Richard Peter Lovato Jr. (born September 9, 1992) is an American 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 ...

long snapper In gridiron football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a Center (gridiron football), center on American football positions#Special teams, special teams whose duty is to Snap (gridiron football), snap the football over a longer distance, ty ...

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

Old Dominion Monarchs The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, s ...

. Lovato was signed by 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 ...

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 2015. Lovato was the long snapper for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2017-2024, a was a starting member of the Eagle's two Super Bowl winning teams in that span (i.e. LII, and

LIX LIX or Lix may refer to: * 59 (number) 59 (fifty-nine) is the natural number following 58 (number), 58 and preceding 60 (number), 60. In mathematics Fifty-nine is the 17th prime number, and 7th super-prime. It is also a good prime, a Higgs pri ...

). He has also played 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 ...

and

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 ...

Early life

Lovato was born in

Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 (+0.5%) from t ...

, the son of Rick and Maureen Lovato. He attended Middletown High School South in Middletown, New Jersey, where he started long snapping as a freshman. He also saw time at center and on the

defensive line 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 (D ...

College career

Lovato played

for the

Old Dominion Monarchs football The Old Dominion Monarchs football program represents Old Dominion University in college football, U.S. college football. The first iteration of the team created in 1930 was known as the William & Mary Norfolk Division Braves. Founded in 2009, the ...

team from 2011 to 2014. He appeared in all 50 games as the Monarchs’ long snapper. Lovato is the first player from Old Dominion to play in the

Professional career

Chicago Bears

After going undrafted in the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

, Lovato signed with the

on May 3, 2015. On August 30, 2015, he was released by the Bears.

Green Bay Packers

On December 22, 2015, Lovato was signed by the

after starting long snapper Brett Goode suffered a season-ending knee injury. Prior to being signed, he was working at a sandwich shop in

Lincroft, New Jersey Lincroft is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.alumnus Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

to play in a regular-season NFL game after handling snapping duties for every punt and field goal against 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 Week 16. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Packers during final team cuts.

Washington Redskins

On November 19, 2016, Lovato was signed by the

to fill in for the injured Nick Sundberg. He was released on November 29, 2016.

Philadelphia Eagles

On December 12, 2016, Lovato was signed by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

after starting long snapper Jon Dorenbos suffered a broken wrist. Lovato earned the Eagles long snapping job in 2017 after the team traded away Dorenbos. Lovato would go on to win

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. As a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 13 years earlier, the game was between the National Football Conferen ...

with the Eagles. On November 19, 2019, Lovato signed a four-year contract extension with the Eagles through the 2023 season. He was selected to the

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 ...

on December 17, 2019. On October 25, 2021, Lovato was waived by the Eagles following the waiver claim of Reid Sinnett. Lovato re-signed to the Eagles' 53-man roster the following day. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, Lovato reached his second career

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

. The Eagles lost 38–35 to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...

. On March 12, 2024, Lovato signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles. In his 2024 season, Lovato would go on to win

Super Bowl LIX Super Bowl LIX was an American football championship game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2024 NFL season, 2024 season. In a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years prior, the National Football Conf ...

with the Eagles, joining defensive end Brandon Graham, offensive tackle

Lane Johnson David Lane Johnson (born May 8, 1990) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Eagles fourth overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He played college ...

, and kicker Jake Elliott as the only four players to win Super Bowls LII and LIX with the franchise.

Personal life

A native of

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north ...

, Lovato is a fan of the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

References

External links

Old Dominion Monarchs bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovato, Rick 1992 births American football long snappers Chicago Bears players Green Bay Packers players Living people Old Dominion Monarchs football players Middletown High School South alumni National Conference Pro Bowl players Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Monmouth County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Middletown Township, New Jersey Washington Redskins players