Wayne Hunter (born July 2, 1981) 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 an
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive (military), type of military operation
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
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 was selected 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 ...
in the third round of the
2003 NFL draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. 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
Hawaii Warriors after transferring from the
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
.
Hunter also played for the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
,
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 ...
, and
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
.
Early life
Hunter attended
Radford High School in Honolulu, Hawai'i. After retirement, he was inducted into the Radford Hall of Fame on 15 May 2024.
College career
Hunter began his college career playing at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
. He later transferred to the
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...
.
Professional career
Seattle Seahawks
Hunter was selected with the 73rd overall pick in the
2003 NFL draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. He played three seasons with the Seahawks.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Hunter played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006.
New York Jets
On March 23, 2010, Hunter signed a 1-year tender with the Jets worth about $1.2 million. Hunter came to an agreement on a four-year $15 million contract extension on July 26, 2011, with the team, replacing
Damien Woody
Damien Michael Woody (born November 3, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college fo ...
. During the 2011 season finale against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
, Hunter was involved about an argument with
Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and current wide receivers coach for Central State Marauders and Lady Ma ...
while the team was huddling. Holmes was benched for the game after the argument and the Jets would eventually lose the game plus miss the postseason for the first time in 3 years.
On August 23, 2012, head coach
Rex Ryan
Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching positions w ...
made the decision to bench Hunter for allowing too many sacks.
Austin Howard
Austin Howard (born March 22, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Northern Iowa, and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He was also a member of the Baltimore R ...
replaced Hunter at that time.
St. Louis Rams
On August 27, 2012, the Jets traded Hunter to the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
for right tackle
Jason Smith.
On March 6, 2013, Hunter was released.
Buffalo Bills
On July 1, 2015, Hunter signed with 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 ...
. Hunter was later released on July 21, 2015.
References
External links
New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Wayne
1981 births
Living people
American football defensive tackles
American football offensive tackles
California Golden Bears football players
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players
Seattle Seahawks players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
New York Jets players
St. Louis Rams players
Buffalo Bills players
Players of American football from Honolulu
American sportspeople of Samoan descent
Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School alumni
21st-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
Pacific Islander American players of American football