Chris Pressley (born August 8, 1986) is a former American football fullback. He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL draft after playing for five years for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers.[1] Pressley's maximum back squat weight is 770 pounds (349 kg),[2] and he has been videotaped squatting 605 pounds nine times in a row with no assistive equipment.[3]
 Pressley in the 2011 NFL season. | |||||||||
| No. 45, 36 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 8, 1986 Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Woodbury | ||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2009 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Early life
editPressley, a 5'11", 260-pound fullback, was born and raised in Woodbury, New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia.[4] He was selected as All-County, All-South Jersey and All-State during his senior year in 2003–04 while playing for Woodbury High School. His high school football coach was former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Zack Valentine, who won Super Bowl XIV as a member of the famous "Steel Curtain" defense.
College career
editFrom 2004 to 2009, Pressley played for the Badgers under head coaches Barry Alvarez (2004–05) and Bret Bielema (2005–09). A broken ankle just before the start of the 2005 season sidelined him for the year, so he used his redshirt eligibility and stayed for one extra season. Pressley’s collegiate statistics were not outstanding, but his hard work ethic and willingness to sacrifice his body landed him on an NFL roster after going undrafted in 2009.
Professional career
editCincinnati Bengals (first stint)
editIn 2009, Pressley was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals. His attempt to make the Bengals' roster was chronicled on the HBO series Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals.[5] Pressley failed to make the final cut, but was signed to the Bengals' practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editOn October 28, 2009, Pressley was signed off the Bengals' practice squad to the active roster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On November 22, Pressley made his NFL regular season debut for the Buccaneers in a 38–7 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Pressley's first career carry came two weeks later on December 6 in a game against the Carolina Panthers. After starting the 2010 season with the Buccaneers and playing in three games, he was waived on October 23.
Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)
editCincinnati then re-signed him, and on December 10 was promoted to their roster after cornerback Rico Murray sustained an ankle injury.
Pressley started 10 games for the Bengals in 2011. In March 2012, he signed a two-year contract extension with the team. On September 30, 2012, Pressley scored his first career touchdown when he caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton in a 27–10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pressley was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals on December 10, 2013.[6]
Cleveland Browns
editPressley was signed by the Cleveland Browns on April 14, 2014.[7] He was released on May 19, 2014.[8]
References
edit- ^ Singer, Jason (May 26, 2009). "Bengals' Undrafted Rookies Bring Character, Toughness to Cincy". Bleacher report. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
- ^ "Chris Pressley". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Pressley is an animal". YouTube. November 8, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ "Chris Pressley" (Articles cache). Scout.com. 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
- ^ "Hard Knocks IV". Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals Waive FB Chris Pressley; Keep QB Zac Robinson on PUP". Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ Ulrich, Nate. "Browns sign former Bengals fullback Chris Pressley". Ohio.com. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Browns add seven to roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.