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'{{Infobox NFL player |image=Chris Kluwe 2012-12-30.jpg |currentteam=Free Agent |currentnumber=-- |position=[[Punter (American football)|Punter]] |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1981|12|24}} |birth_place=[[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] |heightft=6 |heightin=4 |weight=215 |debutyear=2005 |debutteam=Minnesota Vikings |highschool=[[Los Alamitos High School|Los Alamitos (CA)]] |college=[[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] |undraftedyear=2005 |pastteams= * [[Seattle Seahawks]] (2005)* * [[Minnesota Vikings]] (2005-2013) :{{small|*Offseason and/or practice squad member only}} |statweek=17 |statseason=2012 |statlabel1=Punts |statvalue1=623 |statlabel2=Punt Yards |statvalue2=27,683 |statlabel3=Punting Yard Average |statvalue3=44.4 |nfl=KLU751480 }} '''Christopher James "Chris" Kluwe''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|uː|i}}; born December 24, 1981) is a former [[Punter (football)|punter]] for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] of the [[National Football League]] and is currently a [[free agent]]. He was originally signed by the [[Seattle Seahawks]] as an [[undrafted sportsperson|undrafted free agent]] in 2005. He played [[college football]] at [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]]. ==High school== Kluwe played three years of varsity football for coach John Barnes at [[Los Alamitos High School]] in [[Los Alamitos, California]] and was selected to play in both the California-Texas Shrine game and the CaliFlorida Bowl. He also made the ''[[USA Today]]'' first-team All-American as a punter. He kicked an [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] and CIF Playoff record 60-yard field goal vs. [[Loyola High School (Los Angeles)|Loyola]] to force overtime in an eventual 30-23 victory. Averaging 46.6 yards as a punter, he had 10 punts of at least 60 yards and placed six kicks inside the 10-yard line. As a placekicker, he made 16 of 22 field goal attempts and 39 of 41 PATs. Prior to his senior year, he won the punting competition at the National Kicking Invitational with a 63-yard punt that had 4.98 seconds of hang time. Kluwe also played one year of baseball as a pitcher. ==College== Kluwe developed into one of the top punters in the [[Pac-10]] while playing for [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], graduating in 2003 with a double major in political science and history.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last=Gervino|first=Tony|title=The punter makes his point|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/sports/football/punter-chris-kluwes-voice-is-heard-in-same-sex-marriage-debate.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|accessdate=9 January 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=October 19, 2012}}</ref> He set school records for both total punt yardage and total number of punts in a season in 2003. In his senior year, he ranked 4th in the Pac-10 and 26th in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] in yards per punt (42.9). He was selected as special teams player of the game in the [[Silicon Valley Football Classic]] against [[California State University, Fresno|Fresno State]] after averaging 44.3 yards on nine kicks. He also tied the bowl record with his nine punts and placed three kicks inside the 20-yard line. {| class="wikitable" |+ Varsity Stats at UCLA |- ! Year || Punts || Yards || Average || In 20 || Long |- | 2001 || 1 || 25 || 25.0 || 0 || 25 |- | 2002 || 1 || 44 || 44.0 || 0 || 44 |- | 2003 || 91 || 3908 || 42.9 || 19 || 66 |- style="background:#efefef" | Totals || 93 || 3977 || 42.8 || 19 || 66 |} ==NFL== [[File:Kluwe punting v Lions.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Kluwe punts in a game against the [[Detroit Lions]] in 2012]] Kluwe was signed as an undrafted free agent by the [[Seattle Seahawks]] in 2005. He was released by the Seahawks for the final roster cutdown and was picked up the next day by the Vikings. Kluwe became one of the most surprising pickups for the Vikings, finishing the season with an average of 44.1 yards per punt, ranking second in the NFC and sixth in the league. He punted 71 times during his first season. During a Week-13 game in Detroit, Lions safety [[Vernon Fox]] dove towards Kluwe during a punt and collided with Kluwe's plant foot. Tests showed Kluwe had a sprained ankle and would be out for 1–2 weeks. Kicker [[Paul Edinger]] was the punter for the remainder of the game, but a few days later the Vikings signed 42-year old veteran [[Darren Bennett (football)|Darren Bennett]] temporarily until Kluwe's ankle healed. On October 25, 2007 Kluwe signed an $8.3-million contract extension through 2013. The deal made Kluwe, who would have been a [[restricted free agent]] in the 2008 offseason, one of the 10 highest-paid punters in the NFL. [[file:Chris Kluwe postgame 2010-11-28.jpg|thumb|right|Kluwe after a game in 2010]] On December 20, 2010, Kluwe had the dubious distinction of punting the ball that the [[Chicago Bears]]' [[Devin Hester]] would return for a touchdown, breaking the all-time NFL record for combined punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. Previously in the game, Kluwe had successfully kept the ball out of Hester's hands on four punts.<ref>"Hester runs into the NFL record book", http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=7408, retrieved 12-23-2010</ref> In 2011 Kluwe changed his jersey number when the Vikings acquired quarterback [[Donovan McNabb]]. McNabb previously wore #5 for the [[Washington Redskins]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]], and requested the same number when he arrived in Minnesota, which was then being worn by Kluwe. Kluwe agreed on the condition that McNabb make a $5,000 donation to charity and to mention Kluwe's band Tripping Icarus during a press conference.<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-02/mcnabb-gets-vikings-no-5-jersey-for-donation-kluwe-band-pitch-ice-cream.html</ref> Kluwe took up #4 which had been worn by quarterback [[Brett Favre]] in 2009 and 2010. Following McNabb's departure from the team, Kluwe reclaimed his old #5 for the 2012 season. ==2011 NFL labor dispute== During the [[2011 NFL lockout]], the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' reported that an agreement between owners and the [[NFLPA|players' union]] was being held up by special considerations for a few top names,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2011/07/brees_manning_r.html | work=The Boston Globe | first=Greg A. | last=Bedard | title=Brees, Manning request own settlement terms | date=July 19, 2011}}</ref> [[Peyton Manning]], [[Drew Brees]], [[Vincent Jackson]], and [[Logan Mankins]]. Kluwe tweeted his frustration at this impasse, assailing their greed and calling them "douchebags". After [[Nate Jackson]] wrote an article for the sport website [[Deadspin]], excoriating Kluwe for talking "out of turn",<ref>{{cite web|author=Nate Jackson |url=http://deadspin.com/5823549/dear-chris-kluwe-when-we-want-the-punters-opinion-well-ask-for-it-we-wont |title=Dear Chris Kluwe: When We Want The Punter's Opinion, We'll Ask For It (We Won't) |publisher=Deadspin.com |date=2011-07-21 |accessdate=2012-09-08}}</ref> Kluwe responded with his own article, highlighting the contrast between his own fruitful career and Jackson's lack of statistics, while reiterating his opinion that four people endangering the livelihoods of the 1,900 affected by the dispute was "pretty much the definition of greed".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadspin.com/5823788/chris-kluwe-responds-can-i-kick-it-yes-i-can |title=Chris Kluwe Responds: Can I Kick It? (Yes, I Can) |publisher=Deadspin.com |date=2011-07-22 |accessdate=2012-09-08}}</ref> ==Personal life== Kluwe and his wife Isabel had their first daughter in July 2008, and their second in 2010. He also wrote a blog named "Out of Bounds," which appeared on the website of the ''[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]'' until 2012. He quit the column in protest over the paper's editorial in support of the [[Minnesota Amendment 1|Minnesota Marriage Amendment]] which would have amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.<ref name=HPonPP>Jason Linkins, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/03/chris-kluwe-st-paul-pioneer-press_n_2069240.html Chris Kluwe Quits St. Paul Pioneer Press Over Marriage Equality Amendment Editorial], The Huffington Post, November 3, 2012.</ref> Kluwe is well known as an avid ''[[Guitar Hero 2]]'' player, having once made an appearance on Minnesota's 93X radio station while playing the game with Andy McNamara from ''[[Game Informer]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.93x.com/photowall.asp?id=32850|title=93X ROCKS! Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota radio station website}}</ref> He is also a frequent guest on Minnesota sports station [[KFAN (AM)|KFAN]] for "Video Games Weekly" on Wednesday nights. During a [[KFAN (AM)|KFAN]] interview on the PA and Dubay show, he admitted he was not very good at sports games. Kluwe has also immersed himself in the [[MMORPG]] ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', playing a [[Races and factions of Warcraft#Trolls|troll]] rogue named Loate<ref>[http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/kiljaeden/loate/advanced ]{{dead link|date=September 2012}}</ref> and has been a member of one of the formerly top-ranked US guilds, [http://www.flying-hellfish.com The Flying Hellfish], for over four years.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schramm |first=Mike |url=http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/12/30/vikings-punter-chris-kluwe-plays-wow/ |title=Vikings punter Chris Kluwe plays WoW |publisher=Wowinsider.com |date=2008-12-30 |accessdate=2012-09-08}}</ref> Kluwe is a [[Libertarianism|Libertarian]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Shackford| |first=Scott| |url=http://reason.com/archives/2012/12/27/libertarian-in-the-nfl| |title=NFL Player Chris Kluwe on Being a Libertarian| |publisher=reason.com||date=2012-12-27}}</ref> ==Music== In addition to his full-time job as punter for the Vikings, Kluwe is the bassist for the local Minneapolis alternative/progressive rock band, Tripping Icarus. Kluwe formed the band in 2009 with friends Andrew Reiner (guitar) and Matthew Marshall (drums), and later recruited Jesse Revel to join on lead vocals. Tripping Icarus recorded their debut EP, ''The Sideshow Sessions'', in the summer of 2009. A year later, they recorded their first full length LP, ''Perfect Citizen'', which was slated for an early 2011 release. When [[Donovan McNabb]] was traded to Minnesota before the 2011 season, Kluwe offered McNabb the number 5 jersey in exchange for mentioning Tripping Icarus in at least 5 press conferences, as well as donating $5,000 to Kluwe's charity, and an ice cream cone.<ref>{{cite web|author=By MJD |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/If-McNabb-wants-5-he-8217-ll-be-promoting-a-p?urn=nfl-wp4056 |title=If McNabb wants No. 5, he’ll be promoting a punter’s rock band - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports |publisher=Sports.yahoo.com |date= |accessdate=2012-09-08}}</ref> McNabb didn't mention the band in five separate press conferences, but Kluwe concedes that "in his very first press conference, he mentioned it like twelve times".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/2012/09/29/161987224/vikings-punter-chris-kluwe-plays-not-my-job |title=Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Plays Not My Job |publisher=NPR |date= |accessdate=2012-09-29}}</ref> ==Marriage equality activism== {{see also|Homosexuality in American football}} On September 7, 2012 Kluwe released a bombastic and profanity laced letter<ref>{{cite web|last=Kluwe|first=Chris|title=They Won’t Magically Turn You Into A Lustful Cockmonster|url=http://deadspin.com/5941348/?post=52487943|publisher=Deadspin|accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> via sports website [[Deadspin]] he had sent to Maryland state assembly delegate [[Emmett C. Burns, Jr.|Emmett Burns]], defending the opinions of Baltimore Ravens linebacker [[Brendon Ayanbadejo]] and condemning Burns on his attempt to stifle Ayanbadejo's free speech. Ayanbadejo has been a vocal supporter of [[same-sex marriage]] and Burns had sent a letter requesting that the Ravens ownership "inhibit such expressions" by their employee.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burns|first=Emmett C|title=Letter to Baltimore Ravens|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--maryland-politician%E2%80%99s-letter-denouncing-brendon-ayanbadejo%E2%80%99s-support-of-gay-marriage.html;_ylt=AnKGJ_4ZZlaJPpFIIrAZDW1N7Ox_;_ylu=X3oDMTFycW9yNjU4BG1pdANBUlRJQ0xFIEFydGljbGUgQm9keQRwb3MDNgRzZWMDTWVkaWFBcnRpY2xlQm9keUFzc2VtYmx5;_ylg=X3oDMTJ2YjUxdGhhBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDYmEyYTgxMzgtNmJiMC0zNjhhLWJiYTYtOTQwODc1YWE1MmRmBHBzdGNhdANob21lfGV4cGVydHMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3|publisher=Yahoo Sports|accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> On October 1, 2012, Kluwe published a [[letter to the editor]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Kluwe|first=Chris|title=Out Of Bounds Blog No. 14 – Problems|url=http://blogs.twincities.com/outofbounds/2012/10/01/out-of-bounds-blog-no-14-problems/ |publisher=St. Paul Pioneer Press|accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref> that responded to a video statement<ref>{{cite web|last=Birk|first=Matt|title=Matt Birk speaks on the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5sOchA49cc&feature=player_embedded |publisher=YouTube|accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref> released by former [[Minnesota Vikings|Minnesota Viking]] [[Matt Birk]] in supporting a ban on same-sex marriage. In the letter, Kluwe outlined six principal reasons why he disagreed with Birk's statement. Kluwe was also featured in a documentary called "The Last Barrier" which aired on NBC Bay Area on December 8, 2012 at 3 p.m. PST. During this interview he spoke about his feelings towards equality.<ref>http://www.nbcuniversal.presscentre.com/content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=13866&NewsAreaId=2</ref> On the January 18, 2013 [[The Ellen Degeneres Show]], [[Ellen Degeneres]] inducted Kluwe as the first inductee in her Hall of Fame for his support of Marriage Equality. Kluwe and Ayanbadejo filed an [[amicus curiae|amicus brief]] to the [[US Supreme Court]] on February 28, 2013 regarding [[Hollingsworth v. Perry]], in which they expressed their support of the challenge to [[California Proposition 8]].<ref>{{cite web|last=McManus|first=Jane|title=NFLers show support of gay marriage|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9000545/chris-kluwe-brendon-ayanbadejo-file-amicus-brief-california-favoring-same-sex-marriage|work=ESPNNewYork.com|publisher=ESPN.com|accessdate=28 February 2013}}</ref> ==Protest against Pro Football Hall of Fame== On December 9, 2012 during the game against [[Chicago Bears]], Kluwe covered the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] patch on his uniform with a [[post-it]] note with a message "Vote [[Ray Guy]]" as a protest against the Hall's 50th Anniversary celebrations due to the lack of pure punters in the Hall.<ref>[http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000108407/article/chris-kluwe-calls-out-hall-of-fame-for-ignoring-punters Chris Kluwe calls out Hall of Fame for ignoring punters]</ref> ==Radio and Twitter Feed== Kluwe talks almost every week in the sports section of "The Half-Assed Morning Show", a radio show on the [[Minneapolis-Saint Paul]] radio station [[KXXR]] "93X."{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} Kluwe regularly tweets and retweets on twitter under the username @ChrisWarcraft. In the month of April 2013 he has retweeted @YourAnonNews tweets around 10 times. @YourAnonNews is a news network that supports the activist collective "Anonymous". ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{espn nfl|id=7480|name=Chris Kluwe}} *[http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9296/chris-kluwe Chris Kluwe] at NFL.com *[http://www.vikings.com/TeamPlayerProfile_Chris_Kluwe.aspx Vikings Bio] {{S-start}} {{s-sports}} {{Succession box| title=Minnesota Vikings Punters | before=[[Darren Bennett (football)|Darren Bennett]] | years=2005–present | after=''Incumbent''}} {{S-end}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Kluwe, Chris | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Player of American football | DATE OF BIRTH = December 24, 1981 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kluwe, Chris}} [[Category:1981 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Alternative rock bass guitarists]] [[Category:American alternative rock musicians]] [[Category:American football punters]] [[Category:American rock bass guitarists]] [[Category:American talk radio hosts]] [[Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States]] [[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]] [[Category:Musicians from Minnesota]] [[Category:People from Los Alamitos, California]] [[Category:Players of American football from California]] [[Category:Players of American football from Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Progressive rock guitarists]] [[Category:Radio personalities from Minnesota]] [[Category:Seattle Seahawks players]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Orange County, California]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:UCLA Bruins football players]] [[Category:Undrafted National Football League players]]'