Glenn Adam Pakulak, Jr. (born April 9, 1980) 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 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

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

and was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

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 2003. Pakulak also played in the NFL for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

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 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 ...

Early years

Pakulak attende
Lapeer East High School
in

Lapeer, Michigan Lapeer ( ') is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Lapeer County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was . Most of the city was incorporated from land that was formerly in Lapeer Township, though portions were ...

where he was a two-year starter as a

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

, punter,

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 ...

and

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 ...

for the Lapeer East Eagles

team. Pakulak made first-team all league and all area punter as a junior and senior, averaging 39.5 yards per punt as a junior and 40.1 as a senior. Also all league and all area receiver and second-team all league linebacker as a senior. Pakulak played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

as well, making first-team all-League and second-team all-area as a junior. He took home first-team all-league and all-area and honorable mention all-state in his senior year. On top of this he also played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

with which he earned second-team all-area and all-league. He was granted the school’s scholar athlete award.

College career

Pakulak spent his freshman year at

Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) is a public community college in Rochester, Minnesota. It serves more than 8,000 students annually. The college was founded in 1915 on a motion by Charles Mayo to the Rochester School Board and is ...

where he played

and baseball. Pakulak transferred to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

where he had to redo his freshman year, was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

and punted for the Wildcats'

junior varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

. As a sophomore, Pakulak was allowed to punt the final three games of the season and averaged 37.8 per punt. As a junior, Pakulak posted an average of 44.5 per punt with opponents having zero

return yards Return yards is a gridiron football statistical measure that takes several forms. In American and Canadian football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's Goal line (American football), goal line. Progress ca ...

in three games. He was selected third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by ''Football News'', an honorable mention All America

CollegeFootballNews.com ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis incl ...

, first-team all

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, and ''Football News'' (2001) and second-team all Southeastern Conference by SEC coaches. As a senior, Pakulak led the conference and ranked third in the nation with an average of 45.6 per punt. He was selected All American first-team by The NFL Draft Report and CBSSports.com, second-team by College Football News and third-team by the Associated press. he was selected as a first-team all Southeastern Conference by Associated Press and second-team by the leagues coaches. He was a finalist for the

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National Fo ...

, given to the nation’s top punter. Was awarded the Mosi Tatupu Award, given to the nation’s Special Teams Player of the Year. While at Kentucky, he majored in

Kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Pakulak signed with the

as an

in May 2003 but was released on July 27.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pakulak was claimed off waivers by the

on August 4 but was released two weeks later.

Atlanta Falcons

Pakulak joined the

on February 5, 2004, but was cut 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 ...

on August 15. He did not play the entire year but did attend a kicking camp in the winter of 2005.

Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe)

Pakulak signed with the

on January 19, 2006. The Raiders allocated Glenn Pakulak to the

Amsterdam Admirals The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, playing in the NFL Europe. History The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, t ...

of the

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 ...

. Pakulak appeared in all 10 regular season games and helped the Amsterdam Admirals to a 7-3 record, finishing the season in first place and gaining them a

World Bowl The World Bowl was the annual American football championship game of the World League of American Football, later called NFL Europe. The World Bowl was played each year from 1991 to 2007 (except 1993 and 1994). The first World Bowl was played ...

berth. Also appeared in

World Bowl XIV World Bowl XIV, officially known as Yello Strom World Bowl XIV, was the 2006 championship game of the NFL Europe League. It was held at the LTU arena in Düsseldorf, Germany on Saturday, May 27, 2006. The game was between the defending World B ...

in which he punted a 69 yarder. He had not been exactly shy of getting in the thick of the action before but became an instant fan favorite for preventing a touchdown by making a solo tackle when one of his punts looked to be returned all the way in front of his home crowd. He earned Special Teams Player of

Week 9 honors, in which he punted for a total of 317 yards for 7 attempts, with his furthest punt 59 yards, one touchback and 3 inside the 20, averaging 45.3 per punt. Led

with an average of 42.1.

Oakland Raiders

Pakulak was released by the

on August 28.

Tennessee Titans

Pakulak signed with the

on January 13. He was re-allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals for a second year of NFL Europe.

Chicago Bears

Pakulak signed with the

on January 29, 2008. One of three punters on the Bears' roster, he was waived on June 1.

Oakland Raiders (second stint)

On August 13, 2008, the Raiders re-signed Pakulak after releasing

Edgerton Hartwell Edgerton "Ed" Hartwell II (born May 27, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Western Illinois Leathernecks and was selected by the B ...

He was waived on August 30 but 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 ...

a day later. However, on September 3, he was released from the practice squad.

New Orleans Saints

Pakulak was signed by the

on October 29, 2008, to replace the recently released Ben Graham. On November 9, he made his NFL debut with three punts for 145 net yards for a 48.33 average against the Atlanta Falcons. Overall, he finished the 2008 season with 24 punts for 1,144 net yards for a 47.67 average. He was waived on August 27, 2009.

New York Jets

Pakulak was claimed off waivers by the

on August 28, 2009. He was waived on September 2 after the Jets signed

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

Ben Hartsock Benjamin Richard Hartsock (born July 5, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Indianapo ...

Washington Redskins

Pakulak was signed to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

on October 6, 2009. He was signed from the practice squad on October 10 after starting punter, Hunter Smith suffered a

groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...

injury. He made his Redskins debut with five punts for 212 net yards for a 42.40 average against the Carolina Panthers. He was waived on October 12 and re-signed to the practice squad on October 15. For the second straight week, Pakulak was signed from the practice squad on October 17. In the next game, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had eight punts for 286 net yards for a 35.75 average.

San Diego Chargers

Pakulak was signed to the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

on August 31, 2010. He did not make the team's 53-man roster.

Oakland Raiders (third stint)

On January 5, 2011, the Raiders re-signed Pakulak. On September 3, 2011, the Raiders waived Pakulak.

Professional statistics

Personal life

Pakulak's grandfather, Roger Susin, was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, after losing an arm, and surviving an incident where all of his comrades perished. He was teammate and roommate of,

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

star receiver and former NFL Europe

Berlin Thunder The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe. History The Thunder came into existence as an expansion team, after the London/England Monarchs franchise shut down operations, prior to the 1999 season. Home games f ...

star,

Aaron Boone Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American professional baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009. As ...

, for whom he ended up doing the laundry for a semester over the sale of a coffee table in college. Pakulak enjoys listening to 80s music. His all-time favorite football player is

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushin ...

. In 2005, Pakulak did not play for any NFL or NFL Europa team, but instead spent the year working at a steel factory and training in New Orleans with his college friend

Shane Boyd Shane Boyd (born September 18, 1982) is an American former professional football quarterback. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats. Boyd was also a member ...

(who also played in NFL Europa in 2006, but as quarterback for the Cologne Centurions). Pakulak also returned to Lexington to follow some classes there. Pakulak appeared on the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...

television series '' Most Eligible Dallas'' in 2011. Pakulak also appeared on the GSN television gameshow '' America Says'' in 2019.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakulak, Glenn 1980 births Living people Players of American football from Pontiac, Michigan American football punters Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Kentucky Wildcats football players Seattle Seahawks players Pittsburgh Steelers players Atlanta Falcons players Oakland Raiders players Amsterdam Admirals players Tennessee Titans players Chicago Bears players New Orleans Saints players New York Jets players Washington Redskins players American people of Polish descent Rochester C&T Yellowjackets athletes