Dan Klecko (born January 12, 1981) 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 ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

and fullback. He was drafted by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the fourth round of the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

. 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 ...

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Klecko has also been a member of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He has earned three

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

s in his career - two with the Patriots and one with the Colts. He is the son of former

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

defensive lineman

Joe Klecko Joseph Edward Klecko (born October 15, 1953) is an American former football player, of Polish descent, best remembered for his days as a defensive lineman, a member of the New York Jets' famed " New York Sack Exchange." Temple Owls Before goin ...

Professional career

New England Patriots

He was drafted by the

in the fourth round (117th pick overall) in the

. Klecko has been a versatile player; he attended Saint Patrick School in Malvern, PA,

Great Valley High School Great Valley High School is a comprehensive, college preparatory, public high school located in eastern Chester County. It is located in East Whiteland Township, near Malvern, Pennsylvania. Located on the same campus as Great Valley Middle School ...

, graduated from

Marlboro High School Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the six secondary schools of the Fre ...

, and then

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

, but was moved to

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, p ...

in the summer of 2004. He has seen time on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, and in his rookie season was a blocking fullback on five of the Patriots' nine running touchdowns. Klecko was cut by the Patriots after the 2006 preseason.

Indianapolis Colts

Shortly after his release from New England, Klecko signed with the

. With the Colts, he occasionally filled in for the injured James Mungro as fullback during the 2006 season. Klecko scored his first career

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

on a 2nd and goal four-yard pass from

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

against the

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 ...

on December 31, 2006. He also caught a touchdown against the

, his former team, to tie the game in the 3rd quarter of the 2006

AFC Championship game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

. The Colts went on to win that game. They advanced and won

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida 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 ...

. Klecko was declared an unrestricted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on March 2, 2007, but on March 24, 2007, he re-signed with the Colts, agreeing to a one-year contract. On November 17, 2007, Klecko was waived by the Colts. He was re-signed three days later.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 14, 2008, Klecko was signed by his hometown

, who intended to convert him back to fullback. He was brought in to compete with the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Jason Davis. After the Eagles traded for former teammate

Luke Lawton Richard Luke Lawton (born August 26, 1980 in New Iberia, Louisiana) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at McNeese State. Lawton has also b ...

, Klecko has been moved back to his natural defensive tackle position. He registered a sack against the St. Louis Rams in his first game for the Eagles. On October 8, 2008, it was announced that Klecko would be moved back to fullback. He switched jersey numbers from No. 68 to No. 49. In the 2009 preseason, the Eagles moved Klecko to defensive tackle and switched his jersey number back to No. 68. He was released from the Eagles on September 5, 2009.

Atlanta Falcons

Klecko signed a reserve/future contract with the

on January 11, 2010. He was waived on September 3.

Personal

He is the son of former

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

, best known as a tackle for the

New York Sack Exchange The New York Sack Exchange were the front four defensive line of the American football team New York Jets of the National Football League during the early 1980s. The line consisted of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam. Orig ...

, the

defense of the early 1980s, along with defensive end

Mark Gastineau Marcus Dell Gastineau (born November 20, 1956) is an American former football player who was a defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generatio ...

Marty Lyons Martin Anthony Lyons (born January 15, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Lyons play ...

and Abdul Salaam.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bioNew England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klecko, Dan 1981 births Living people Marlboro High School alumni People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends American football linebackers American football fullbacks Temple Owls football players New England Patriots players Indianapolis Colts players Philadelphia Eagles players Atlanta Falcons players Players of American football from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Chester, Pennsylvania