Daniel Robert Buenning (born October 26, 1981, in Green Bay, Wisconsin) 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 wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

in the fourth round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...

, and also played professionally for the Chicago Bears and

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

. He played college football at

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

College career

Buenning played on both sides of the ball at

Bay Port High School Bay Port High School is a public high school in the Howard-Suamico School District in Wisconsin. Its enrollment for the 2006-2007 school year was approximately 1,675. The school colors are navy blue, Columbia blue and white. Bay Port's mascot i ...

, earning all-state honors and committing to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He was also a state champion wrestler at Bay Port. Playing at

, Buenning was a four-year starter on the offensive line, and was a team captain his senior season. He was an All-American and All-Big Ten selection after the 2004 season.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buenning was drafted by the

in the fourth round (107th overall) of the

, and became an immediate starter. He played in nine games his sophomore season before suffering an

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

tear against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

on Thanksgiving, sidelining him for the rest of 2006 and all of 2007. After spending his first three NFL seasons at guard, he moved to center between the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Chicago Bears

On September 2, 2008, Buenning was traded to the Chicago Bears for a conditional 2009 sixth-round pick. On September 4, 2009, the Bears informed Buenning that the team intended to cut him.

Florida Tuskers

In 2009, Buenning played for the

of the United Football League.

Personal life

Buenning is married. After his football career ended, Buenning became a car salesman in

Waupaca, Wisconsin Waupaca is a city in and the county seat of Waupaca County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Waupaca, and it is politically independent of the town. A p ...

References

External links

Chicago Bears bioTampa Bay Buccaneers bioUnited Football League bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buenning, Dan 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Green Bay, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin American football offensive guards American football centers Wisconsin Badgers football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Chicago Bears players Florida Tuskers players