Kirk Botkin

Kirk Botkin
No. 86, 84     
Tight end/ Long snapper
Personal information
Date of birth: March 19, 1971 (1971-03-19) (age 40)
Place of birth: Baytown, Texas
High School: Robert E. Lee High School (Baytown, Texas)
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
College: Arkansas Razorbacks football
Undrafted in 1994
Debuted in 1994 for the New Orleans Saints
Last played in 1997 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
Roster status: retired
Career highlights and awards
  • N/A
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 1997
Games Played     48
Games Started     1
Receptions / Yds     6 / 55
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Kirk Randal Botkin (born March 19, 1971) is a former American football tight end and long snapper who played four seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has since coached football at the collegiate level.

Contents

Early life

Botkin was born in Baytown, Texas where he attended Robert E. Lee High School.[1]

College football

Botkin matriculated at the University of Arkansas.[1] In 1992, he was selected to the All-SEC football team, named by the conference's coaches.[2] He was the first Razorback to ever earn that honor.[3]

Pro football career

Botkin went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft, but was signed by the New England Patriots just afterward.[4] He was released by the Patriots during training camp in August 1994.[5] He was picked up by the New Orleans Saints once the 1994 season was underway.[6] He remained with the Saints though the 1995 season.

Botkin was waived by the Saints prior to the 1996 season,[7] but was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[8] He was used by the Steelers over the next two seasons primarily as a long snapper, but also saw some work at tight end due to an injury to the team's starting tight end, Mark Bruener.[9]

Botkin did not return for 1998 after the Steelers rescinded a contract offer to him.[10]

Coaching career

Botkin was hired as a football coach at Jacksonville State University by head coach Jack Crowe under whom Botkin had played at Arkansas.[3] He moved on to become the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2006.[3]

Botkin returned to his alma mater, Arkansas, in 2008 as the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator under head coach Bobby Petrino.[3] He was relieved of his special teams responsibilities in 2009, but remained as a defensive coach.[11] He left Arkansas in January 2010.[12] He now coaches at Texas High School in Texarkana,Texas (along with 2 other ex nfl players: Earnest Rhone and Cody Spencer

References

  1. ^ a b "Kirk Botkin bio". databaseFootball. http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BOTKIKIR01. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  2. ^ "Three Gators are on Coaches' All-SEC". The Gainesville Sun. December 9, 1992. pp. 4C. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LkAjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZuoDAAAAIBAJ&dq=kirk-botkin&pg=3435%2C2747576. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c d Neiswanger, Robbie (January 21, 2008). "Botkin returns to Alma Mater". Fayetteville Morning News. http://thecabin.net/stories/012108/spo_0121080027.shtml. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  4. ^ "Monday's Moves". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. April 26, 1994. pp. 2C. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2ighAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TXwEAAAAIBAJ&dq=kirk-botkin&pg=4025%2C649573. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  5. ^ "Patriots acquire Francisco". Sun Journal (Lewiston). August 25, 1994. pp. 24. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7iQgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oGoFAAAAIBAJ&dq=kirk-botkin&pg=6323%2C5222526. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  6. ^ "Transactions". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. September 28, 1994. pp. D5. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DbQeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Rc8EAAAAIBAJ&dq=kirk-botkin&pg=4361%2C4405711. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  7. ^ "Transactions". New York Times. August 26, 1996. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/25/sports/transactions-025933.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  8. ^ "Transactions". New York Times. August 28, 1996. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/28/sports/transactions-068497.html. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  9. ^ "Bills' Thomas likely to sit out Colts game". St. Petersburg Times. November 28, 1996. pp. 5C. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xzEMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dF4DAAAAIBAJ&dq=kirk-botkin&pg=6635%2C3299222. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  10. ^ "Transactions". New York Times. June 2, 1998. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/02/sports/transactions-227862.html. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  11. ^ "Arkansas hires Smith". ESPN.com. January 16, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3838235. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  12. ^ "Botkin no longer defensive ends coach at Arkansas". USA Today. January 5, 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-01-05-3586696547_x.htm. Retrieved 26 February 2010.