Kristofer O'Dowd (born May 14, 1988) is an American former

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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

. He was signed by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

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) 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 2011.

High school career

O'Dowd's 2006 honors included Parade All-American, EA Sports All-American first-team, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, USA Today All-USA second-team, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star 100, Rivals.com 100, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Scout.com All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first-team, Orange County Register Fab 15 first-team, Tacoma News-Tribune Western 100 and All-State as a senior offensive lineman at Salpointe Catholic High in Tucson (Ariz.). He was also invited to play in the 2007

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...

alongside fellow USC recruits Marc Tyler, Chris Galippo, and

Everson Griffen Everson Griffen (born December 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). A graduate of Agua Fria High School, Griffen played college football for the USC Trojans ...

. He recorded 90 pancake blocks in 2006. As a junior in 2005, he made the All-State first-team. He also attended Salpointe Catholic Highschool in Tucson, Arizona.

College career

At the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound O'Dowd became the first true freshman in

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

history to start a game at center. According to USC officials, the last true freshman to start an opener on the offensive line was guard

Travis Claridge Travis Claridge (March 23, 1978 – February 28, 2006) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Atlanta Falcons between 2000 and 2003 and for the Carolina Panthers in 2004. Early life ...

against Penn State in 1996. Guard

Brad Budde Brad Edward Budde (born May 9, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. Budde played college football for the University of S ...

was the only other true freshman offensive lineman to start a post-World War II opener. Budde played against Missouri in 1976. His sophomore year, he was named to the 2008 First-team All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

. He suffered a

kneecap The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

injury before the 2009 season, and had to sit out the opener against

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

; his spot was filled in by veteran tackle Jeff Byers.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Despite being considered the 3rd best Center prospect in the NFL draft, O'Dowd was not selected in the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

. He was signed as a free agent by the

. He was released on September 2, 2011.

New York Jets

The

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 ...

signed O'Dowd on March 13, 2012. He was waived on May 6, 2012.

Seattle Seahawks

O'Dowd 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 ...

on August 16, 2012.

References

External links

USC Trojans bio

Seattle Seahawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odowd, Kristofer 1988 births Living people American football offensive linemen USC Trojans football players Arizona Cardinals players New York Jets players Seattle Seahawks players