Chris Kuper (born December 19, 1982) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

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for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). The Broncos selected him in the fifth round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

. He is currently the offensive line coach for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

High school career

Kuper 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 ...

at A. J. Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska where he helped the Lynx win the 2001 ASAA Large Schools State Championship. As a senior, Kuper finished just behind Matt Gittlein of

Wasilla High School Wasilla High School (WHS) is a public secondary school in Wasilla, Alaska, United States, serving students in grades 9– 12. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, with admission based primarily on the locations ...

as the state's Lineman of the Year.

College career

He played

for the

North Dakota Fighting Sioux The North Dakota Fighting Hawks (formerly known as the Fighting Sioux) are the athletic teams that represent the University of North Dakota (UND), located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Originally in the Division II North Central Con ...

. He was a three-year starter, awarded all-conference and All American honors since his junior campaign.

Professional playing career

2006 NFL Draft

Projected to go undrafted by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'', who criticized his lack of "balance, body control and ability in space," Kuper was ranked as the No. 28 offensive guard available in the

. Kuper was eventually selected in the fifth round, 161st overall, by the Denver Broncos. He was the highest selected North Dakota lineman since Todd Thomas in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Denver Broncos

Kuper started 79-of-90 games played (68 at right guard) while playing his entire eight-year NFL career with the Broncos. On June 4, 2010, the Broncos announced that they had signed Kuper to a five-year deal worth $25.5 million. The new contract made him the second-highest-paid offensive lineman in Broncos' history, second only to former left tackle

Matt Lepsis Matthew Stanley Lepsis (born January 13, 1974) is a former American football offensive tackle of the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and remained with the team un ...

. In 2010, the Denver Broncos announced that Kuper had been selected as co-captain of the Broncos offense, along with

Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...

and

Daniel Graham Daniel Lawrence Graham (born November 16, 1978) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Colorado, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was ...

. During the regular season finale in 2011 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, Kuper suffered a gruesome broken ankle that ended his season. That season Chris Kuper made the Pro Bowl but withdrew due to the injury and needed surgery. A three-time captain, Kuper was recipient of the

Ed Block Courage Award The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to a player from each team in the National Football League (NFL) who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a ...

in 2012 as voted on by his teammates. Kuper retired on March 11, 2014.

Coaching career

During the 2015 high school football season Kuper was as offensive line coach at

Columbine High School Columbine High School (CHS) is a public high school in Columbine, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district. In 1999, it became the scene of an infamous mass shooti ...

in Littleton, Colorado. On January 23, 2016, Kuper was hired by

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

as offensive quality control coach. He then spent two seasons (2017–18) as the assistant offensive line coach for Miami. On January 22, 2019, the Denver Broncos hired Kuper as their assistant offensive line coach. With the firing of

Vic Fangio Victor Mick Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio most recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the ...

from the Broncos Kuper was hired by Kevin O'Connell to be the offensive line coach for the

References

External links

UND Football bioDenver Broncos bioKuper not letting broken right hand block opportunity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuper, Chris 1982 births Living people Players of American football from Anchorage, Alaska American football offensive guards North Dakota Fighting Hawks football players Denver Broncos players Minnesota Vikings coaches Ed Block Courage Award recipients