town in Coweta County, Georgia, Coweta County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population was 327 at the 2020 census. History The Georgia General Assem ...

, where he played place kicker, punter, and receiver for head coach Danny Cronic.

College career

Hanson attended

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

and was a four-year letterman in football as a punter. He finished his college football career with an average of 39.9 yards per punt. Hanson helped lead the Thundering Herd to the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA national championship.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Hanson was signed as an

by the

following the

1999 NFL draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

. He was waived by the team following training camp.

Green Bay Packers

The

signed Hanson on September 1, 1999. After punting for the Packers in their regular season opener, Hanson was released by the team and 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 ...

. He was waived from the Packers' practice squad on October 12, 1999.

Miami Dolphins

On December 29, 1999, Hanson signed to the

' practice squad, but released from it the next day. He was later re-signed to a future contract for the 2000 season. He was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons of

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

for the spring. After suffering an injury in the Dragons' season finale, Hanson 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 ...

by the Dolphins on August 22, 2000. He was released by the Dolphins on August 14, 2001. Chris Hanson at Patriots at Raiders 12-14-08

Jacksonville Jaguars

Four days after being waived by the Dolphins, Hanson signed for the

on August 18, 2001. He played in every game for the Jaguars in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, finishing sixth in the NFL in punt yard average. After being re-signed in the offseason, Hanson posted an NFL-best 44.2 gross punt average in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, earning his first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

election. Hanson nearly matched his average during the first nine games of the 2003 season, posting a 43.5 yard average in that period. Later in the year, Jaguars coach

Jack Del Rio Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football (ELF). He played college football for the USC Trojans ...

placed a wooden stump and axe in the locker room as a symbol of his theme advising players to "keep choppin' wood". After his teammates took swings at the wood with the axe, Hanson followed and ended up seriously wounding his non-kicking foot. He was placed on

on October 10, keeping him out the rest of the season. Hanson returned for the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

season, posting a 42.8 gross punting average over 16 games. Hanson was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, with four punts downed inside the 20-yard line during that period. He helped the Jaguars to a 12–4 record, and a trip to the 2005 Wild-Card playoffs. However, Hanson's gross average dropped in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

to 40.6, and the Jaguars decided to draft a punter, Adam Podlesh, in the fourth round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. Hanson was released by the Jaguars shortly after the draft, on May 1, 2007.

New Orleans Saints

Hanson was signed by the

on May 7, 2007, but released by the team during cutdowns on August 28, 2007.

New England Patriots

In their

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

training camp, the Patriots' punting competition appeared to be between veteran Josh Miller and first-year player Danny Baugher. By late August, the team had released Miller, leaving only Baugher on the roster. Baugher too was released days later, with the Patriots signing Hanson to replace him. Hanson had a 41.4 punting average for the Patriots in 2007. He helped lead the 2007 Patriots to a 16–0 regular season record, an AFC Championship, and a trip to

Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Hanson finished with a 43.7 punt average and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 17, averaging 45 yards a punt in wind gusts up to 60 mph. Hanson finished the

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

season with a 39.7 punt average, helping the Patriots win the 2009 AFC East Division title. New England did not resign Hanson for the 2010 season, leaving him as a free agent.

Coaching career

Hanson was named head football coach at Trinity Christian School (Sharpsburg, Georgia) in 2011 after spending one year as an assistant under his former high school coach, Danny Cronic.

References

External links

New England Patriots bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Chris 1976 births American Conference Pro Bowl players American expatriate sportspeople in Spain American football punters Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) players Green Bay Packers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people Marshall Thundering Herd football players New England Patriots players Players of American football from Coweta County, Georgia Players of American football from Riverdale, Georgia Cleveland Browns players Miami Dolphins players New Orleans Saints players