Anthony Fasano

Anthony Fasano

Anthony Fasano in action against the N.Y. Jets in 2009.
No. 80  Tennessee Titans
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: April 20, 1984
Place of birth: Verona, New Jersey
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school: Verona (NJ)
College: Notre Dame
NFL draft: 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 53
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2014
Receptions: 253
Receiving yards: 2,799
Average: 11.1
Touchdowns: 31
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Anthony Joseph Fasano (born April 20, 1984) is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Fasano has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

Early years

Fasano attended and played high school football at Verona High School in Verona, New Jersey, where he was a four-year letterman as a tight end and defensive lineman.[1] During his senior season in 2001, he caught 78 passes for 1,460 yards and 23 touchdowns as a tight end while also adding 119 solo tackles as a senior.[1] He set both season and career touchdown receptions records for the county (23 and 42, respectively).[1] He also set school records in receptions in a season and career, touchdowns in a season and solo tackles in a season.[1] Fasano finished his career with 168 catches and more than 2,500 yards and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[1]

Fasano also earned eight letters in other sports, including four in basketball, two in baseball and two in track.[1] During his first baseball outing as a freshman, he pitched a one-hitter.[1] He was a two-time all-league selection in baseball,and a two-time captain in basketball.[1] He was a two-time All-state and three-time All-conference selection in track, where he won the New Jersey Group 1 state championship in the javelin throw in his first year competing in the event, with a throw of 185 ft 1 in (56.90 m). He also threw the shot put.

He was raised as a Roman Catholic.

College career

As a freshman at the University of Notre Dame in 2002, Fasano failed to see playing time.[1] The following season, he appeared in 11 games while starting three.[1] He finished the season with 18 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns.[1] Fasano caught four passes for 33 yards, including first career touchdown on a two-yard pass from Brady Quinn, against USC.[1][2]

In 2004, Fasano started nine of the 11 games in which he appeared for the Fighting Irish.[1] In a game against Purdue, Fasano earned John Mackey National Tight End of the Week honors after catching eight passes for 155 yards (a school record).[1] In a game against Washington, Fasano caught the pass from quarterback Brady Quinn in the famous "Pass right" play.[3] He went on to catch two touchdown passes that game.[4] Fasano finished the season with 27 receptions for 367 yard and four touchdowns.[1]

During his 2005 senior season, Fasano caught 47 passes for 576 yards (both third on the team) and two touchdowns.[5] His touchdown catches on the season came against Navy and Tennessee,[1] both on passes from Brady Quinn.[1] He was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end.[1]

Fasano finished his collegiate career with 92 catches for 1,112 yards and eight touchdowns.[6] He left the school ranking second all-time in receptions and receiving yards by a tight end.[6]

Professional career

Fasano with the Dolphins in 2009.

NFL draft

At the NFL Scouting Combine in February 2006, Fasano measured in at 6-foot-4 and 259 pounds.[7] However, he did not run the 40-yard dash at the Combine due to an injured hamstring.[7] At Notre Dame's Pro Day in March, Fasano posted 40-yard-dash times of 4.74 and 4.71 seconds.[7]

Prior to the 2006 NFL Draft, Fasano visited with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.[7]

Dallas Cowboys

Despite the presence of All-Pro tight end Jason Witten, the Dallas Cowboys drafted Fasano in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft, with the intent of running more two-tight end sets.[6] It was reported that Fasano reminded then-head coach Bill Parcells of former NFL tight end Mark Bavaro, who played under Parcells with the New York Giants.[7] Fasano agreed to terms on a contract with the Cowboys on July 27.[6]

During his rookie season with the Cowboys, Fasano appeared in all 16 games while starting five.[6] He became the third rookie tight end in franchise history to start the season opener when he opened the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 10.[6] He finished the season with 14 catches for 126 yards, and was also part of a blocking unit that helped running back Julius Jones rush for over 1,000 yards.[6]

A shoulder injury bothered Fasano throughout training camp and preseason in 2007,[7] but he went on to appear in every one of the team's regular season games while starting six of them.[6] He caught his first career touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Tony Romo against the Green Bay Packers on November 29.[6][8] He suffered a mild concussion in the team's Week 15 contest but did not miss a game.[7] Fasano finished the season with 14 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.[6]

During the 2007 season, Wade Phillips became the new Cowboys head coach and Jason Garrett was named the offensive coordinator. At the end of the year, the team decided that he wasn't a good fit for their offensive system. He underwent shoulder surgery in January 2008.

Miami Dolphins

On April 25, 2008, the Miami Dolphins agreed to acquire Fasano, along with linebacker Akin Ayodele, from the Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick (100th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.[9] Dolphins executive vice president Bill Parcells, general manager Jeff Ireland, head coach Tony Sparano and other assistants were with the Cowboys organization when Fasano was drafted in 2006.[9] The pick sent to Dallas for Fasano was eventually traded to the Oakland Raiders, who used it to select cornerback Tyvon Branch.[10]

Fasano with the Dolphins in 2009.

During training camp in August, Fasano switched from No. 81 to No. 80 after fellow tight end Aaron Halterman, who had previously worn No. 80, was waived/injured. On November 16, 2010, he signed a contract extension for two years worth up to $7.75 million. In 2012, he went through the season without dropping a pass. The next year he recorded a career-high 41 receptions.

Kansas City Chiefs

Fasano signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 12, 2013.[11] A very durable player, that year he played in only nine games due to different injuries (knee, ankle and concussion), registering 23 receptions for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.[12] In 2014, he had a good start to the season, but a knee contusion limited his play after week 10 and although he remained the starter, he was phased out of the offense in favor of Travis Kelce. He was released in a salary cap move on February 26, 2015.[13]

Tennessee Titans

On March 13, 2015, Fasano signed a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 "Player Bio: Anthony Fasano". UND.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  2. ↑ "Irish Fall To No. 5 USC". UND.com. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ name="NotreDameBio"/
  5. ↑ "2005 Overall Individual Statistics". UND.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 "TEAM: Roster Anthony Fasano Profile". MiamiDolphins.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 "KFFL - Anthony Fasano, TE". KFFL.com. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  8. ↑ "NFL Game Center: Post Game - Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys - 2007 Week 13". NFL.com. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Dallas Cowboys deal Ayodele, Fasano to Miami for 4th-round pick". DallasNews.com. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  10. ↑ "Tyvon Branch". Raiders.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  11. ↑ Report: Chiefs agree to deal with Anthony Fasano
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12387999/kansas-city-chiefs-release-vet-tight-end-anthony-fasano
  14. ↑ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans reach deal with TE Anthony Fasano, sources say". The Tennessean. Retrieved 13 March 2015.

External links