Kyle Eckel
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| Kyle Eckel | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 30, 1981 |
| Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| College | Naval Academy |
| NFL Draft | 2005 / Round Undrafted |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2005 2005-Present |
New England Patriots Miami Dolphins |
Kyle Eckel (born December 30, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American football player who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins.
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[edit] College Career
Eckel attended the Naval Academy and, going into his senior year, was ranked as a preseason All-American and the top NFL fullback prospect in the country by draftboardinsider.com. He rushed for 1,147 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, notably rushing 26 times for a career-high 179 yards and one touchdown against Army en route to being named the Philadelphia Sportswriters Most Valuable Player of the Army-Navy game for the second consecutive year. Eckel collected 13-career 100-yard rushing games, the fourth most in school history, and became just the third player in school history to twice gain 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. He finished his career with 2,906 rushing yards, which ranks fourth all-time at Navy, and registered 25 career rushing touchdowns, the fourth most in school history.
[edit] Eckel the Actor
On top of the thousands of hours Eckel dedicated to the Navy football team, Eckel was also well known for his appearances in midshipmen made 'Spirit Spots'. 'Spirit Spots' are short, one-minute films produced by members in the Brigade of Midshipmen to be shown at Navy football games in order to boost team spirit and encourage the players. His first appearance was in a short he co-produced entitled 'Rocky vs. the Leprechaun'. Eckel played Rocky, who fought a green-clad Leprechaun played by John Donnelly in an epic that aired during the 2002 Navy/Notre Dame football game played in Ravens Stadium, Baltimore, MD. Another classic was titled 'Navy Football: Professionalism On and Off the Field'. This short featured cameo appearances by several Navy Football stars and ran several times during the 2003 season.
[edit] NFL Career
Eckel signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots on April 29, 2005. The Patriots tried to place him on their practice squad in September 2005, but the Dolphins claimed him on waivers. Eckel was then placed on the Dolphins' Reserve/Military list. On October 31, 2006, he was administratively separated from the Navy for reasons that were not revealed.
[edit] Trivia
At his graduation in 2005, President George W. Bush shook his hand and congratulated him, but as Eckel was walking away a member of the graduation committee approached the President and said something unknown. The President then called Eckel back to the center of the stage and spoke with him a second time. This is very rare.
Eckel was one of two people to receive a standing ovation from the Brigade of Midshipmen at the 2005 graduation ceremonies.
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