Kyle Dale Vanden Bosch (born November 17, 1978) 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

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for 12 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

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for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was selected 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 ...

in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He also played for the

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 ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

before retiring following the 2012 NFL season. He is currently a post-game commentator for the

on 98.7 Arizona Sports Radio.

Early years

Vanden Bosch went to high school at West Lyon High School of rural Larchwood, Iowa. He earned All-America honors at West Lyon Community Register High School Male Athlete of the Year and the USA Today/Gatorade Player of the Year for Iowa and Midwest Region. He started three years at fullback and four at linebacker at West Lyon. As senior, rushed 136 times for 812 yards and 18 touchdowns while recording 83 tackles, 14 sacks, and one interception. Vanden Bosch set school's scoring record with 264 career points. In addition, he earned 4.0 grade-point average and was two-time National Honor Society member.

College career

Vanden Bosch attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, where he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. He started his final 23 games at Nebraska, closing his career with 142 total tackles, 13 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 46 quarterback pressures. As a senior, he was First-team All-Big 12 Conference. He also was Academic All-Big 12 for the third consecutive year. He set Nebraska's single-season record with three blocked kicks — two field-goal attempts and one point-after-touchdown try — as a sophomore in 1998. He was named Nebraska lifter-of-the-year three consecutive times from 1998 to 2000 after adding 40 pounds to his frame upon arriving on campus. He graduated with a 3.82 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in finance in December 2000. Vanden Bosch was also a member of the Society of Innocents and awarded the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award, for academic excellence.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Arizona Cardinals

Vanden Bosch was drafted by the

in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. In his injury-abbreviated rookie season he finished with 12 tackles (6 solo), one quarterback sack, one hurry, one pass defended, and one fumble return for touchdown. In 2002, he returned from reconstructive knee surgery to lead Arizona with four quarterback sacks, nine hurries, and eight tackles for loss in 16 starts. He also totaled 66 tackles and one fumble recovery. Kyle was on injured reserve for the entire 2003 season after suffering a torn ACL in left knee. In 2004, he saw action in every game for Cardinals, including one start and totaled 15 tackles.

Tennessee Titans

In his first season with the

in 2005, Vanden Bosch started all 16 games and made 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 ...

after finishing second in the AFC and fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. He recorded 100 total tackles as well. Vanden Bosch replaced Miami Dolphins player Jason Taylor in the 2006 Pro Bowl. On February 17, 2006 (only a week after his two-sack performance in the Pro Bowl), it was announced that Vanden Bosch had agreed to terms with the

. The contract tied him to the Titans for four years. The deal gave him $14.5 million in guaranteed money ($5 million signing bonus, with guaranteed base salaries for three of the four years on the contract). In 2006, Vanden Bosch started all 16 games at left defensive end. His season totals included 6.5 sacks, 118 tackles, 30 quarterback pressures, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The next season, 2007, he started all 16 games at defensive end for the third consecutive season and was named as a starter for the

. He led the team and finished sixth in the AFC with 12 sacks. He finished second on the team with 115 tackles and 24 quarterback pressures. Tied for the team lead with four forced fumbles. He was Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after registering 12 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble 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 ...

(December 23, 2007). In 2008, Vanden Bosch was voted a team captain for the 2008 season by his teammates. He played and started in 10 games and made 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks and finished fourth on the team with 18 quarterback pressures.

Detroit Lions

On March 5, 2010, Vanden Bosch was signed to a four-year, $26 million deal with the

. The move reunited him with Jim Schwartz, his old defensive coordinator from Tennessee who at the time was head coach of the

. On February 5, 2013, Vanden Bosch was released from the Detroit Lions.

References

External links

Official WebsiteLeVar Woods Football Academy Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanden Bosch, Kyle 1978 births Living people American Conference Pro Bowl players American football defensive ends Arizona Cardinals players Detroit Lions players Nebraska Cornhuskers football players People from Lyon County, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Tennessee Titans players William V. Campbell Trophy winners