Andrew Warren Katzenmoyer (born December 2, 1977) is a former football player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He was selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 1999 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He played college football for

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, and became the first Buckeye to win the

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

. His playing career was shortened due to a neck injury.

Early years

Katzenmoyer was born in Kettering, Ohio. He and his family moved to

Westerville, Ohio Westerville is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin and Delaware County, Ohio, Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. A northeastern suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, the population was 39,190 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

when he was 5. He attended

Westerville South High School Westerville South High School is a public high school located in Westerville, Ohio, northeast of Columbus, Ohio. Originally Westerville High School, it is the oldest of the three high schools in the Westerville City School District. It serves mos ...

, and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Westerville South Wildcats. Katzenmoyer won the Mr. Football Award and was selected as the national defensive player of the year his final year of high school.

College career

Katzenmoyer attended Ohio State University, where he played for the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium i ...

team from 1996 to 1998. In the first game of his college career, he became the first true freshman to ever start at linebacker for the Buckeyes. As a freshman he recorded 12 sacks including three in the

1997 Rose Bowl The 1997 Rose Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pacific-10 Conference and the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. The game was the 83rd edition of the annual Rose Bowl Game, he ...

.William Nack,
Born to be a Buckeye
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (November 25, 1996). Retrieved February 2, 2012. As a sophomore in 1997, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and won the

Dick Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

and Jack Lambert Trophy. Katzenmoyer was a three time first-team all-Big Ten selection. He started 37 consecutive games and finished his college career with 256 tackles, 50 tackles-for-loss, 18 sacks and six Interceptions. In 2009, he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall Of Fame. Notably, he was the last player at Ohio State to wear number 45.

Professional career

The New England Patriots selected Katzenmoyer in the first round (28th pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft. He suffered a neck injury during his first season with the Patriots that eventually forced him to have surgery and miss half of the 2000 season. During

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

in 2001, Katzenmoyer walked out citing concern about a feeling in his neck. He was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The Patriots released Katzenmoyer before the beginning of the season.

Life after football

Katzenmoyer is now selling property and casualty insurance and is the President of the NFL Alumni of Central Ohio.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katzenmoyer, Andy 1977 births Living people All-American college football players American football linebackers New England Patriots players Ohio State Buckeyes football players Players of American football from Ohio