Geoffrey Thomas Hangartner (born April 22, 1982) 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 ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

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 Panthers in the fifth round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. 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 ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. He played both the

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 ...

and

positions. Hangartner also played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Early life

Hangartner attended

New Braunfels High School New Braunfels High School (commonly referred to as NBHS) is a public high school in New Braunfels, Texas, United States, that was established in 1845. In 2022, the school was given an overall rating of a B by the Texas Education Agency. Academic ...

New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 United Sta ...

and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he helped lead his team to two state playoff appearances, and as a senior, was a first-team All-District choice and a second-team All-State selection.

College career

Hangartner started 36 consecutive games at center and

offensive lineman 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 (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for Texas A&M. As a senior in 2004, Hangartner moved from center to tackle, where he started all 12 contests. He was also a first-team All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

choice and was selected to play in the

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first s ...

. In the spring of 2004, Hangartner and a teammate were suspended from the team following Hangartner's arrest for

driving while intoxicated Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...

. Witnesses said that racial slurs had been yelled from Hangartner's vehicle toward another car. Hangartner denied issuing any racial slurs and later took a polygraph backed up his assertions.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Hangartner was selected in the fifth round of the

by the Panthers. He reportedly scored 47 (out of a possible 50) on the Wonderlic Personnel Test administered during the 2005

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

. Although he spent the entire 2005 season backing up

Jeff Mitchell Jeffrey Clay Mitchell (born January 29, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Mitchell played college football for the Flo ...

appearing sparingly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, and as a reserve on the offensive line, he took over the starting position in the

2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006. The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeati ...

after starter

Justin Hartwig Justin Hartwig (born November 21, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in th ...

went down with an injured groin muscle.

Buffalo Bills

Hangartner was signed by the

on February 28, 2009, to a four-year contract worth about $10 million. He became their starting center, replacing the tandem of Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston. That year, he started all 16 games at center for a team with won-lost record of 6–10, most of them between two rookies: left

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

Andy Levitre Andrew Steven Levitre ( ; born May 15, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected by the Bu ...

and right guard

Eric Wood Eric Wood (born March 18, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the ...

. In 2010, the same trio started up the middle, but the Bills were going downhill at 4–12, scoring only 283 points (17.7 points/game), 28th of 32 teams in the NFL. In 2011, the Bills opted for youth, replacing Hangartner with Wood. Hangartner was released on September 3, 2011.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On September 5, 2011, Hangartner was signed for a second time by the Carolina Panthers. He started all 16 games in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

at right guard—next to

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

center

Ryan Kalil Ryan Joseph Kalil (born March 29, 1985) is an American film and television producer and former professional football player. He played as a center in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He was a three-time ...

—and was instrumental in the Panthers' resurgence as a potent offense, with rookie

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...

at quarterback. He started 12 games in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, including eight at center to fill in for an injured Kalil. For the 2013 season, Hangartner was expected to move back to his starting right guard spot next to a healthy Kalil. However, on August 1, 2013—during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

—Hangartner was released by the Panthers, as they chose instead to focus on their younger linemen. On November 5, 2013, the Panthers re-signed Hangartner after a three-month absence to help with injuries on the offensive line. Hangartner announced his retirement on March 11, 2014.Carolina Panthers guard/center Geoff Hangartner says he’s retiring

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioBuffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hangartner, Geoff 1982 births Living people Players of American football from New Braunfels, Texas Players of American football from Houston Players of American football from San Antonio American football centers American football offensive guards Texas A&M Aggies football players Carolina Panthers players Buffalo Bills players