| No. 63 Minnesota Vikings | |
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: June 26, 1988 | |
| Place of birth: Butler County, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 316 lb (143 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Slippery Rock | |
| NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 6 / Pick: 172 | |
| No regular season or postseason appearances | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2011 | |
| Games Played | 1 |
| Games Started | 0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Brandon Fusco (born July 26, 1988) is an American football center for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Vikings with the 172nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.[1]
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Fusco attended Seneca Valley High School in Harmony, Pennsylvania, where he played offensive tackle. He did not play until his junior year at Seneca Valley, stating "Sophomore year, didn’t really do nothing and football just kind of came to my attention. I always watched it on TV and I sometimes got into a ticked off mood so I wanted to get out on the field and take my frustrations out on people." Despite performing for a team that won just one of eighteen contests during his two varsity seasons, Fusco earned All-WPIAL Class AAA-1 and honorable mention Quad North All-Star honors. Fusco was also an honor roll student.
Fusco was not heavily recruited out of high school, mainly due to his lack of prep school experience and his 6-4, 240 lbs frame. He was only offered a chance to play football at Division II schools, Youngstown State and Slippery Rock being the leading candidates. He eventually chose to enroll at Slippery Rock, stating that he felt very connected with the coaching staff.
After enrolling at Slippery Rock in 2006, Fusco spent his freshman season as a red shirt on the scout team, where he played offensive tackle. In 2007 spring drills, Fusco shifted to center. As a sophomore, Fusco received All-American honorable mention, All Super Region I and All Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first-team honors. He started all eleven games at center, delivering ten touchdown-resulting blocks for a unit that rushed for 29 scores. His efforts help Slippery Rock rank second in the conference with an average of 484.14 yards per game.
Fusco received All-American, All-Region and All-PSAC first-team accolades as a junior. Named the team captain, he also received squad MVP honors. He led the PSAC Western Division with 98 knockdowns and eleven touchdown-resulting blocks, despite the team’s lack of a strong aerial game that ranked 59th in the nation. It was his drive blocking skills that helped the team finish fifth nationally in rushing (239.54 ypg) and seventh in total offense (456.69 ypg).
He became the 19th player in school history to garner All-American first-team honors more than once in a career, as the 2010 Gene Upshaw Award winner and team captain captured All-PSAC honors for the third consecutive year. With a limited passing game, The Rock again relied on his drive blocking skills to place tenth in the Division II ranks with an average of 247.38 yards per game rushing. He capped off an excellent career by becoming the first player in school history to compete in the Senior Bowl.
After a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, Fusco was selected 172nd overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
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