Brad Culpepper

John Broward Culpepper (born May 8, 1969), nicknamed Brad Culpepper, is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Culpepper played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. Selected late in the tenth round of the 1992 NFL Draft, he became a consistent starter for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears of the NFL. In the winter of 2013, Culpepper competed on Survivor: Blood vs. Water along with his wife Monica where he placed 15th after losing the fifth duel on Redemption Island.

Early life and family

Culpepper was born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1969.^[1] Leon High School in Tallahassee,^[2] where he was a standout prep player for the Leon Lions high school football team.

Culpepper was born into a family of University of Florida alumni.^[3] His father, Bruce Culpepper, was a center for the Florida Gators football team from 1960 to 1962 and co-captain of the Gators' 1962 Gator Bowl team, and became a prominent Tallahassee attorney.^[3] His uncle, Blair Culpepper, was a Gators fullback in 1957 and 1958, and became a bank president in Winter Park, Florida.^[3] His grandfather, J. Broward Culpepper, was also a Florida graduate and served as the chancellor of the State University System of Florida.^[4]

College career

Culpepper received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Galen Hall and coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football teams from 1988 to 1991.^[5] During his senior season in 1991, Culpepper was a standout defensive tackle and team captain on the Gators' Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship team, a first-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American.^[5][6] He finished his college career with eighteen quarterback sacks and 47.5 tackles for a loss.^[5] He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll all four years, was a first-team Academic All-American, and received the Draddy Trophy recognizing him as college football's most outstanding student-athlete.^[5][7] While Culpepper was a Florida undergraduate, he was also an active member of Sigma Chi Fraternity (Gamma Theta Chapter).

Culpepper graduated from Florida with his bachelor's degree in history after his junior year, and enrolled in a master's degree program in exercise and sports sciences during his senior football season. After finishing his professional playing career, Culpepper returned to graduate school and law school full-time, and earned his master's degree and law degree from Florida in 2001. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2001.^[8][9] The sport editors of The Gainesville Sun ranked him as the No. 47 all-time greatest player of the first 100 seasons of the Florida Gators football team in 2006.^[10]

Professional career

Culpepper was a tenth round selection (264th overall pick) in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings,^[11] and he played for the Vikings from 1992 to 1993,^[12] the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1994 to 1999,^[13] and the Chicago Bears in 2000.^[14] In his nine-year professional career, Culpepper played in 131 games, started eighty-three of them,^[1] and recorded thirty-four quarterback sacks and one safety.^[15]

During the Tampa Bay-Washington playoff game on January 15, 2000, Culpepper was wired for sound for HBO's "Inside the NFL." After Warren Sapp was hurt and took himself out of the game for a brief time, the following conversation ensued: Culpepper: "Tad bit dramatic. Tad bit dramatic with the cut. I thought (the knee) was blown out." Sapp: "He stepped on it. There's a full cleat mark on my leg." Culpepper: "Would Howie Long have come out?"^[16]

Life after football

Culpepper is now a trial lawyer for the Culpepper Kurland law firm in Tampa, Florida.^[17] Since his retirement, Culpepper has spoken out about his concerns regarding the increasing size of NFL players; he believes that the increasing number of 300-pound players is "unnatural and unsafe" and has led to many serious health problems. During his football career, Culpepper inflated his weight to 280 pounds; after he retired from professional football, he lost almost 100 pounds.^[18]

Survivor

Culpepper and his wife Monica have three children, Rex, Honor, and Judge.^[19] Monica was selected as a participant for the 24th season of the CBS reality television show Survivor,^[19] and she and Brad participated together in the 27th season of the show.^[20] Brad came in 15th place while Monica was the season's runner up.

See also

• 1991 College Football All-America Team
• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football, 1990–99
• History of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• List of Chicago Bears players
• List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
• List of Florida Gators football players
• List of Levin College of Law graduates
• List of Sigma Chi members
• List of University of Florida alumni

References

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.